<\/p>\n
\n\tIn many ways, country music tells the story of America.<\/p>\n
\n\tThere is the celebration of rural life and the yearning to recapture a seemingly simpler time. There are murder ballads, cheating songs, tunes that herald Saturday night\u2019s debauchery and Sunday morning\u2019s redemption. \u00a0There are bring-you-to-your knees, heartbreak songs and songs that embrace both fleeting and everlasting love.<\/p>\n
\n\tIn the roughly 100 years that country music has been recognized as its own distinct genre in the U.S., there have been thousands of songs that have left their mark on the culture, and on fans\u2019 memories.<\/p>\n
\n\tCountry music is rooted in storytelling and the decades are filled with songs that have defined a movement and artists whose arrival has helped usher in a new sound. Some songs have delivered messages that lodged inside our brains and hearts, while others have provided a lighthearted moment or just reminded us to raise our glass.\u00a0Though there is certainly great musicianship involved, the story a country song tells is usually what makes it more memorable than a specific piano run or guitar riff \u2014 the obvious exception being the instantly recognizable opening chords to \u201cFriends in Low Places,\u201d which still sends fans into a frenzy.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe 100 songs ranked below were voted on by the Billboard<\/em> editorial staff. A few caveats: We could have easily gone way longer, as there is no shortage of memorable songs in the country canon, and there was spirited debate over what we put on and left off. We also stuck to a more traditional definition of country, not veering too far into Americana, bluegrass or folk.<\/p>\n \n\tAlso, whether fairly or not, the list is weighted heavily toward older songs because they have the advantage of time proving their legacy and enduring appeal.<\/p>\n \n\tRegardless of when they were released in the last century or this one, each of these songs has moved millions of people and, like great songs in any genre or era, made the listener feel something \u2014 even if it\u2019s simply less alone for a few minutes.<\/p>\n \n\tBelow are Nos. 100-26. Each day, we will roll out another 25, with our No. 1 song finally being revealed tomorrow (May 8.)<\/p>\n