Some of the best country music songs came out 17 years ago in 2008. With so much music out since then, these four songs are sadly hardly remembered anymore. However, they are still worth listening to over and over again today.
Videos by American Songwriter
“She Wouldn’t Be Gone” by Blake Shelton
She Wouldn’t Be Gone” is a two-week No. 1 hit for Shelton. Written by Jennifer Adan and Cory Batten, the song is on Shelton’s Startin’ Fires album.
“She Wouldn’t Be Gone” is about a man who recognizes too late that it’s his own mistakes that are the reason the woman he loves chose to leave. The song says, “If I hadn’t been so stubborn, been so selfish / Thought about her more, thought about me less / Joked and made her laugh, held her when she cried / A little more of that. … If I had loved her this much all along / Maybe maybe, yeah maybe / She wouldn’t be gone.”
Adan reveals it’s Shelton’s longtime producer, Scott Hendricks, who she credits with Shelton even hearing the song.
“After we wrote it, we both started pitching it around town, trying to get it heard by as many people as possible,” Adan tells The Boot. “Cory and his publisher, Kent Blazy, are the ones who got it to Scott Hendricks, who produced Startin’ Fires. He fell in love with the song, and the rest is history.
“Roll With Me” by Montgomery Gentry
Montgomery Gentry, made up of Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, wrapped up 2008 with a two-week, chart-topping single, “Roll With Me”. Written by Clint Daniels and Tommy Karlas, the song is about finding contentment, taking lessons from the past, and applying them to the future.
“Roll With Me” says, “So now I’m slowin’ it down and I’m lookin’ around / And I’m lovin’ this town and I’m doin’ alright / Ain’t worried ’bout nothin’ except for the man I wanna be / I’m thinkin’ maybe it’s time to be livin’ a rhyme / When I’m singin’ a song about nothin’ but right / And it’d sure be nice if you would roll with me.”
“Just A Dream” by Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood’s “Just A Dream” is on her sophomore Carnival Ride album. Gordie Sampson, Steve McEwan, and Hillary Lindsey are the writers of the song. “Just a Dream” tells the story of a young girl who falls in love. She says “I do” with her husband, who is later tragically killed in the line of duty.
“Just A Dream” says, “Baby, why’d you leave me? / Why’d you have to go? / I was counting on forever, now I’ll never know / I can’t even breathe / It’s like I’m looking from a distance / Standing in the background / Everybody’s saying, ‘He’s not coming home now’ /This can’t be happening to me / This is just a dream.”
“She Never Cried In Front Of Me” by Toby Keith
Toby Keith didn’t show his soft side often, but he did in “She Never Cried In Front Of Me”. Written by Keith and Bobby Pinson, the song is on Keith’s That Don’t Make Me A Bad Guy record.
“She Never Cried In Front Of Me” is about a guy who realizes too late that his now ex-wife was unhappy. The song says, “How was I supposed to know she was slowly letting go? / If I was putting her through her hell / Hell, I couldn’t tell. / She could’ve given me a sign / Could’ve opened up my eyes / How was I supposed to see? / She never cried in front of me.”
Photo by Jemal Countess/WireImage
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