Think of a country music superstar, and Randy Travis is in a league all his own. Travis began having hits at country radio in the mid-1980s. In the decades since then, it’s his voice behind some of the most beloved country music songs of all time.
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A 2013 stroke might have taken away his ability to sing, but his music will live on forever, especially in these four Randy Travis songs.
“Three Wooden Crosses”
“Three Wooden Crosses” is written by Kim Williams and Doug Johnson. Included on Travis’s 2002 Rise and Shine album, the song became a platinum-selling No. 1 hit for Travis, the last of his career, at least so far.
“Three Wooden Crosses” begins with, “A farmer and a teacher, a hooker and a preacher / Ridin’ on a midnight bus bound for Mexico.” As the song continues, the bus crashes, with the hooker being the only one to survive, changing her life thanks to the “blood-stained” Bible that she later read to her son, himself a preacher who tells the story to his congregation.
Both established songwriters, Johnson tells The Tennessean, both he and Williams broke down in tears when the song was completed.
“I Told You So”
There may not be a country song more tinged with regret than “I Told You So”. Written by Travis, the song is on his 1987 Always & Forever album.
“I Told You So” says, “If I told you that I realized you’re all I ever wanted / And it’s killing me to be so far away / Would you tell me that you love me too, and would we cry together? / Or would you simply laugh at me and say / I told you so, oh, I told you so/ I told you someday you’d come crawling back and asking me to take you in / I told you so, but you had to go / But now I’ve found somebody new and you will never break my heart in two again.”
Carrie Underwood also includes a version of this song on her 2007 Carnival Ride album. The two have also performed the song together, including on American Idol.
“On The Other Hand”
“On The Other Hand” became Travis’s first No. 1 single, the second time it was released. Travis first released “On The Other Hand” as his debut single on his freshman Storms Of Life album. The song failed to chart, so his record label followed that with “1982”, which became a Top 10 hit. Buoyed by that success, Travis released “On The Other Hand” again, which this time went to the top of the charts.
“On The Other Hand” is about wanting to cheat, but choosing to stay faithful instead. The song says, “But on the other hand, there’s a golden band / To remind me of someone who would not understand / On one hand, I could stay and be your lovin’ man / But the reason I must go is on the other hand.”
“Forever And Ever, Amen”
There likely isn’t a more popular Randy Travis song than “Forever And Ever, Amen”. Written by Don Schlitz and Paul Overstreet, “Forever And Ever, Amen” became a multi-platinum hit for Travis.
Out in 1987, the feel-good, catchy tune says, “I’m gonna love you forever / Forever and ever amen / As long as old men sit and talk about the weather / As long as old women sit and talk about old men / If you wonder how long I’ll be faithful / I’ll be happy to tell you again / I’m gonna love you forever and ever / Forever and ever, amen.”
“Forever And Ever, Amen” stayed in the No. 1 spot for three weeks.
Photo by Omar Vega/Getty Images
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