3 Country Ballads From 1973 That Remain Timeless Tearjerkers

For country ballads, all tearjerkers are not alike. Many classic tunes document the many ways romantic entanglements fall apart. And even when the relationships survive, the struggle to keep going can bring on the tears, too. So for this list, I chose songs about relationships that are remarkably messy. Because there’s nothing more human than navigating the awkward, heartbreaking, and thrilling journey of falling in and occasionally out of love.

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Ready for a good cry? Here’s a collection of country ballads from 1973 that remain timeless tearjerkers.

“A Shoulder To Cry On” by Charley Pride

Written by Merle Haggard, “A Shoulder To Cry On” finds an ex returning to an old flame for comfort. Though Charley Pride’s easy croon makes the narrator seem less lousy. He leaves his partner, offers “second-hand” love when he’s around, and only returns when he needs something. It’s a take-and-take kind of relationship and an instance where, instead of feeling sorry for the speaker, we empathize with their romantic partner. Still, with Pride’s warm baritone, who wouldn’t welcome him back?

“A Song For You” by Willie Nelson

Leon Russell’s 1970 tune has been covered by Dusty Springfield, The Carpenters, Aretha Franklin, and many others. But Willie Nelson’s version, featuring only Nelson and his guitar, Trigger, feels especially heartbreaking. In the song, the speaker hopes to someday live up to the ideal his partner envisions. Though it’s obvious he’s fallen short: “I’ve sung a lot of songs / And I’ve made some bad rhymes.”

Then Nelson sings about his love hiding inside a melody. He pauses his voice and plays a beautiful phrase on the guitar. It’s lonesome, vulnerable, and also highlights how crucial his sidekick Trigger has been to his groundbreaking career.

“My Elusive Dreams” by George Jones and Tammy Wynette

Tammy Wynette first recorded “My Elusive Dreams” in 1967 with David Houston. Then she recorded a second version with George Jones, which appears on their 1973 album, Let’s Build A World Together. The song, written by Curly Putman and Billy Sherrill, is about loyalty and fleeting dreams. A wife follows her husband as he leaps from one ill-fated scheme to the next. They move to multiple states, but when they arrive in Alaska, tragedy befalls them. The song implies that their young child has died. Now, instead of chasing a brighter future, they hold on to the past.

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