Best Willie Nelson Songs
75Funny How Time Slips Away
Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain
Whiskey River
Can I Sleep in Your Arms
Remember Me
Which Of These Willie Nelson Songs Do You Like?
See results without votingWillie Nelson is the greatest! Of course I am a fan. Willie has played with everyone from Shania Twain to Merle, from Waylon to Ray Charles. He is a singer, songwriter and and excellent guitar player. Speaking of his guitar, which he calls "Trigger" (named after Roy Rogers famous horse) is probably the most renowned guitar in the world, at least it is to me. It's an old Martin acoustic and it boggles my mind, the stories that this old and worn guitar could tell.
Willie Nelson's guitar looks like it has been in a few honky-tonk bar room fights and lost, but it has produced some of the sweetest and most memorable country songs that I know of. In general, I tend to favor rock music, or grunge even, but back in the 1970's Willie Nelson just could not be ignored. I remember buying his Red Headed Stranger album long ago. Willie sings and plays some great songs on that album, with some of the best country song lyrics that I have ever heard.
They call Willie Nelson an outlaw, or his music is often referred to as outlaw country. I have heard old school country fans or just old timers in general, say that they didn't particularly care for Willie. I think it was because his hair is a little long and it has been rumored that he smoked a little. Whatever the truth is, these old timers would have a Pancho and Lefty album or have some Waylon and Willie in their collections, despite their convictions.
Shotgun Willie is a song and album that Willie Nelson did back in the very early 1970's. The song Shotgun Willie was played a lot on the radio and became very popular. The lyrics are catchy, to say the least: shotgun Willie sits around in his underwear...bitin' on a bullet and pullin' out all his hair...shotgun Willie's got all his family there...
Here is some more of my all time favorite Willie Nelson songs!
Willie Nelson's Song Funny How Time Slips Away
Funny How Time Slips Away was written by Willie Nelson and was from his first album in 1962 called And Then I Wrote. That video I chose at the top right hand side of this Willie Nelson article or review is one of my favorite videos on YouTube. It looks like Willie has almost all his friends about to cry. I think you can actually see some of those grown men tearing up, on that video. Willie Nelson's abilities on the guitar in that video are amazing in my opinion.
Willie Nelson's Song Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain
Willie Nelson's song, Blue Eyes Crying In The Rain, was originally wrote by Fred Rose and performed or recorded by Roy Acuff back in the 1940's, but Willie made it his own and famous, on his Red Headed Stranger album back in 1975. It is a classic.
Willie Nelson's Song Whiskey River
Willie Nelson's song, Whiskey River, played in every honky-tonk, every bar and on every jukebox, that I am aware of back in the mid 1970's and early 1980's. Jukeboxes blasted this song out, it seemed like, because it just sounds better good and loud I think. Here are some of Willie Nelson's song Whiskey River's lyrics, keeping in mind that "amber current" means whiskey!
..I am drowning in a whiskey river..feeling the amber current flowing from my mind...
Willie Nelson's Song Can I Sleep in Your Arms
Willie Nelson's song, Can I Sleep in Your Arms, is from his Red Headed Stranger album. Can I Sleep in Your Arms, has some excellent lyrics, in my opinion. It is a sweet country song that probably isn't one of Willie's most famous tunes, but I loved it just the same.
Don't know why, but the one I love left me...left me lonely and cold and so weak...and I need someone's arms to hold me...till I'm strong enough to get back on my feet...can I sleep in your arms tonight, lady?
Willie Nelson's Song Remember Me
Willie Nelson's song, Remember Me, is also a favorite of mine from his Red Headed Stranger album. There are many other Willie Nelson songs I love from that album like, Time of The Preacher, and O'er the Waves (an instrumental piano piece) I think that is played by Bobbie Nelson, Willie's sister. I love Willie Nelson's song, Remember Me, mostly just because of the lyrics, more than anything.
Remember me... when the candle lights are gleaming...remember me... at the close of a long, long day...and it would be so sweet when all alone I'm dreaming...just to know you still remember me...
I was thinking of including Waylon Jennings, in this Willie Nelson review, but decided I would possibly make another review in the near future of him and Willie together or just by himself, so stay tuned for that. I hoped you enjoyed these Willie Nelson tunes and review as much as I enjoyed making it!
CommentsLoading...
I don't particularly care for Willie Nelson, and not for the reasons you mention (I love Jamey Johnson, who looks like he could beat up a few Hell's Angels, and Willie's pal Waylon, whom I also love, had a serious cocaine problem...a little worse than smoking a joint or two). No, the reason I don't like Willie Nelson is he can't sing on meter, and that annoys the daylights out of me. When Willie's bass player died last year one of the obits had an quote from him where he talked about how difficult it was to play behind Willie for that very reason (and why, consequently, Dan "Bee" Spears was considered one of the best bassists around). It's not like Willie always did that -- listen to "Bloody Mary Morning" or "Black Jack County Chain" and you see he could sing on meter.
Still, I saw him live and it was a good show, and I think he's one of the best songwriters in country music (if he never wrote anything other than "Crazy" he'd be one of the best songwriters in country music). I just can't stand to hear him "sing."
Still, Willie's a true legend and I'd fight anyone who said otherwise. His singing is just not my cup of tea. (In fact, the song I picked, "Funny How Time Slips Away," is more based on Ray Price's recording than Willie's.)
Great hub.
I truly appreciate your honesty KF Raizor. I have heard some people say they just didn't like his voice. I always like his voice, personally. By the way, I am working on a Waylon Jennings article as we speak.
Hey KF Raizor, I have some other hubs I am working besides Waylon, so it may take me some time to get it out, but I was wondering if you like any other classic country stars?
On Waylon I am going to use -
A Couple More Years,
This Time,
Are You Sure Hank Done It This Way,
Wurlitzer Prize,
I'll Go Back To Her
are the songs I am putting up for Waylon (while I was thinking I am going to add Them Old Love Songs, too.)
Any Waylon song you like or would suggest?
Phoenix, on Waylon I would seriously recommend "Revelation," a relatively early (1970-71) song he did that was written by Bobby Braddock (who later wrote "He Stopped Loving Her Today"). It is spine-tingling. May not get any votes, but it deserves a listen. Two other older songs of Waylon's I love are "Walk On Out of My Mind" and "(Sweet) Mental Revenge" (love the way he said "peroxide" in that song). "Luckenbach, Texas," too, if for no other reason than the fact that Jerry Jeff gets mentioned! :-)
Wow, you are old school KF! Revelation is spine tingling. I just been looking at your hubs and If you like I would link many of them from this hub if you like. Let me know.
Yeah, I'm old school. When I was in elementary school I got teased for not knowing who John, Paul, George and Ringo were (my fab four were Don, Tom, Kenny and Willie -- the Buckaroos).
One of the great things about your hubs on favorite songs is you don't go for the obvious tunes. In your Zep hub, for instance, there's no "Stairway" and no "D'yer Mak'er." It's hard to ignore some of Waylon's biggest hits, but some of my favorites are the older ones that are primarily forgotten and things like "Revelation" and "Old Friend" (which he wrote for his "old friend" Buddy Holly).
You're very kind to offer to link my articles, and I greatly appreciate that. I wish I had my Willie and/or Waylon hub in my "Hall of Famers" series published, but I'm only in 1966 right now and they didn't get in until the late 90s/early 2000s!
I am so glad you came by KF and am glad you had your hubs to reference, because when I made the Roy Acuff link I saw that I had made a typo and wrote "Ray" Acuff lol. My vision is not any good anymore and I probably wouldn't have caught that otherwise. I was just about to link it and I thought- who the heck is Ray Acuff and what the heck was I thinking? lol.
Yes, I reference Fred Rose and Roy Acuff in this article and I can easily turn them into links to your hubs about them. I would like too, because your hubs are of significant historical value for readers. I will assume it is okay with you unless or until you say otherwise.
I am curious if you are going to do a George Jones hub?
Or Bob Wills?
I'm definitely going to get to both Jones and Wills (since they're both in the Hall of Fame, and Bob Wills is ALSO in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as an "early influence"). I appreciate your kind words about my hubs (and thank you for linking them! That's very nice of you!).
I can't wait to see those hubs and will try to avoid artists that you are doing. If you notice that I could be citing your artists or hubs by including the original song writer in any hub I have, let me know and I will add it.
What I mean is: Let me know if I have a country song that was "originally written" by someone you are making a hub on and I will go back and cite that original songwriter and link to you, if that makes sense. Sort of like I just did, only this time I had already included Rose and Acuff, so it was just a matter of linking them.
Lipnancy 2 months ago
Love your polls.