3 Country Tearjerkers From 1973 That Will Always Give You Goosebumps

I feel like I’m constantly discovering new country tearjerkers, or perhaps they find me knowing I’m the perfect mark for such heartache tunes. The songs on this list may or may not be new to you, but the sweeping drama, romance, and nostalgia will likely give you goosebumps—the body’s shivering response to one’s deep emotional connection to music. Similar to laughing at a funny joke, you can’t ignore goosebumps, and they have a way of directing your focus away from everything but the song.

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Here are three country tearjerkers from 1973 that deliver the sensation in different and occasionally unpredictable ways.

“Best Friend” by Johnny Cash

“An old man on his deathbed once said to me, ‘You are the master of your destiny,’” sings Johnny Cash in “Best Friend”. Written by Roy Orbison and Bill Dees, the song first appeared in the 1967 musical comedy Western, The Fastest Guitar Alive, which features Orbison in his only acting role. Though the track doesn’t immediately scream “tearjerker,” the perspective of one who has finally run out of time is enough to give anyone goosebumps—especially when delivered in the booming voice of a country legend.

“My Tennessee Mountain Home” by Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton’s 1973 concept album takes listeners back to the singer’s childhood home. It opens with the first letter Parton wrote to her parents after her move to Nashville. Then the title track glimpses June bugs, fireflies, and summer winds in Sevierville, Tennessee. It’s warm and cozy, and you can almost feel the familial tug back home—away from the noisy hustle of Music City. You don’t have to be a country star to feel restless, and the big city has dragged many hopeful young people away from their small towns. But home is always a part of us, no matter how far we travel.

“I’m Down (But I Keep Falling)” by Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge

Full Moon is the first of three duet albums by Kris Kristofferson and Rita Coolidge. It’s comprised mostly of covers. But one of the few originals is a slow-burner called “I’m Down (But I Keep Falling)”. A heartbreaking tale about placing hope in an unreliable partner. Kristofferson and Coolidge sing under the shadow of a doomed relationship. They plead with one another to leave something behind, an emotional bulwark against the inevitable breakup. Coolidge opens by addressing a “fair-weather friend.” Behind her, Kristofferson’s voice enters, low and tentative until the dusty track finally fades out.

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