The Hipster’s Guide to Classic Country Music

Let’s face it…if your mountain man beard, microbrew fetish, and pipe collection are no longer enough, classic country music can help you get to the next level of hipster (so can a pair of Wrangler jeans). My name is the Track Star, and I grew up on country music. I lived on a 5-acre llama ranch just outside of Seattle during the grunge era…do you see how there’s a hipster seed in there? I knew I was not your standard redneck when, at 14, my dad’s hunting drew me towards vegetarianism (celebrating 26 meat-free years now). At 18, I pierced my nose and moved to southern California where I could eat tofu, get feminism tattoos, and vote for democrats in a diverse, shame-free environment…but that country music seed definitely grew roots throughout my childhood. In fact, during my 20s, I escaped my days of drinking expensive juice and visiting organic farmer’s markets by honky tonkin’ every week. I would go line dancing at the Brandin’ Iron Saloon in San Bernardino (the biggest & best honky tonk a.k.a. country bar west of Gilley’s…and watch John Travolta & Debra Winger in “Urban Cowboy” if you don’t understand either of those references).

 

 

Unfortunately, country music withered up and died after the 2000s. After DJing at the world’s largest country music festival (Stagecoach–the country cousin of Coachella), I had to stop listening to country music on the radio. The so-called country you hear on the radio today is known as “pop country” by country music purists (those of us who prefer classic country or “real” country). The artists who “ruined” country music are people like Taylor Swift, Sam Hunt, Florida Georgia Line, Thomas Rhett, & Luke Bryant (and many others). Follow “We Hate Pop Country” on Facebook to learn more.

If you like “Wake Me Up” by Avicii, “Honey I’m Good” by Andy Grammer, “I Will Wait” by Mumford & Sons, “The Country Death Song” by the Violent Femmes, “Easy” by Sheryl Crow, “Wish I Knew You” by the Revivalists, “Wagon Wheel” by Old Crow Medicine Show, or Philip Phillips, classic country will be a great fit. If watching the movie Walk the Line turned you into a Johnny Cash fan, rest assured there is plenty more music like that out there. If you resonate as a defiant outsider or a feminist or a government-hating pothead, classic country music welcomes you with open arms! Classic country is outlaw music–pure and simple. It was created by people who knew they were on the outskirts of mainstream society and unshakingly flipped it the bird à la Johnny Cash at San Quentin (below).

 

 

Did you know Loretta Lynn, who sang the feminist anthem “The Pill,” & Jack White from the White Stripes, who also has some killer bluegrass tunes, created an album together? Did you know Johnny Cash has covered songs by Nine Inch Nails and Depeche Mode? Have you heard Lady Gaga’s country roads version of “Born This Way?” Did you know Beyonce has a kick ass collab with the Dixie Chicks (the girl-power Texas band who was banned from country radio for saying they were ashamed that George Bush is from their home state) called “Daddy Lessons”? Did you know the black lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish bailed on the band so he could start a solo country music career (country fans know him as Darius Rucker)? Did you know when I DJ classic country parties, I have to ask the client if swear words are OK?

Do I have your attention now? I thought so. Let’s continue 🙂 You’ll love the country artists as much as you love their music–I promise.

 

 

THE KING OF COUNTRY MUSIC

First, let’s start with the forefather of all country music kick-assery: Hank Williams. Hank signed to MGM Records in 1947 and his twangy anthems changed country music forever. He was famously fired by the Grand Ole Opry in 1952 after one of many no-shows. He lived a turbulent life that his son Hank Jr sings about in his cornerstone song “Family Tradition.” In true rock star style, Hank Sr. died of heart failure brought on by prescription drug abuse and alcoholism in 1953. Hipster-friendly Hank Williams songs include:

• I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry
• Hey Good Lookin’
• Jambalaya (on the Bayou)
• Tear in my Beer
• Your Cheating Heart

 

TOP 125 CLASSIC COUNTRY SONGS FOR HIPSTERS

Pour yourself some Popcorn Sutton’s Tennessee White Whiskey (that’s legal moonshine for you city slickers) & get ready for some serious drinkin’ music free of “Friends in Low Places,” “Achy Breaky Heart,” “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” “Old Town Road,” and “The Git Up.” I’ve includes lots of notes & trivia about the playlist songs because we hipsters can’t just enjoy music in a vacuum…we like to sound like a seasoned expert when putting on a playlist for friends, yes? I’ve included standards as well as a number of “B sides” that will even impress country music enthusiasts…you know the kind of people who still say “Country Western.”

 

1. 18 Wheels & a Dozen Roses, Kathy Mattea
2. 9 to 5, Dolly Parton
3. A Boy Named Sue, Johnny Cash
4. All My Exes Live in Texas, George Strait
5. Amarillo by Morning, George Strait
6. Are You Ready for the Country, Waylon Jennings
7. Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way?, Waylon Jennings (Referring to Hank Williams Sr.)
8. Back Where I Come From, Kenny Chesney
9. Bed You Made for Me, Highway 101
10. Before Country Was Cool, Barbara Mandrell
11. Born to Boogie, Hank Williams Jr. (Hank Sr’s son)
12. Chattahoochee, Alan Jackson
13. Church on Cumberland Road, Shenandoah
14. Coal Miner’s Daughter, Loretta Lynn (Watch her biographical movie “Coal Miner’s Daughter” staring Sissy Spacek!)
15. Coat of Many Colors, Dolly Parton
16. Copenhagen, Chris Le Deux (Yep, chew killed this underground country singer with a cult following. His catchy, hilarious love song to Copenhagen chewing tobacco is like a country version of “Can’t Feel My Face” or “Mary Jane.”)
17. Copperhead Road, Steve Earle (Listen carefully…After coming home from war, this soldier gives up on the family tradition of making moonshine because he realized when he was in Viet Nam that he could just grow weed instead.)
18. Country Boy Can Survive, Hank Williams Jr.
19. Country Club, Travis Tritt
20. Country Roads, Take Me Home, John Denver (Lucky if I get through this one without tearing up…)
21. Cowboy Take Me Away, Dixie Chicks
22. Crazy, Patsy Cline (Sadly, the anthem of Battered Woman’s Syndrome…Patsy was in a violent marriage at the height of her fame. Written by Willie Nelson.)
23. Cripple Creek, Earl Scruggs & Lester Flatt
24. Devil Went Down to Georgia, Charlie Daniels Band
25. Digging Up Bones, Randy Travis
26. Dixieland Delight, Alabama
27. Down at the Twist & Shout, Mary-Chapin Carpenter
28. Dueling Banjos, Roy Clark & Buck Owens
29. El Paso, Marty Robbins (After writing this song, Marty Robbins was flying over El Paso & had a revelation that he was the cowboy in the song in a past life…so he wrote “El Paso City” about that experience.)
30. Elvira, Oak Ridge Boys
31. Every Little Thing, Carlene Carter (Yep, June Carter’s daughter…she called Johnny Cash “Stepdad.” Roseanne Cash’s “Tennessee Flat Top Box” is also a good one.)
32. Family Tradition, Hank Williams Jr (A proud nod to his famous father…”Put yourself in my position–if I get stoned and sing all night long, it’s a family tradition.” When you hear this song at a honky tonk, know the customs! When Jr sings, “Why do you drink?” The crowd shouts back “To get drunk!” When Jr sings, “Why do you roll smoke?” The crowd shouts, “To get high!” When he sings, “Why must you act out the songs that you wrote?” The crowd shouts, “To get laid!”)
33. Fancy, Reba McEntire
34. Fishin’ in the Dark, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
35. Flowers on the Wall, Statler Brothers
36. Folsom Prison Blues, Johnny Cash
37. Fool-Hearted Memory, George Strait (His first of SIXTY #1 hits–the most in country music history! Too many for this list but do check them out.)
38. Get a Rhythm, Johnny Cash
39. Guitars & Cadillacs, Dwight Yoakum (One of the few west coasters on the list…from Bakersfield, California — also a vegetarian!)
40. Have Mercy, Judds (A female country duo–mother & sister to famous actress Ashley Judd!)
41. Highway Man, The Highwaymen (The Highwaymen are Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, & Kris Kristofferson.)
42. Hillbilly Rock, Marty Stewart
43. Honky Tonk Man, Dwight Yoakum
44. Hooked on an 8-Second Ride, Chris Le Deux (Pronounced “Le Doo”)
45. Hot Rod Lincoln, Commander Cody
46. I Ain’t Livin’ Long Like This, Waylon Jennings
47. I Love a Rainy Night, Eddie Rabbitt
48. I Think I’ll Just Sit Here & Drink, Merle Haggard
49. I Walk the Line, Johnny Cash
50. I’m No Stranger to the Rain, Keith Whitley
51. If You’re Gonna Play in Texas, Alabama
52. If You’ve Got the Money, Willie Nelson
53. If Your Heart Ain’t Busy, Tanya Tucker
54. It Only Hurts When I Cry, Dwight Yoakum
55. Jackson, Johnny Cash & June Carter
56. Jolene, Dolly Parton
57. Jose Cuervo, Shelly West
58. Kaw-Liga, Hank Williams Jr. (Hank Sr also does this one.)
59. Lay You Down, Conway Twitty
60. Long Time Gone, Dixie Chicks
61. Louisiana Saturday Night, Mel McDaniel
62. Luckenbach Texas, Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson
63. Mama Tried, Merle Haggard
64. Maybe It Was Memphis, Pam Tillis
65. Meet Me in Montana, Dan Seals
66. Midnight Girl in a Sunset Town, Sweethearts of the Rodeo
67. Mountain Music, Alabama
68. Mud on the Tires, Brad Paisley
69. Mule Skinner Blues, Dolly Parton
70. My Kind of Girl, Colin Raye
71. Next to You, Shenandoah
72. No Time to Kill, Clint Black
73. Nobody Wins, Radney Foster
74. Norma Jean Riley, Diamond Rio
75. One Piece at a Time, Johnny Cash
76. Only Daddy That’ll Walk the Line, Waylon Jennings
77. Orange Blossom Special, Johnny Cash
78. Pancho & Lefty, Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard
79. Papa Loved Mama, Garth Brooks
80. Past the Point of Rescue, Hal Ketchum
81. Pick-Up Man, Joe Diffie
82. Play Something Country, Brooks & Dunn
83. Redneck Girl, Bellamy Brothers (During the corresponding Redneck Girl line dance, when the song says, “A redneck girl got her name on the back of her belt,” dancers shout, “Bullshit! Bullshit! F— you!” When the song says, “She’s got a kiss on her lips for her man and no one else,” dancers repeat, “Bullshit! Bullshit! F— you!” When the song says, “A coyote’s howling out on the prairie,” dancers howl. Finally, the song says, “First comes love, then comes marriage.” After “love,” dancers interject, “Then sex!!!”)
84. Ring of Fire, Johnny Cash
85. Rockin’ With the Rhythm, Judds
86. Rodeo, Garth Brooks
87. Rough & Ready, Trace Adkins
88. Saturday Night Special, Conway Twitty (Yes, the same guy they famously poke fun at on “Family Guy”–see below)
89. Sin Wagon, Dixie Chicks
90. Smoky Mountain Rain, Ronnie Milsap
91. Sold, John Michael Montgomery
92. Some Girls Do, Sawyer Brown
93. Song of the South, Alabama
94. Stampede, Chris Le Deux
95. Stand by Your Man, Tammy Wynette
96. Straight Tequila Night, John Anderson
97. Streets of Bakersfield, Dwight Yoakum
98. Sweet Dreams of You, Patsy Cline
99. Tempted, Marty Stuart
100. Tennessee River & a Mountain Man, Alabama
101. Thank God I’m a Country Boy, John Denver (He’s an outspoken vegan and & rep for P.E.T.A #MeatlessMondays)
102. That Kind of Girl, Patty Loveless
103. That’s My Story, Collin Raye
104. That’s What I Like About You, Trisha Yearwood (She’s married to Garth Brooks & is a celebrity chef with a reality cooking show.)
105. The Gambler, Kenny Rogers
106. The Pill, Lorettta Lynn (Also check out her cover of Nancy Sinatra’s “These Boots Were Made for Walking.”)
107. The Race Is On, Sawyer Brown (or any of the older versions)
108. The Thunder Rolls, Garth Brooks
109. Ticks, Brad Paisley
110. Tight-Fittin’ Jeans, Conway Twitty
111. Tonight We Ride, Tom Russell (We played this at my dad’s funeral…definitely a “b side.”)
112. Tougher Than the Rest, Chris Le Deux
113. Tulsa Time, Don Williams
114. Two Feet of Topsoil, Brad Paisley
115. Walkin’ After Midnight, Patsy Cline (Check out the Cyndi Lauper cover!)
116. What Was I Thinkin,’ Dierks Bentley
117. When You Say Nothing At All, Keith Whitley (Alison Krauss’ version might be more popular though…)
118. Whiskey, If You Were a Woman, Highway 101
119. Why Not Me, Judds
120. Wide Open Spaces, Dixie Chicks
121. Will the Circle Be Unbroken, dozens of versions
122. Wrong Side of Memphis, Trisha Yearwood
123. You Ain’t Woman Enough, Loretta Lynn
124. You Really Had Me Going, Holly Dunn
125. You’ve Never Been This Far Before, Conway Twitty

 

 

 

 

There are a few current country artists with that classic country sound: Chris Stapleton, Brothers Osborn, some Miranda Lambert (try “Gunpowder & Lead” or “Little Red Wagon”), or Cody Jinks.

If you’re afraid country music is too white, straight, or conservative for you, check out Little Big Town’s “Girl Crush,” Maddie & Tae’s “Girl in a Country Song,” the Dixie Chicks’ “Goodbye Earl,” Los Lonely Boys’ “Heaven,” Kacey Musgraves’ “Follow Your Arrow,” Big & Rich’s “Love Train,” Garth Brooks’ “We Shall Be Free,” John Anderson’s “Seminole Wind,” or anything by Charlie Pride, Cowboy Troy, k.d. lang, or Freddie Fender.

If you enjoy a good DJ mix, I’m not the only one doing creative things with country music–check out DeeJay Silver, DJ Sinister’s Country Fried Mix, VDJ JD, DJ Bad Ash, or DJ Hish (who I was on the roster with at the Stagecoach Festival and the Moonshine Miles Festival).

Film enthusiast? In addition to watching Johnny Cash’s biographical Walk the Line, you can also try some of these country cult classics: Coal Miner’s Daughter (about Loretta Lynn), Urban Cowboy (with John Travolta & Debra Winger), Pure Country (starring George Strait), Sweet Dreams (about Patsy Cline), Eight Seconds (with Luke Perry)…as well as anything starring Dolly Parton (like 9 to 5 or Steel Magnolias) or Kris Kristofferson (like A Star Is Born or Blade). Dwight Yoakum has a few famous cameos as well (like Sling Blade or Crank). But the real question is: are they “acting” or just “acting natural”? Once you understand that reference, you officially get a gold star in the hipster country music Olympics!!! (Leave me your thoughts in the comments below.)

If you enjoyed the Hipster’s Guide to Classic Country Music, I urge you to explore bluegrass and folk music. And, yes, I know not every “staple” classic country jam is on the list (again, comment below). Some say “crank it up,” but, around here, we say “Hank it up!” Enjoy your hip classic country tunes! 

 

LISTEN TO THE HIPSTER’S CLASSIC COUNTRY PLAYLIST

Check it out on YouTube or Spotify.