Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Religious Music & Entertainment
Top of the Country 4

Top of the Country 4

Last updated on: February 28, 2026 at 8:00 am by Coyle Neal

0 Comments

Top of the Country 4 2026-02-24T18:33:26-07:00 Coyle Neal

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Okay fine, it’s a series. Apparently I’m going to work through the top Country songs this year. This week I’m covering Hardy’s “Favorite Country Song.”

If you’re not familiar with him, Hardy is an interesting guy to listen to. He’s usually got his tongue firmly in his cheek, and is usually more concerned with violating the conventions of Country music than with staying in the lines. (Though he can do a standard Country song–even a good one.) This can mean recording what is functionally a metal song and filling it with Country tropes and imagery. It can mean “The Worst Country Song of All Time” with Brantley Gilbert and Toby Keith. Or it can mean just a little bit “Rednecker” than you.

The point is, Hardy knows the rules and cheerfully plows through them on his way to make some solid music. “Favorite Country Song” is a great example. We are on the back side of a wave of nostalgia Country music. There are a lot of songs out there celebrating the great moments of Country music from the past forty years.

As we might expect, this song blows through those lines and does something completely different. Right off the bat we get a list of Country songs:

Summertime, Chicken Fried, Mama Tried
Country Boy, Country Boy Can Survive
Oh, Marina, My Maria, and My Amy
Outskirts Of Heaven and Sinners Like Me

Which is the best Country song? Well, that’s where we’re thrown the curveball. These might be great songs, but “they sure don’t hold no candle to”

A north wind blowin’ through a patch of pines
Whippoorwills singin’ ’bout summertime
Raindrops drummin’ on rusted tin
Flathead draggin’ out 20 pound Stren
Oh-whoa, strike up the fire, somebody cue the crickets in the creek bank choir
Gotta get back ’cause it’s been too long
That’s my favorite country song

The snotty read is that the songs listed in the first verse are all worse than listening to nothing at all. The less-snotty read (and let’s take the less-snotty approach) is that the sound of nature, the song that “I know it that the good Lord wrote it/ For a good ol’ boy like me” is, like Country music, something that speaks to us all.

And by the way, that line I just quoted is a great line. It is a nod to Don Williams’ song “Good ole boys like me.” This song also talks about the music of nature: “I can still hear the soft southern winds in the live oak trees.” Both songs remind us of the noise and the quiet of the natural world, away from the clutter and bustle of the cities and steeped in the midst of God’s creation.

There are lots of nods like this in “Favorite Country Song”, and it definitely rewards a relisten. For that matter, sitting and listening to the sounds of rain on the roof and whippoorwills in the summer also merit our attention, and Psalm 19 makes very clear.

Dr. Coyle Neal co-hosts the City of Man Podcast and is an Amazon Associate (which is linked in this blog). He teaches Political Science, Philosophy, and History in Southwest Missouri.

Uncategorized

country music

Previous Post

February 24, 2026

A Little One for the Little Ones for Holy Week

Next Post

March 3, 2026 Saved to Sin No More

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"No disagreement with any of that--though I've not heard "Moments" and will have to look ..."

cneal

Top of the Country: Amen

"The song is quite bouncy, even upbeat, considering the subject matter. (His "pills" ran out ..."

TheOldMaid

Top of the Country: Amen

"One noteworthy series in this area is valuable lessons in law. This series helps young ..."

Thomas White

The Law

"The longevity of Parker's lectures and teachings after his death is no more surprising than ..."

reggiebannister

Proclaiming Christ Still

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Action AFI Top 100 Animation Best Picture Winner BFI Top 250 Biography Biopic Books Childrens Christian Classics Classics Comedy Crime Documentary Drama Editor's Choice Family Fantasy Fantasy Films Foreign Historical Historical Fiction History Horror Horror IMDB Top 250 Indie Memoir Modern Novel Musical Mystery Non-Fiction Oscars Philosophy Poetry Popular Literature Reading and Writing Reality Romance Science Fiction Science Fiction Silent Sports Thriller TV Show Uncategorized Western Westerns Young Adult

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 June 2017 January 2017 December 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What does God question Job about, showing His wisdom in creation?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Religious rituals Animals and nature Kingdoms Battles