Best George Jones #1 Hit

so many good songs, but "white lightning" is just too much fun

Kevin: The fact that it's sung in the third-person makes it all the more affecting -- the better for Jones' voice to fill it to bursting, so that it's impossible to deny that it's about HIM.

How about some love for "The Door"? The opening line of that alone is worthy of a vote or two...

Almost voted for it!

The first time I heard "He Stopped Loving Her Today," I realized where Nick Lowe got his sincerity.

She Thinks I Steal Cars

after putting all these in a playlist (except the Mandrell collab), here's how I'm gonna rank 'em:

"Tender Years" - chorus on this is like the perfect distillation of what GJ can do with his voice that noone else can
"Still Doin' Time"
"The Grand Tour" - this is the part where I somewhat embarrassingly admit that I got into Jones via the Geraldine Fibbers
"He Stopped Loving Her Today"
"We're Gonna Hold On" - never paid much attention to this one before, killer intro
"I Always Get Lucky With You"
"Walk Through This World With Me" - I put this on the reception playlist for my wedding last year, along with George & Tammy's "Ceremony"
"The Door" - that sound effect kills me
"White Lightening"
"Golden Ring"
"She Thinks I Still Care"
"Near You"
"Yesterday's Wine"

granted, i could probably put them on another day and throw them in an almost completely different order. they're all winners.

Seconding "Tender Years." Some Dude OTM, the swell in Mr Jones's voice as he heads into the chorus is awesome.

"He Stopped Loving Her Today" might be my favorite country music song ever.

Favorite George Jones song is probably "Who Shot Sam," but that's not to denigrate lots of these. Hard to choose...but "The Grand Tour, I guess. George did divorce music with the best of them.

yeah "Who Shot Sam" is a hoot...we could totally do more Jones polls after this, but I dunno what criteria would be best to use, maybe top tens or just take a best-of and remove the #1s...

the actual noise of a door slamming in "the door" is goofily sublime.

i have to admit that i wondered for a long time whether his wife had left him or died in "the grand tour."

Automatic thread bump. This poll is closing tomorrow.

Automatic thread bump. This poll's results are now in.

can't argue with these results really

From the tour bus EP with Wynette/Jones was solid

I got my Old Possum list right here.

prompted me to check out a mid-80s bio of him, "Ragged But Right" and hoooboy, lot of interesting stuff right out the gate. I was previously entirely unaware of the Big Thicket.

been on a George Jones bender since readin that bio (which is okay and def interesting but v much of it's time)

don't think I quite got the haunted stare, kinda hard to capture
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DOz-14aUQAE2cqj.jpg:large