Mini Playlist: Songs About Girl Singers
It’s no secret that we love girl singers here at The 9513; whether they’re ethereal songbirds or barroom belters, there’s just something about a woman who can sing country music. And as much as we love girl singers, we love songs about girl singers even more. Here’s just a few of the many tribute songs out there.
5. “That Bangle Girl” – Robbie Fulks
Okay, so maybe Susanna Hoffs isn’t typical subject matter for an alt-country song. But Fulks’ song is so catchy—much like the music of The Bangles—that we can overlook it.
4. “Sweet Emmylou” – Joey + Rory
It’s a fact that Emmylou Harris makes everything better. Here she helps cure heartbreak with the power of her soaring vocals; Joey Martin’s no slouch, either.
3. “Mountain Fern” – Laura Cantrell
Alt-country songbird Cantrell delivers one of her “biography songs,” this one all about early country/gospel singer Molly O’Day. Those who have listened to Johnny Cash’s American V know her sentimental ballad “On the Evening Train.”
2. “Song for June” – Slaid Cleaves
From 2003 cover album Unsung comes this tribute. From the autoharp to the whispered lyrics “will you miss me miss me miss me when I’m gone,” this one’s pure June.
1. “Queen of the Coast” – Laura Cantrell
Cantrell’s biography songs are too good to ignore. This one is all about Bonnie Owens, ex-wife to Buck and Merle. Bonnie was before my time, but Cantrell paints such a picture with lyrics like “She was the queen of the coast back in ‘65/Prettier than most, she could keep a room alive/With a catch in her voice and a beehive in her hair” that I’m immediately transported back to this golden age of country music.
Listen to this playlist on Rhapsody
If you enjoyed this article, be sure to subscribe to our feed or receive updates via email.
Popular Stuff
Sponsor
Is Dave Haywood going solo? This and many other of country music's most pressing questions answered in the September edition of The 9513's world famous Mailbag!
Caroline Herring likes to sing songs about life in the South. No, not exactly like Justin Moore and Jason Aldean...
The 9513's resident historian Paul W. Dennis sits down for a chat with country music legend Gene Watson.
As much as we love girl singers, we love songs about girl singers even more. Here's just a few of the many tribute songs out there.
Step away from the river and up to a jukebox, because heartbreak is only temporary, but a good song about drowning yourself—like a diamond—lasts forever.
What do you think about music labels "testing the waters" with a single before providing access to an artist's entire album? 
What country artist, young or old, would you recommend as a must-listen artist to a newcomer on his/her journey through country music, and what would your essential song picks be?Tagged In This Article
Joey + Rory // Laura Cantrell // Robbe Fulks // Slaid Cleaves
Current Discussion
- Rick: Ashley Monroe, Sunny Sweeney, Elizabeth Cook, Megan Mullins, The Wrights, Amber Dotson, Lane Turner, Amy Dalley, Susan Haynes, The Jenkins, ...
- Jo Jo: Brooks & Dunn, Carrie Underwood, Reba McEntire
- highwayman3: George Strait, Reba, and Lee Ann Womack, oh wait, that's already happening, too bad they aren't coming anywhere near driving ...
- Mayor JoBob: Or Alan Jackson, Rodney Crowell and Marty Stuart with guest appearance by Jimmy Buffett!
- JCH: Jamey Johnson, Blake Shelton and Miranda Lambert. No idea where the heck that came from.
- Mayor JoBob: Brad Paisley, David Ball and Highway 101!!!!!!
- Noeller: Jamey Johnson, Randy Houser, Eric Church and Zac Brown Band. It's the Bearded Saviours of Country Tour - would ...
- Sparkles: OMG - have you seen this? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYENOUcaAsM I LOVE DOLLY!!!!
- Ben Milam: On three alternating stages: the pogues mahone, steve earle, eric b. & rakim, the band, emmylou harris, the drive by ...
- Bob: Suzy Bogguss and Hal Ketchum
1 Trackbacks/Pings
Trackback URI for this postAugust 3, 2009
[...] Mini Playlist: Songs About Girl Singers (the9513.com) [...]
15 Comments
RSS for comments on this post | Trackback URI for this post
May 26, 2009 at 2:10 pm Permalink
I always liked The Bottle Rockets “Nancy Sinatra”
May 26, 2009 at 3:03 pm Permalink
I didn’t even realize The9513 liked girl singers especially much.
May 26, 2009 at 4:26 pm Permalink
I like Kieran Kane’s “June Carter Sure Can Sing.”
May 26, 2009 at 5:04 pm Permalink
Southern Pacific recorded “A Girl Like Emmylou” back in 1991. I liked this song better than the song recorded by Joey + Rory
Also back around 1971 Jethro Burns (of Homer & Jethro fame recorded a song titled “Will You Love Me, Dolly Parton”
The opening lines were
Will You Love Me, Dolly Parton, if I let my hair grow long
If I learn to pick and yodel, and sing a country song
May 26, 2009 at 9:41 pm Permalink
I didn’t realise people still used the term ‘girl singers’.
I love the Joey + Rory song, but I prefer Catherine Britt’s version.
May 27, 2009 at 9:15 am Permalink
I’ve come across quite a few songs inspired by Emmylou, although I can’t remember them now. The Doc Marshalls have one called “Never Found My Emmylou.”
May 27, 2009 at 10:04 am Permalink
Elizabeth Cook did “Dolly, Did You Go Through This?”
May 27, 2009 at 10:47 am Permalink
Paul, Southern Pacific’s “A Girl Like Emmylou” is about a former girlfriend named Emmylou who died and the singer is missing her and mourning her loss. I love that song, but I’ve never equated it with Emmylou Harris! (lol)
I like Jamey Johnson’s version of “Sweet Emmylou” the best just because it is so opposite his outlaw tough guy image…
Carlene Carter pays a nice tribute to grandmother Maybelle and “her girls” in the wonderful “Me and the Wildwood Rose” song off her “I Fell In Love” album.
May 27, 2009 at 12:17 pm Permalink
Last Train Home’s HENDERSONVILLE is a great song about Johnny Cash and June Carter.
May 27, 2009 at 12:28 pm Permalink
True Believers’ “Wild Eyed and Wound Up” about Lucinda Williams. Alejandro Escovedo redid it later with The Setters (with former Lu guitarist Gurf Morlix producing and playing a very Lucindaesque solo) … I think the title changed along the way.
June 2, 2009 at 3:16 pm Permalink
Compared to the number of male country singers’ salutes to their musical heroes, though, there are really pretty few salutes over all these years by female country singers to their heroines..
June 2, 2009 at 4:30 pm Permalink
“I know all the words to every Tanya Tucker song”
June 2, 2009 at 9:56 pm Permalink
Buzz Cason wrote a song about Emmylou, which was subsequently covered by a group called Brush Arbor (there’s one for you Paul!). “Oh oh Emmylou, Emmylou. Just a fan who’s in love with you. I spend my time just trying to get close to you. But heaven is a girl named Emmylou.”
November 7, 2009 at 4:13 pm Permalink
Some male singer a couple of years ago had a weird song about riding in or buying Loretta Lynn’s Lincoln.
November 7, 2009 at 4:16 pm Permalink
A woman singer did a song a ways back about “A Bottle of Wine and Patsy Cline.”
Leave a Comment