drawing by Nicole Rifkin
www.wideopencountry.com
by: Stephanie Heath
American singer and guitarist Willie Nelson is incredibly well-known. Having had any successful songs, he is no stranger to have his music hit the top of the charts. However, even someone who has written or co-written over 300 songs has to have their favorites. Recently, Willie Nelson revealed the favorite two songs he has written throughout his incredible career.
While there have been several songs that Willie Nelson has liked, or that have performed well, there are two that stand out among the rest. When Parade asked Nelson to share his most cherished pieces he shared his favorite two songs. Those songs were “On the Road Again” and “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground.” While some fans may have been surprised by these two choices, Nelson had reasons for his choices.
The songs pained lyrics often show great loss of love or life, and Willie Nelson has repeatedly dedicated the song to his son, Billy, who passed by suicide in 1991. Perhaps that song feels good to sing not just for its melodies, but for the release of emotions that it brings.
“On The Road Again”
This song proves that inspiration can strike you at any moment. Willie Nelson admitted that he wrote this song on an airline puke bag. It only took him minutes to come up with the iconic lyrics. However, interestingly enough he did not come up with the music for the song until months later. I guess good things really do take time, and what a good thing it was. This song became a No. 1 country song and was nominated for a Best Song Oscar.
“Crazy”
Turns out that much like the title, this Willie Nelson song had quite the story behind it. After several failed attempts to find someone who could handle the song’s complex nature, Nelson finally stumbled upon Patsy Cline. However, it was Ms. Cline’s husband who convinced her to take on the song, and thank goodness that she did because it was a huge success.