And now for you a little mix of songs to bitter up your Valentine beverages. Evidently science once discovered that no songs are sadder than sad country songs, so here’s seventeen to roll you over and put you to bed for the holiday if you need it. I set some lively ones in the middle just to keep your heart beating, so don’t worry. Hospitality and cameraderie for all lonesome today. Tracklist plus download direct or just listen below.

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WEBB PIERCE ‘I DON’T CARE’
This is one of my favorite songs and has been for years. Simple, honest and fearless lyrics (by Cindy Walker, to whom Willie Nelson once dedicated an entire album) and simple, honest and fearless treatment by Webb.

CONNIE SMITH ‘ONCE A DAY’
Love those country songs that have a cruel joke at the center. I came to this one via a reverent cover by Australia’s old Triffids.

BUCK OWENS ‘MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL’
Buck’s pure voice led such a pure band. That’s guitar tone a baby bird would mistake for its mother calling. If this wasn’t a sad-ish mix I would have put ‘You’re For Me,’ another one of my favorite songs.

GEORGE JONES ‘THERE AIN’T NO GRAVE DEEP ENOUGH’
Arguably the drunkest man in country and sometimes the saddest. Perhaps he thought about this song when he drove the riding mower to the liquor store.

JOHNNY DARRELL ‘MENTAL REVENGE’
First and very worth treatment of a song that would become a sour-graper classic. Came to this through the Hacienda Bros.’ excellent cover.

SKEETER DAVIS ‘I CAN’T HELP YOU (I’M FALLING TOO)’
Skeeter gives Hank the answer he most hoped he wouldn’t hear. Just edged out ‘End Of The World’ for inclusion.

GENE VINCENT ‘SOMEBODY HELP ME’
Off the rails as far as country consistency but what a winner of an intro, and Eddie Cochran is in there somewhere handling the basso vocals.

ROY HALL ‘CHRISTINE’
Webb Pierce’s piano player abandoned in jail when Christine won’t bring him bail.

WANDA JACKSON ‘MY BABY LEFT ME’
Riled Wanda suffers a similar problem, though at least she isn’t confined at the time.

RAY TAYLOR ‘CONNY LOU’
Hard-ass Detroit hillbilly whose re-ish 45s are much worth tracking down. (also: ‘Hamtramck Baby,’ ‘Clockin’ My Card.’)

COLLINS KIDS ‘LONESOME ROAD’
The least theme-worthy track here, but I thought you’d like to hear Lorrie and Larry growling at the beginning.

CHARLIE FEATHERS ‘A WEDDING GOWN OF WHITE’
Feathers’ latest female trouble: bride died. Also I think Charlie played opposite Big Star the night of that one-and-only rock writers conference in Memphis c. 70s, and all the real dealers went and saw him and left Chilton all dried out. Myself though—how would I choose?

JIMMY AND JOHNNY ‘LIPS THAT KISS SO SWEETLY’
Country-ish version from rocker twosome whose excellent reissue album also includes the invincible declaration of fuckitism ‘I Ain’t Worried About Tomorrow.’

CHARLINE ARTHUR ‘I’M IN LOVE WITH SOMEONE’S USED TO BE’
Charline almost beats Kitty Wells for country weepers, and chaired her own lonely hearts club long before the British.

FARON YOUNG ‘I HATE MYSELF (FOR FALLING IN LOVE WITH YOU)’
Mr. Hello Walls says hell with her!

JESS WILLARD ‘DON’T HOLD HER SO CLOSE’
A voice as impressively buckled as the honky-tonk hardwood he sang about.

BIG BILL LISTER ‘TEAR IN MY BEER’
An intro that drained a thousand glasses behind it. Full circle since Webb from track one had his own drinker classic ‘There Stands The Glass.’

And some folks I didn’t get to put in but I bet you’ve heard them anyway: Luke The Drifter a.k.a. Hank Williams, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Horton, Carl Perkins, Ernest Tub, Kitty Wells, Faye Tucker, Sammi Smith, Johnny Carroll and Hanks Locklin and Thomas and Snow. If everyone stays sad maybe I’ll put that one up.

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