litlover12

It was a weak year for country music, my friends. A weak, weak year. I won't go into all the reasons again -- you've heard me rant about 'em often enough (and you can click on my country music tag if you want to revisit the rants). All I'll say is, I had to search hard just to find 20 songs for this list. There were some good songs released this year, even some great songs . . . but there weren't very many.

Let's hope 2014 is better.

Same rules as always: Where I can't choose between an artist's singles, I list them as a tie. For the first time ever, there's a tie for first place. I really do like this Hayes kid -- he's a bright spot in a musical landscape that doesn't have very bright spots right now.

(Note: The video for #18 is a little racy.)

20. The Heart of Dixie, Danielle Bradbery
19. Sunny and 75, Joe Nichols
18. That Girl, Jennifer Nettles
17. Better, Maggie Rose
16. It Ain't the Whiskey, Gary Allan
15. Wagon Wheel, Darius Rucker
14. You Can't Make Old Friends, Kenny Rogers feat. Dolly Parton
13. I Believe, George Strait
12. When I See This Bar, Kenny Chesney
11. Little Bit of Everything, Keith Urban
10. Goodbye Town, Lady Antebellum
9. Highway Don't Care, Tim McGraw feat. Taylor Swift and Keith Urban
8. Stripes, Brandy Clark
7. Bruises, Train feat. Ashley Monroe
6. Done., The Band Perry
5. Little Bit Gypsy, Kellie Pickler
4. Aw Naw, Chris Young
3. Mama's Broken Heart, Miranda Lambert
I Want Crazy, Hunter Hayes
1. Everybody's Got Somebody but Me, Hunter Hayes feat. Jason Mraz

Current Mood: okay

I've taken my own sweet time getting to this, haven't I? I don't know what it is, but I've been a little behind on everything, ever since Christmas break. I think my brain stayed on vacation without me.

Anyway -- for the new folks, here are the 2011, 2010, and 2009 lists. (It's taken me how many years to actually make a tag for this? Maybe I've been behind for longer than I thought.) Same rules as last year: Where I couldn't choose between two of an act's songs, I put them in as ties. This year, for the first time, we have an unprecedented three-way tie. What can I say, Rascal Flatts had a really good year!

(Also, wow, do we need more women in country music.)

So here we go, from #20 up to #1:

20. Fly Over States, Jason Aldean
19. Hard to Love, Lee Brice
18. Somebody's Heartbreak, Hunter Hayes
17. You Go Your Way, Alan Jackson
16. Even If It Breaks Your Heart, Eli Young Band
15. Better than I Used to Be, Tim McGraw
14. The One That Got Away, Jake Owen
13. For You, Keith Urban
12. Tornado, Little Big Town
11. Why Ya Wanna, Jana Kramer
10. Did It for the Girl, Greg Bates
9. Lovin' You Is Fun, Easton Corbin
(tie) Changed
Banjo
6. Come Wake Me Up, Rascal Flatts
(tie) Postcard from Paris
4. Better Dig Two, The Band Perry
3. Too Good to Be True, Edens Edge
2. I Can Take It from There, Chris Young
1. Find Me a Baby, Josh Turner

Runners-up:

Better in a Black Dress, Katie Armiger
Sound of a Million Dreams, David Nail

Honorable Mention: Pistol Annies were going to release Takin' Pills as a single, but for some reason it never happened. However, they would have made the list if they had. So here's their video for the song.

And there always manages to be a song that my dad and I claim as our special song for the year. This year's is Banjo by Rascal Flatts ('cause Dad plays the banjo!).

Current Mood: accomplished

There's a lot of bellyaching among some country music fans because Luke Bryan got shut out of the Grammy nominations. As you might expect if you know me, however, I think it's fantastic. :-) Look, the guy's got the voice of a cartoon character, and his lyrics sound like they came straight from the brain (or other body part) of a hormonal 14-year-old boy. His massive sales have little or nothing to do with the quality of his music. He's the twangy version of 50 Shades of Grey, and that ain't winning any awards for quality any time soon.

(I can't say all this on the country music message boards. Though some folks there agree with me, most got tired of my Bryan-bashing after the second or third time. So I'm just saying it all again for you, you lucky people. :-) )

It's not like I care much for the Grammys as a rule -- far too many snubs of artists I do like, and too many "What? Who? Why?" nominations. But I am glad about Hunter Hayes's album nomination and best new artist nomination. (He also got a nomination for "Wanted," which is one of my least favorite of his songs, but it's still not bad.) Now there's a young man with a little originality, a ton of talent -- actual musical talent, not just "good at rotating his hips in skintight jeans" talent -- and an endless capacity for hard work. He deserves recognition, and I hope he's enjoying every second of it.

Current Mood: tired

Hunter Hayes's campaign for the Best New Artist ACM (a fan-voted award) is the best get-out-the-vote effort I've ever seen. Anywhere. EVER.

( Just a couple of examples . . . )

Current Mood: amused

For those of you who are new here, I do this every year. (Here are the 2010 and 2009 lists.) These are all songs that were released to radio last year. And for the first time, I have a couple of ties in there. I usually stick to a one-song-per-artist rule, but in this case, there were two bands that each released two singles that I just couldn't choose between! So I put them in as ties.

Where there are official music videos, I put in links to them; where there aren't, I used the best recorded or live performance I could find. Videos 20 and 18 might be considered PG-13 for skimpy clothing, and 9 for language (one unladylike word toward the end of the video).

So here we go!

20. "Barefoot Blue Jean Night," Jake Owen
19. "My Heart Can't Tell You No," Sara Evans
18. "Long Way to Go," Alan Jackson
17. "Hell on Heels," Pistol Annies
16. "Tough," Kellie Pickler
15. "Love Don't Run," Steve Holy
(tie) "You Lie," The Band Perry
13. "All Your Life," The Band Perry
12. "The Reason Why," Little Big Town
11. "Mean," Taylor Swift
10. "Let Me Go," Christian Kane
9. "Look It Up," Ashton Shepherd
8. "Somewhere Else," Toby Keith
7. "Here for a Good Time," George Strait
6. "Storm Warning," Hunter Hayes
5. "Love Done Gone," Billy Currington
4. "You," Chris Young
(tie) "I Won't Let Go," Rascal Flatts
2. "Easy," Rascal Flatts with Natasha Bedingfield
1. "Amen," Edens Edge

Current Mood: lazy

But dang, it's so CUTE! This is Chris Young with "You."

In other music news, on Saturday I got a copy of Hunter Hayes's new CD. I tell you what, folks, that little golden retriever with the guitar* is good.

*And the piano, and the mandolin, and the drums, and the accordion, and some instruments I've never even heard of. Twenty years old and he plays every single instrument on the album, and wrote or co-wrote all the songs. Holy cow.

Current Mood: impressed

My thoughts on books, movies, and other essentials of life.

Entries tagged with hunter hayes

Top 20 country singles of 2013

My top 20 country singles of 2012

Grammy gloating

This kid could teach politicians a thing or two

My top 20 country singles of 2011

So, the video has nothing to do with the lyrics

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