Country Pumpkins - Halloween Hits to R.I.P.

By Bennett Owen

Carved Pumpkin. Credit: CharleenWiseman.com

There are some country songs out there that send a chill up my spine every time and no matter how often I hear them.  It's the ones that don't quite tell the whole story that get to me most...the ones that haunt you of an evening as you turn the lyrics over and over trying to make sense of the mystery. Dolly Parton did it with 'Jolene' and country crossover artist Mindy Smith covers the song beautifully...dare we say, hauntingly?  This one'll stick with you:

The Top 20 Country Love Songs of All Time - Number 1!

by Jim Poulton

Dolly Parton - I Will Always Love You

Dolly Parton has always been a consumate performer, but it may come as a surprise to some that she is also an accomplished songwriter. She wrote a remarkable number of hits, including Jolene, Nine to Five, All I Can Do, and of course, I Will Always Love You, our choice for the Number 1 Country Love Song of All Time.

Released in 1974 as a followup single to Jolene, I Will Always Love You reached #1 in both the U.S. and Canadian Country charts. Parton re-recorded the song in 1982 for the film version of The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas. That version also reached number one, marking the first time in history that the same song reached number one two times when recorded by the same artist. The song, however, wasn’t done yet.

Whitney Houston's 1992 version of the song was an instant phenomenon (it sold more than 600,000 copies in one week, breaking all records to date), and is one of fewer than thirty all-time singles to have sold 12 million (or more) copies worldwide. And in 1995, Parton recorded it again, in a duet with Vince Gill. This time the song peaked at number 15. In 2004, Country Music Television rated I Will Always Love You #1 of their 100 Greatest Country Love Songs.

We agree with CMT: I Will Always Love You is as close to a perfect Country Love Song as you can get.

Visit Parton's website here. Purchase I Will Always Love You on iTunes or Amazon MP3.