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 Lyle Lovett and His Large Band released

Lyle Lovett and His Large Band Lyle Lovett

Released: January 23, 1989 Peak: 62 US, 10 CW, 88 CN Sales (in millions): 0.5 US Genre: alt-country/Americana

Tracks: Song Title (Writers) [time] (date of single release, chart peaks) Click for codes to singles charts. The Blues Walk (Brown) [2:25] Here I Am [4:01] Cryin’ Shame [2:28] Good Intentions [3:13] I Know You Know [3:57] What Do You Do/The Glory of Love (Hill/ Lovett) [3:06] I Married Her Just Because She Looks Like You [3:14] (12/10/88, 45 CW) Stand by Your Man (Sherrill/ Wynette) [2:44] (3/4/89, 82 CW) Which Way Does That Old Pony Run? [4:08] Nobody Knows Me [3:06] (6/17/89, 84 CW) If You Were to Wake Up [4:07] Once Is Enough [4:26] Songs written by Lyle Lovett unless noted otherwise. Total Running Time: 40:55

Rating: 3.960 out of 5.00 (average of 13 ratings) Awards: (Click on award to learn more).

About the Album: “While from the outset Lyle Lovett sounded like a hard artist to pigeonhole, his sponsors at Curb Records and MCA Records seemed determined to sell him as a country artist, though the blues and retro-jazz leanings of Lovett’s second album, Pontiac, suggested that strategy would only be practical for so long. With his third album, 1989’s Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, Lovett seemingly sidelined any career aspirations as a mainstream country act he or his handlers may have held.” MD “The album kicks off with a lively cover of Clifford Brown’s The Blues Walk, and the next five tunes all bear the smoky, late-night vibe of a low-key jazz joint, with top marks going to the hilariously off-kilter Here I Am, the witty scenario of potential infidelity What Do You Do/The Glory of Love, and the marvelously sly Good Intentions.” MD “The second half of the album is steeped in twang, but it was hardly more comforting for country radio programmers; I Married Her Just Because She Looks Like You is a ‘sweet on the outside and sick on the inside’ tale of romantic obsession, Nobody Knows Me bears a punchline that makes ‘God Will’ sound generous, and Lovett’s straight-faced cover of Stand By Your Man stubbornly refuses to either announce itself as a joke or suggest another interpretation.” MD “Wherever you choose to file it, Lyle Lovett and His Large Band made it clear that Lovett was only getting better with each album; the songs are uniformly well-crafted, Lovett’s vocals are full of subtle nuance, and his band is in brilliant form throughout (with special kudos to Lovett’s frequent vocal foil, Francine Reed). If you’re going to burn your bridges, you could hardly find a better way to do it than this.” MD

Resources and Related Links: DMDB encyclopedia entry for Lyle Lovett MD Mark Deming, All Music Guide WK Wikipedia Other Related DMDB Pages: First posted 3/24/2008; last updated 5/18/2022.