Top 10 Songs by Willie Nelson, the Red Headed Stranger

When it comes to Rock n’ Roll, despite of the mainstream understanding of the genre on its easy to define dimensions, it has always been the music of the people. Tracing its roots back into the Country music, Gospel music, Blues, Jazz and RnB, the genre is very much similar to the people who are associated with it. Most of the artists born in the early 1940s and before who trace their first music lesson back to their grandparents and some Churchy Sundays have remained throughout their life time true to the nature of sounds, and they are not just one or two in the history but a huge crowd of like minded but different people. One such exceptional artist is Willie Nelson aka Red headed stranger, named after his successful album.

Willie Nelson, started his career in 1950 in the U.S. Air Force, where he was discharged due to back problems. Coming back he joined college but dropped out because his music career was on the rise. He later worked as disc jockey at various places until in the 1958, when he started to play shows that actually meant to his career.

The day when Willie started doing his thing is as old as himself, but now when he turns 85, lets look at some of the top songs he has left behind in his time:

10. Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain (1975)

Album: Red Headed Stranger

Beautifully composed 8 lines that reflect the raw nature of life.

9. Me and Paul (1971)

Album: Yesterday’s Wine

This song is about how Willie and his drummer Paul English, lived their life one day at a time, enjoying the hardships as they come.

8. Night Life (1960)

The night life ain’t no good life, but it’s my life. During hardships after his son’s birth, willie moved to Houston where he sold songs to meet his bread. One of those was the Night life, later mastered as Nite Life.

7. Angle Flying Too Close to the Ground (1980)

Album: Honeysuckle Rose

Willie says in an interview with the “Country Rhythms” Magazine, that It was written during a period in which he and his third wife Connie had some conflict of their own. It reached the #1 plateau on Billboard’s country singles chart March 21, 1981.

https://youtu.be/C3PB1jWO3_E

6. On the Road Again (1980)

Album: Honeysuckle Rose

This song was written when the executive producer of the film Honeysuckle Rose approached Willie. The song is about life on tour.

5. Remember Me (1975)

This song was inspired from the Tex Williams hit song Somke! Smoke! smoke!

4. Crazy (1961)

Crazy is a ballad written by Willie Nelson which later became the country’s no.2 hit.

3. Mendocino County Line (2002)

Album: The great Divide

It was written by Matt Serletic and Bernie Taupin and recorded by Willie Nelson and Lee Ann Womack. It aslo bagged the Grammy Award for Best Country Collaboration 2002.

2. If You’ve Got the Money, I’ve Got the Time (1976)

Album: The Sound In Your Mind

1. Always on My Mind (1982)

It is the twenty seventh studio album by Willie.

Billie had this recorded even when his friend Merle Haggard had no interest in this particular piece but Nelson had to go ahead and do it. He said that it always blew his mind.