Country music won’t be the same without Patsy Cline songs. Even if she died early at the age of 30, her legacy lives on and continues to shine among the country genre.
With her rich alto voice, she’s become an influential singer of this century. Her exceptional song choices also made her one of the first country-pop stars. Let’s celebrate her musical genius by looking back at her best country songs:
10) “Faded Love”
Cline’s recording of the song “Faded Love” was a notable version. It’s an old Western swing music hit which she recorded before the plane crash that took the singer’s life. The song was only released after her death, and her memory lasted as it peaked at No.7 on the country charts.
9) “So Wrong”
By the moment Cline released the song “So Wrong,” she has already been an icon. Her songs were always on top of both country and pop charts. Some of her biggest hits back then included “Crazy” and “I Fall to Pieces.”
Carl Perkins, Mel Tillis, and Danny Dill write “So Wrong,” and it was the singer’s first single in 1962. Owen Bradley produced it and it landed on the No.14 on the country charts.
8) “You’re Stronger Than Me”
“You’re Stronger Than Me” had two versions. One was a faster version, and the other one was slower. The faster one appeared on the final EP of the singer’s life. Jimmy Key and Hank Cochran wrote this single.
A year later recording this track, Cline died tragically. The song was then covered by George Strait on his self-titled 2000 album.
7) “Always”
By the time Cline’s rendition of the song “Always” received recognitions, the singer has been dead for about two decades. It was the title track of the album that was compiled to promote many of her legacies from the ’60s.
This 1980 song featured background vocals and studio musicians that are overdubbed onto her original recording. Her version of this classic was originally from 1963. The song landed No.18 on the country charts. It was the song that would later inspire the title of a musical celebrating her short yet iconic life in 1993.
6) “Leavin’ on Your Mind”
“Leavin’ On Your Mind” was released when Cline was peaking at her career. It was after a few failed singles that she scored success in both pop and country with the songs “I Fall to Pieces” and “Crazy.” They were followed by the single “She’s Got You.”
The song was written for her by Webb Pierce and Wayne Walker. She smashed the country charts with a hit as she landed on No.8.
Like a number of her songs, this song was made for her next album, but it never transpired. The singer passed away the following March and this single hit the airwaves on a posthumous album.
5) “She’s Got You”
With this track’s release, Cline made a mark in her newfound success as one of the leading stars in country music. By the release of this song, she already scored with two of her classics, “Crazy” and “I Fall to Pieces.”
The success of “She’s Got You” was almost obvious. When Hank Cochran played this song, the singer felt intense exhilaration that she sang it over the phone for her producer and manager. Right there, they agree it would become a hit. They were right as her rendition gave the singer her second No.1 hit.
4) “Walkin’ After Midnight”
Since 1954, Cline has been recording songs and with her humble success, she got her first hit by chance.
For You
She recorded “Walkin’ After Midnight” without liking it genuinely, but she made amends with her record label. However, after receiving a positive response from singing the song on the TV show Arthur Godfrey’s Talent Scouts, the song was geared to become another one of her successful singles.
As the singer’s first-ever country music hit, it reached No.12 in the pop charts and No.2 in the country. Another hit would later make her shine in 1961.
3) “I Fall to Pieces”
If you’re a fan of country music, you might be familiar with how “I Fall to Pieces” has become one of the benchmarks in this genre. It was written by Harlan Howard and Hank Cochran.
The song wasn’t originally made for her. Roy Drusky said it wasn’t fit for a man and he rejected it. The song landed on Cline, and she battled for the arrangement with her producer, Owen Bradly.
She demanded to hear the song’s studio playback before saying yes to any pop crossover touches. The result was a fantastic creation that combines the best of pop and country. It was her first No.1 and became an iconic single in pop and easy song listening, too.
2) “Crazy”
“I Fall to Pieces” already allowed Cline to have a massive musical success when she recorded “Crazy.”
Willie Nelson, one of the well-received songwriters in Nashville at this time, wrote this song. At first, the singer didn’t sit well with the lush ballad arrangement. She also found the high notes challenging due to her broken ribs from a car accident.
For some reason, the original session didn’t pan out as expected. But when the hit-maker made it back to the studio a few weeks later, she recorded a fresh iconic vocal in one take. “Crazy” peaked at No.2 in the country charts and later became an American songbook staple.
1) “Sweet Dreams”
The song “Sweet Dreams” was already out twice before Cline made her recorded version.
Don Gibson first recorded it and it scored high at the Top 10 country hits. Faron Young also recorded it and made it land on No.2.
When Cline recorded it, she wasn’t as keen about the pop edge and arrangement of the strings. She did it anyway and it turned out to be one of the final recording sessions of her short life.
After she left, this song grabbed a multi-format hit. It would then be the title of Cline’s life movie starring Jessica Lang.
Do you wish we included other Patsy Cline Songs on this list? Tell us more about your favorite singles from this singer’s discography in the comment section.
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