3 of the Most Influential Country Songs of All Time

Country music spans generations. Dating back to soon after the turn of the century, the genre has gone through multiple changes and evolutions in the decades since it began. So many great songs have been released, songs that defined a moment. With that in mind, we found three of the most influential country songs of all time.

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“I’m A Honky Tonk Girl” by Loretta Lynn

When Loretta Lynn released her debut single, “I’m A Honky Tonk Girl“, in 1960, no one likely anticipated how much she would revolutionize an entire genre, including Lynn. The song, which barely cracked the Top 15, did little to hint at the career Lynn would have.

Lynn wrote “I’m A Honky Tonk Girl” by herself. She released two more singles after that, before releasing her freshman Loretta Lynn Sings album in 1963. She had a series of Top 10 singles and released a few more records before landing at the top of the charts with “Don’t Come Home a Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind)”. The song, out in 1966, became her first No. 1 single.

Lynn spent the next several decades proving she was a force to be reckoned with. She had success with songs that were banned on the radio. She also became the first female ever to win a CMA Award for Entertainer of the Year. It’s a legendary career that began with “I’m A Honky Tonk Girl”.

“I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” by Hank Williams

Ask anyone who one of the most influential artists in country music is, and a lot of people would say Hank Williams. Much of the sound and style of country music can be traced back to Williams, an impressive legacy considering he was just 29 years old when he passed away in 1953.

Beginning in 1947, Williams released several singles, songs that helped build his career, even if they weren’t successful on the radio. By 1949, he had a No. 1 song with “Lovesick Blues”.

But of all of Williams’ songs, too many to mention, his most noteworthy is “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry“. Written by Williams, the song remains iconic, 76 years after it was first released in 1949.

The song says, “Hear that lonesome whippoorwill / He sounds too blue to fly / The midnight train is whining low / I’m so lonesome, I could cry.“

“Read the words of that song,” Vince Gill tells Songfacts. “That’s as beautiful as you’ll ever want to hear the English language put out.”

“American Pie” by Don McLean

“American Pie“, out in 1971, is Don McLean’s second single and first No. 1 hit. The song landed at the top of both the country and pop charts, an especially outstanding feat since the song is over eight minutes long. It remained a No. 1 single for several weeks.

“American Pie” was born from one of music’s biggest tragedies. Written about the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper, McLean proved the power of a song, and that sometimes, genres are insignificant.

“I realized how everything was against me, and I didn’t allow it to defeat me,” McLean tells Forbes. “The record producer didn’t think I had any talent; he didn’t really care about my songs.”

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