When one of country music’s biggest stars says he thinks a certain country song is one of the greatest ever written, people tend to listen.
Keith Urban was recently on the WTF Podcast With Marc Maron, and they started talking about older country records and artists. George Jones‘ name came up, as Urban said he loved listening to Jones when he was younger.
Urban said, “He [Jones] sounds like a crooner and a bluegrass cat, fused together.”
Then the conversation got to a particular George Jones song, “He Stopped Loving Her Today.” The two talked about Jones’ inflection and not only the lyrics, but how they are sung with such passion and feeling.
When talking about people trying to cover the song, Urban said, “Just don’t do it, just do your own thing. Just change the whole song.”
That’s when the “Messed Up as Me” singer planted his proverbial flag into the ground and made a statement that once said, can’t ever be taken back.
Urban said,
“It’s one of the greatest songs ever written in country music. What an amazing concept for a song.”
The song was written by Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman and released in 1980. Since 2008 it has been preserved by the Library of Congress in the National Recording Registry.
It is considered one of the greatest country songs of all time, not just by Urban, but by Rolling Stone.
One thing is for sure: Based on the interview, don’t expect to ever hear Urban try to cover the song, as he recommends nobody ever try it.
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