This is a great song, and appearing on this list I am well aware is a bit of a gamble. But one I am willing to take. Lainey Wilson had a few songs ahead of this with success, but this was the gas her engine needed that launched a major new female star which makes this song highly important. This also appeared on my 50 Favorites From 40 Years list last year at #29. She will have many more big songs, but I feel this is the one she will forever be remembered for. Lainey Wilson is now without any question as big of a star as we have in Country. She sounds the part, looks the part, sings the part and is the real deal. Her strength is her incredible believe-ability, and her willingness to be authentically real and herself. There is no phoney-boloney here. She has the intangibles that most don't and wish they did. She sounds as good singing a hurtin' song as she does a party song. She owns her songs, lives them and we love it. This song was big number one and will be played on the radio for years to come. The best for her is yet to come, and when all is said and done years from now - staying on her current path - she will be this generations Shania, or Reba, in her popularity. She also seems to have zero interest in becoming a pop star, which is a huge mistake dozens of others have made before her and continue to make - meaning the alienation of country fans. She's ours and right now and hopefully forever, and can do no wrong. Lainey Wilson is the real deal, and so is this song.
#29 50 Favorites From 40 Years (2023)
