Willie Nelson: Top 100 Songs

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Willie Nelson Top 100 Songs

Country singer/songwriter Willie Nelson was born on 4/29/1933 in Abbott, TX. He wrote hits for others before becoming a successful singer in his own right. He moved to Nashville in 1960 and moved back to Texas in 1970. He pioneered the “outlaw” country movement. He appeared in several movies including The Electric Horseman (1979), Honeysuckle Rose (1980), and Barbarosa (1982). Dave’s Music Database initially posted its ranking of the top 10 Willie Nelson songs on its Facebook page in response to a July 12, 2010, Paste magazine list of The 10 Best Willie Nelson Songs. It was updated and expanded to a top 80 list here in honor of Nelson’s 80th birthday (April 30, 2013). In 2023, it was expanded again – this time to a top 100 list – in honor of Nelson’s 90th birthday and the announcement that he would be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. This list includes songs written by Nelson but performed by others (noted in parentheses) and songs Nelson covered which have DMDB higher-ranked versions by other artists (*). For a complete list of this act’s DMDB honors, check out the DMDB Music Maker Encyclopedia entry. Click here to see other acts’ best-of lists.

Awards:

Top 100 Songs Dave’s Music Database lists are determined by song’s appearances on best-of lists, appearances on compilations and live albums by the featured act, and songs’ chart success, sales, radio airplay, streaming, and awards. Songs which hit #1 on various charts are noted. (Click for codes to charts.) DMDB Top 1%: 1. Crazy (recorded by Patsy Cline, written by Willie Nelson; 1961) 2. Always on My Mind (1982) #1 CW DMDB Top 2%: 3. On the Road Again (1980) #1 CW DMDB Top 5%: 4. Mammas, Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys (with Waylon Jennings, 1978) #1 CW 5. Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain (1975) #1 CW 6. Good Hearted Woman (live with Waylon Jennings, 1975) #1 CW 7. Georgia on My Mind (1978) * #1 CW 8. To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before (with Julio Iglesias, 1984) #1 CW 9. Pretty Paper (written by Willie Nelson, performed by Roy Orbison, 1963) 10. Hello Walls (recorded by Faron Young, written by Willie Nelson; 1961) #1 CW 11. Pancho and Lefty (with Merle Haggard, 1983) * 12. Yesterday (2014) * DMDB Top 10%: 13. The Highwayman (with Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, & Kris Kristofferson, 1985) #1 CW 14. Blue Skies (1978) #1 CW * 15. All of Me (1978) * 16. My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys (1980) #1 CW DMDB Top 20%: 17. City of New Orleans (1984) * #1 CW 18. Just Breathe (2012) * 19. Heartbreak Hotel (with Leon Russell, 1979) * #1 CW 20. September Song (1978) * 21. America the Beautiful (2001) * 22. Mona Lisa (1981) * 23. Baby It’s Cold Outside (with Norah Jones, 2009) * 24. Fire and Rain (1975) * 25. Funny How Time Slips Away (written by Nelson, performed by Al Green with Lyle Lovett, 1994) 26. Help Me Make It Through the Night (1979) * 27. Without a Song (1983) * 28. Beer for My Horses (with Toby Keith, 2002) #1 CW Beyond the DMDB Top 20%: 29. Live Forever (with Lucinda Williams, 2022) 30. Whiskey River (live, 1978) 31. It Was a Very Good Year (with Ray Charles, 2004) * 32. Let It Be Me (1982) 33. If I Were a Carpenter (with Sheryl Crow, 2007) * 34. What a Wonderful World (1988) * 35. Night Life (written by Willie Nelson, recorded by Rusty Draper, 1963) 36. (Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay (with Waylon Jennings, 1982) * 37. If You’ve Got the Money, I’ve Got the Time (1976) * #1 CW 38. Pretty Paper (1963) 39. Crazy (1962) 40. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter (1981) * 41. Remember Me (1975) 42. Just to Satisfy You (with Waylon Jennings, 1982) #1 CW 43. Night Life (1965) 44. Forgiving You Was Easy (1985) #1 CW 45. Funny How Time Slips Away (1962) 46. That Lucky Old Sun (with Kenny Chesney, 2008) * 47. Funny How Time Slips Away (written by Nelson, recorded by Jimmy Elledge, 1961) 48. Seven Spanish Angels (with Ray Charles, 1984) #1 CW 49. Night Life (written by Nelson, recorded by Ray Price, 1963) 50. Everything’s Beautiful in Its Own Way (with Dolly Parton, 1982) 51. Take It to the Limit (with Waylon Jennings, 1983) * 52. Pretty Paper (with Kenny Chesney, 2003) 53. Angels Flying Too Close to the Sun (1981) #1 CW 54. Twilight Time (1988) * 55. Hello Walls (1962) 56. Living in the Promiseland (1986) #1 CW 57. Funny How Time Slips Away (Danny Davis & the Nashville Brass with Willie Nelson, 1980) 58. Nothing I Can Do About It (1989) #1 CW 59. Uncloudy Day (1976) 60. Bloody Mary Morning (1974) 61. Faded Love (with Ray Price, 1980) * 62. Me and Paul (1972, re-recorded in 1985) 63. Last Thing I Needed First Thing This Morning (1982) 64. Half a Man (1963) 65. The Party’s Over (1967) 66. Good Times (1968) 67. Crazy Arms (1970) * 68. Heart of Gold (1986) * 69. On the Street Where You Live (2009) * 70. Stay All Night (Stay a Little Longer) (1973) 71. Yesterday’s Wine (1971) 72. Touch Me (1962) 73. Willingly (with Shirley Collie, 1962) 74. Funny How Time Slips Away (written by Nelson, recorded by Billy Walker, 1961) 75. Reasons to Quit (with Merle Haggard, 1983) 76. If You Can Touch Her at All (with Waylon Jennings, 1978) 77. I’d Have to Be Crazy (1976) 78. Shotgun Willie (1973) 79. Midnight Rider (1979) * 80. Sweet Memories (1979) 81. She’s Not for You (1965) 82. The Last Letter (1963) 83. Why Do I Have to Choose (1983) 84. Little Old Fashioned Karma (1983) 85. You Took My Happy Away (1964) 86. If I Could Only Fly (with Merle Haggard, 1987) 87. I Love You a Thousand Ways (1977) 88. Something to Brag About (with Mary Kay Place, 1977) 89. Wabash Cannonball (with Hank Wilson, 1984) * 90. I Still Can’t Believe You’re Gone (1974) 91. You Ought to Hear Me Cry (1977) 92. I’m a Memory (1971) 93. One in a Row (1966) 94. Bring Me Sunshine (1968) 95. I Hope So (1969) 96. Blackjack County Chain (1967) 97. Graceland (with Paul Simon, 1993) * 98. Little Things (1968) 99. Once More with Feeling (1970) 100. I Just Can’t Let You Say Goodbye (1965) Resources and Related Links: DMDB Encyclopedia entry for Willie Nelson Dave’s Music Database: “Acts’ Profile Pages and Best-of Lists” First posted 4/30/2013; updated 5/6/2023.

In Concert: Willie Nelson

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Venue: Starlight Theater in Kansas City, MO

This was a make-up for the show originally scheduled in June. That show saw the first two acts – Robert Earl Keen and Dwight Yoakum – perform before a torrential downfall put the show on ice. Three months later, Nelson returned. The setlist was barely over an hour, although he crammed plenty of songs in that time, including many favorites.

Setlist *

* Note: Usually I’m pretty diligent about getting the setlist down, but I wasn’t this time. I think I got all the songs down, but I won’t stand by the accuracy of the order of them.

1. Whiskey River
2. Still Is Still Moving to Me
3. Beer for My Horses
4. On the Road Again
5. Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys
6. Always on My Mind
7. Funny How Time Slips Away
8. Crazy
9. Night Life
10. Good Hearted Woman
11. It’s All Going to Pot
12. Me and Paul
13. If You’ve Got the Money, I’ve Got the Time
14. Georgia on My Mind
15. Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground
16. Move It on Over
17. Hey Good Lookin’
18. Still Not Dead
19. Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die
20. I’ll Fly Away

Willie Nelson “On the Road Again” hit #1 on the country chart

On the Road Again Willie Nelson

Writer(s): Willie Nelson (see lyrics here) First Charted: August 30, 1980 Peak: 20 US, 22 CB, 11 GR, 16 HR, 16 RR, 7 AC, 11 CW, 64 AU, 3 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 35.31 video, 123.67 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Willie Nelson was born in Texas in 1933. He started his career as a songwriter, writing such classics as Faron Young’s “Hello Walls” and Patsy Cline’s “Crazy.” He charted on his own for the first time in 1962 on the country charts, but it wouldn’t be until 1975 that he landed his first of 25 country chart toppers, “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain.” The song was also his first entry on the pop charts, hitting #21. It would be another five years before he’d land another top 40 hit – this time with 1980’s “On the Road Again” (#20). Fellow outlaw country artist Waylon Jennings said Nelson “will go down as one of the greatest, if not the greatest songwriter ever in country music…He can write the most complex song…that will shoot over most people’s heads, and then he will turn around and write a little song like ‘On the Road Again’ that everyone can appreciate.” TR Nelson wrote the song for the movie Honeysuckle Rose. He was tapped to star as “an aging musician who fails to achieve national fame.” WK Nelson was asked to write a song for the movie about touring. TR Bob Dylan called it “a song of a traveling bandit” BD which captured the life of a touring musician. He said, “this song feels like the movement of the road. The way it feels on a bus…when you’re on the road, you’re living the life you love. Making music with your friends, and earning a living…The thing about being on the road is that you’re not bogged down by anything. Not even bad news. You give pleasure to other people and you keep your grief to yourself.” BD “On the Road Again” won a Grammy for Best Country Song and was nominated for an Oscar for Best Original Song. It also won the American Music Award for country song of the year. Resources: BD Bob Dylan (2022). The Philosophy of Modern Song. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster. Pages 91-92. TR Tom Roland (1991). The Billboard Book of Number One Country Hits. Billboard Books: New York, NY. Pages 270-1. SF Songfacts WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 11/2/2022; last updated 2/3/2023.