Lyle Lovett: Top 50 Songs

Lyle Lovett Top 50 Songs

Lyle Pearce Lovett was born November 1, 1957, in Houston, Texas. The singer/songwriter is most associated with country music, but has integrated jazz, blues, rockabilly, and other genres into his work. He has also been an actor and record producer. He began his career in 1980, releasing his debut album in 1986. Click here to see other best-of lists from performers and here to see other best-of lists from songwriters and/or producers. Spotify Podcast: Check out the Dave’s Music Database podcast: The Best of Lyle Lovett, 1986-2022 based on this list. Premiere: May 17, 2022 at 7pm CST. Tune in every Tuesday at 7pm for a new episode based on the lists at Dave’s Music Database.

Awards:

Top 50 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists as well as chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. Songs which hit #1 on various charts are noted. (Click for codes to singles charts.) DMDB Top 20%: 1. If I Had a Boat (1988) 2. Private Conversation (1996) 3. You’ve Got a Friend in Me (with Randy Newman, 1995) 4. She’s No Lady (1988) 5. Nobody Knows Me (1989) Beyond the DMDB Top 20%: 6. Give Back My Heart (1987) 7. Cowboy Man (1986) 8. Blue Skies (1994) 9. God Will (1986) 10. Church (1992) 11. Pontiac (1988) 12. That’s Right (You’re Not from Texas) (1996) 13. L.A. County (1988) 14. You Can’t Resist It (1986) 15. I Married Her Just Because She Looked Like You (1988) 16. Stand by Your Man (1989) 17. Funny How Time Slips Away (with Al Green, 1994) 18. Here I Am (1989) 19. Simple Song (1988) 20. Step Inside This House (1998) 21. Don’t Touch My Hat (1996) 22. Penguins (1994) 23. If I Were the Man You Wanted (1986) 24. Farther Down the Road (1986) 25. Till It Shines (with Keb’ Mo’, 1999) 26. Friend of the Devil (1991) 27. I Loved You Yesterday (1988) 28. Bears (1998) 29. My Baby Don’t Tolerate (2003) 30. You’ve Been So Good Up to Now (1992) 31. Closing Time (1986) 32. Why I Don’t Know (1986) 33. An Acceptable Level of Ecstasy (1986) 34. What’d I Say (2000) 35. Smile (1998) 36. What Do You Do/The Glory of Love (1989) 37. I’ve Been to Memphis (1992) 38. North Dakota (1992) 39. I Love Everybody (1994) 40. She’s Hot to Go (1988) 41. Mack the Knife (1994) 42. M-O-N-E-Y (1988) 43. Creeps Like Me (1994) 44. Sonja (1994) 45. Solider in the Army of the Lord (1997) 46. Skinny Legs (1994) 47. Since the Last Time (1992) 48. Cryin’ Shame (1989) 49. San Antonio Girl (2001) 50. Family Reserve (1994) Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Lyle Lovett DMDB actpage for Lyle Lovett Dave’s Music Database: “Best-of Lists for Performers” Dave’s Music Database: “Best-of Lists for Songwriters and/or Producers” First posted 4/14/2022; last updated 5/17/2022.

Lyle Lovett released his self-titled debut album

Lyle Lovett Lyle Lovett

Released: August 1986 Peak: -- US, 14 CW Sales (in millions): -- Genre: alt-country/Americana

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. Cowboy Man [2:48] (11/1/86, 10 CW) God Will [2:13] (2/21/87, 18 CW) Farther Down the Line [3:05] (7/12/86, 21 CW) This Old Porch (Lyle Lovett/Robert Earl Keen) [4:16] Why I Don’t Know [2:41] (6/6/87, 15 CW) If I Were the Man You Wanted [3:57] (9/23/89, 49 CW) You Can’t Resist It [3:08] The Waltzing Fool [3:49] An Acceptable Level of Ecstasy (The Wedding Song) [3:30] Closing Time [3:43] All songs written by Lyle Lovett unless noted otherwise. Total Running Time: 32:30

Rating: 3.706 out of 5.00 (average of 16 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: While this is the closest Lyle Lovett has come “to making a straight country disc,” AMG he also made it clear on his debut that “he was an eccentric in the great Texas tradition…Rather than sounding like the new boy in Nashville, he presented himself as the odd but likable distant relative of Guy Clark and Jesse Winchester.” AMG “While This Old Porch and If I Were the Man You Wanted proved he could write a sincere and affecting song as well as anyone, they also made clear that he wasn’t cut out for Nashville-style radio-ready singles, while the ironic Cowboy Man and the wickedly cynical cheating song God Will proved Lovett possessed a genius for taking traditional formulas and giving them a hard twist.” AMG “The jazzy sway of An Acceptable Level of Ecstasy (The Wedding Song) offers a witty and engaging preview of the blues-flavored sound Lovett would hone on later albums, and in this context the tunefully obsessive You Can’t Resist It sounds like the great pop hit he never had.” AMG “While under Tony Brown’s production (and with a team of Nashville session vets backing him up) some of the sharper edges of Lovett’s musical personality were smoothed down.” AMG Still, his “reedy but soulful voice shines through, and a casual listen confirms that Lovett’s music was just as strong as his lyrics. Along with Steve Earle’s Guitar Town, Lyle Lovett was one of the most promising and exciting debut albums to come out of Nashville in the 1980s, and like Earle’s album, this set a high bar for what would become an exciting and idiosyncratic career, proving first-rank singer/songwriters didn’t just come from New York or Los Angeles.” AMG

Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Lyle Lovett AMG All Music Guide review by Mark Deming Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 5/18/2022.