The Highway Fades To Black...

Read the story of Hank's last day here and here.

Check out these great songs about Hank. I especially like the Moe Bandy number. Good stuff:

The Blasters - Long White Cadillac (buy album)

Moe Bandy - Hank Williams You Wrote My Life (buy album)

The Blue Chieftains - I Think Hank Woulda Done It This Way (buy album)

David Allan Coe - The Ride (buy album)

For Hank's last hit song (before his death) see the Hank Song Of The Week at the bottom of this page.

The Death Car. Long but not white.

The "Perfect" Country Song?

If all of country music were distilled down into one song, what would it be? I'm not talking about the "best" song or your personal favorite, but about a representative piece. In other words, the most country country song, or, as David Allan Coe might say, "the perfect country song."


According to Coe, the key ingredients to the "perfect" country song are "mama, trains, trucks, prison, and gettin' drunk." Check it out here: David Allan Coe - You Never Even Call Me By My Name (buy album).



Steve Goodman (who, along with John Prine, co-authored Coe's hit) would expand Coe's list to include "farms," "dead dogs like Old Shep," and "Christmas": Steve Goodman - You Never Even Call Me By My Name (Live) (buy album).


Putting aside the cliches (but not too far away) I'd say there are four key elements to the perfect country song:

(1) Clever lyrics (a pun, a joke, or a play on words, preferably in the title of the song);

(2) A storyline based, at least in part, on regret (good for fostering tears in beers);

(3) A stalwart, but flawed, protagonist; and

(4) A peddle steel guitar.

Two other extra-credit elements would be:

(5) Alcohol (thanks to David Allan Coe and a host of others); and

(6) Reverence for the land, especially the South.

I'll reveal my choice at the end of this post. But first, let's first consider some contenders...

A popular pick surely would be this twangy classic: Tammy Wynette - Stand By Your Man (buy album) (But I say no because it's missing too many key elements.)

Here's a nice one from Ms. Wynette's ex-husband that really nails the regret angle, voiced by the stalwart, but flawed, protagonist: George Jones - She Thinks I Still Care (buy album).

Hag's relocation-to-premanent-residence-in-the-bar song is a solid choice: Merle Haggard - Swinging Doors (buy album).

We've got to include this great one from the master: Hank Williams - Your Cheatin' Heart (buy album).

Finally, here's a fairly obscure one from the 1980's that I've always loved. It hits almost all of the key elements (plus extra credit for both alcohol and love of Dixie): Dwight Yoakam - South Of Cincinnati (buy album). (But it's just not well-known enough to take the crown.)

THEY'RE ALL GREAT BUT THE WINNER IS ......

George Jones - He Stopped Loving Her Today (buy album).

This one speaks for itself, and it's a real tear-jerker. Our protaganist pines in vain for years and years over a lost love only to finally stop loving her when.... Well, I'll just let George tell the rest of the story. [Read the AMG review.]




What ingredients do you think the perfect country song must include? More importantly, what's your choice for the perfect country song?