In many circles, when people think of country music the first artist they think of is Garth Brooks. And that’s no surprise, since Brooks passed milestone after milestone after breaking into radio back in 1989. Second only to The Beatles in terms of total album sales, Brooks has charted 19 #1 hits and had six of his albums certified “diamond” by the Recording Industry Association of America.
Garth Brooks was one of the first artists I really came to like on my own, rather than being influenced by my parents. And out of all of the songs he’s produced, it’s hard to narrow it down to just 10 favorites. But I have, and I present to you my choices for Garth Brooks’ 10 best songs:
10. We Shall Be Free – A country song with a lot of gospel influences, this was the first single released from his fourth album (The Chase). While not as successful commercially as his other songs, the message of the song has resonated long after it left radio. Brooks admitted that he wrote this song, about a man dreaming of a world free of hatred and war, while leaving Los Angeles just as the 1992 riots were breaking out.
9. Standing Outside The Fire – The third single from Brooks’ fifth album (In Pieces), this song is all about the difference between those who play it safe and those who take chances and are willing to fail just to say that they tried. The music video, about a young man with Down’s Syndrome who chooses to participate in a regular track meet instead of the Special Olympics, drives the meaning of the song home for me.
8. Beer Run – A duet with country legend George Jones, this was one of the last new singles released after his brief retirement from recording and performing was announced. A fun, peppy song that harkens back to country music’s roots, Beer Run doesn’t aim to tell a story but rather just have a good time.
7. The Change – Another “message song”, this one is particularly poignant because of the imagery used in the music video. Showing the rescue efforts in the wake of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing, Brooks belts out the bridge “As long as one heart still holds on/ then hope is never really gone. Powerful song that hits you hard.
6. Good Ride Cowboy – Written by Brooks in tribute to fellow country singer Chris LeDoux, this song is just an old honky-tonk tune about the things LeDoux liked best – roping, riding, and singing. It’s a good tune, especially when one needs just a little help from the “pick-up men”.
5. Ain’t Goin’ Down (‘Til The Sun Comes Up) – The first single from In Pieces, this song roars past you like a freight train. Fast and rocking, the song barely gives you a chance to breathe as it spins a tale of teenage love. And don’t miss the harmonica bits, which are pure Brooks.
4. The Dance – Brooks’ second #1 hit, it was the first song of his that focused on the “what ifs” that plague everyone. Though the words are about a man lamenting the loss of a relationship, the fact that it also says that even if he knew what would happen he wouldn’t change anything because it would mean also losing the good things. Add to that imagery in the music video of famous people who “died for a dream” (such as the crew of the Space Shuttle Challenger and Martin Luther King Jr.), and you get a song that has become symbolic of living life to the fullest.
3. The River – Brooks fifth single from Ropin’ The Wind, this is a classic country ballad. Using the image of a river to symbolize people’s hopes and dreams, it dips into refrains from both “The Dance” and provides some of the same messages that show up in “Standing Outside The Fire”. It’s about never giving up, because if you don’t try you’ll never know what will happen. Rhythmic and soulful, it is still one of his classic cuts.
2. The Thunder Rolls – A good old-fashioned cheating song, “The Thunder Rolls” is more of a song of consequences. A man coming home from seeing his mistress to find his wife waiting, and when she gets a whiff of the other woman’s perfume “the lightning flashes in her eyes, and he knows that she knows”. A pounding background punctuated by blasts of guitar, the entire song is set to the tune of a thunderstorm on the verge of breaking. What is missing from the standard radio version is the third verse, which made this song extremely popular in concert settings. But not as popular as…
1. Friends In Low Places – Pick up a copy of Brooks’ Double Live CD, and flip to this track. As soon as the first few notes are played, the roar of the crowd is almost tangible. Another honky-tonk tune, Brooks has joked that he went back and added the “mysterious third verse” that you can only hear on live recordings. Surprisingly, despite this being Brooks’ most recognized song, he was not the first to record it (fellow country singer Mark Chesnutt actually put it out several months earlier). But unlike Chesnutt’s downbeat and slower rendition, Brooks’ combination of up-tempo pacing and a group of loud background singers (to represent the “friends in low places”) catapulted it to the top.
So…that’s my list. Agree? Disagree? Let me know. I want to hear what you think.
