Red - Taylor Swift (2 of 2)

Red - Taylor Swift (2 of 2)

Taylor Swifts honesty and relatable lyrics have made her a fan favorite - especially of teenage girls - since her first album came out when she was sixteen. Red moves in a more adult direction with the lyrics, and while some tracks are much more geared to pop and radio, there are a few hidden gems that will appeal to  die-hard country fans.

11. Holy Ground: Another track that moves toward rock, Holy Ground is a reminiscent song about when love makes everything feel right.
"Back when you fit in my poems / like a perfect rhyme / took off faster than a green light 'go' / when you skipped the conversation cause you already know"

12. Sad Beautiful Tragic: Sad Beautiful Tragic is a slow, acoustic number about a love that's gone with minimalist, repetitive lyrics that make it seem genuine.
"Long handwritten notes / deep in your pocket / words how little they mean / when you're a little too late"

13. The Lucky One: A faster song with a strong drum, The Lucky One talks about the downsides of fame and how luck isn't always what it seems.
"And they tell you that you're lucky / but you're so confused / cause you don't feel pretty / you just feel used"

14. Everything Has Changed: Another duet, this time with Ed Sheeran, Everything Has Changed has the fun aura of the very beginning of a love.
"All I know is we said hello / and your eyes look like coming home / all I know is a simple name / and everything has changed"

15. Starlight: Starlight is the dance love anthem of Red with a very cute story, but rather than telling of her own adventures, it's a re-imagining of someone else's.
"He was trying to skip rocks on the ocean / saying to me / don't you see the starlight, starlight / don't you dream impossible things"

16. Begin Again: Begin Again is a slower number about finding yourself again after a breakup and  remembering what you like, rather than what an ex liked for you, and finding a new love in the process.
"I've been spending the last eight months / thinking all love ever does / is break / and burn / and end/ but ... I watched it begin again"

17. The Moment I Knew: About that moment when you realize you can't stand being treated wrong anymore, the Moment I Knew is heart-breakingly beautiful with genuine lyrics
"What do you do / when the one who means the most to you / is the one who didn't show"

18. Come Back... Be Here: Come Back Be Here tells the story of a love that was so close to working out, but distance getting in the way.
"And this is when the feeling sinks in / I don't want to miss you like this"

19. Girl at Home: Girl at Home is catchy with a strong beat, and has a refreshing perspective of a girl that pushes away an interested guy with a girlfriend.
"You're the kind of man that makes me sad / while she waits up / you chase down the newest thing / and take for granted what you had"

Red - Taylor Swift (1 of 2)

Red - Taylor Swift (1 of 2)

Taylor Swifts honesty and relatable lyrics have made her a fan favorite - especially of teenage girls - since her first album came out when she was sixteen. Red moves in a more adult direction with the lyrics, and while some tracks are much more geared to pop and radio, there are a few hidden gems that will appeal to  die-hard country fans.

1.  State of Grace: Bordering on rock territory, State of Grace stretches genre boundaries with the story of a love that didn't quite end right, but an acceptance of that.

"We learn to live with the pain / mosaic broken hearts / but this love is / brave and / wild"

2. Red: A work of lyric genius, the title track takes the emotions of a relationship and a break up and turns them into the colors of going through them. 

"losing him was blue / like I'd never known / missing him was dark grey all alone / ... / but loving him was red"

3. Treacherous: A slower, very acoustic, intimate track, treacherous is about falling for someone that you know you shouldn't, but it feels so right that you give in anyway.

"This hope is / treacherous / this day dream / is dangerous"

4. I Knew You Were Trouble: Another genre pushing track, I Knew You Were Trouble reaches into dubstep territory with a strong beat and drums.

"And the saddest fear / comes creeping in / that you never loved me / or her / or anyone"

5. All Too Well: A tragically real heartbreak song about remembering all of the good times. Slower, but with a very strong bridge, All Too Well fits right in with some of her earlier classics.

"You call me up again / just to break me like a promise / so casually cruel / in the name of being honest"

6. 22: An up-tempo party song about living in the moment, 22 is the most definitively pop song on the album and seems almost written specifically for pop radio. It's catchy none the less.

"Everything will be all right if / we just keep dancing like we're / 22"

7. I Almost Do: I Almost Do is acoustic, very country, and a lyrical standout about those moments when you are so tempted to call up an ex, but you keep your self-control.

"In my dreams you're touching my face / and asking me if I / want to try again / with you / and I almost do"

8. We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together: Another up-beat track that climbed the pop charts, this song is confident, catchy, and extremely clever.

"Then you come around again and say / baby / I miss you and I swear I'm gonna change / trust me / remember how that lasted for a day?"

9. Stay Stay Stay: Stay Stay Stay is the definition of a happy song - up tempo, fun, and about a love going right. It even ends with Taylor laughing.

"Stay stay stay / I'll be loving you for quite some / time time time"

10. The Last Time: An emotional duet with the lead signer of Snow Patrol, The Last Time tells the story of a girl who just wants to be a priority, and the boy that keeps leaving and crawling back: but it's told from both of their perspectives.

"This is the last time I'm asking you this / put my name at the top of your list / this is the last time I'm asking you why / you break my heart in the blink of an eye"

Crash My Party - Luke Bryan

Crash My Party

The Top Selling Country Album in Years

Luke Bryan's newest album, Crash My Party, released August 13, has had extremely high sales, with 528,000 copies the first week, and has been certified platinum at over a million copies in October. With a great mix of party songs, tributes to his country roots, and reflective, slower ballads, you're sure to find something you like on the biggest country album of the summer.


1. That's My Kinda Night: That's My Kinda Night, the second single off of Crash My Party, is a clever party song with a strong beat, talking about how his idea of a date "where the corn rows grow" is much better than one "downtown." It builds to an extremely catchy chorus, which probably has something to do with it topping the country charts as long as it did.
"All them other boys / wanna wind you up and take you downtown / but you look like the kind / that likes to take it way out"
2. Beer in the Headlights: Beer in the Headlights is similar to That's My Kinda Night in the way of lyrics, still talking about being alone with a girl out in the country, but it's in a much more heartfelt way and with a smoother melodic flow that makes it seem a little more romantic and intimate.
"Sitting right here / out here in the middle of nowhere / I swear I've never seen / never seen nothing like you anywhere"
3. Crash My Party: Crash My Party was the first single off the album, and was widely accepted by the country community. A love-song about dropping anything for his girl, this song does a good job of being romantic in an unconventional way and still with a fun, catchy melody.
"You can wake me up / in the dead of night / wreck my plans / baby that's alright"
4. Roller Coaster: Roller Coaster is probably my favorite song on the album, a reminiscent ballad about a summer fling that didn't quite last with incredible lyrics. He compares the girl to a roller coaster, how he never knew what was coming next, but it has a sad, longing feel of wanting her back. The song has a genuine honesty, and the melody fits perfectly.
"We spent that week wide open / upside down beside the ocean / I didn't know where it was going / just trying to keep my heart on the tracks"
5. We Run This Town: We Run This Town is another reminiscent song but in a much happier way. It talks about the innocence of high school and how with friends you feel invincible, like you "run this town."
"From crazy kids / to dirt road kings / we didn't know nothing / but we knew everything"
6. Drink a Beer: At first glance, you'd expect Drink a Beer to be another fast party anthem - but it's exactly the opposite. The misleading title actually is a song about loss and the death of a friend. It slows down the tempo a lot and is very raw, expressing the stage of confusion and almost denial.
"I'll remember you / and all the times that we used to / sit right here / on the edge of this pier"
7. I See You: I See You takes a break up song and transforms it with a with a beat and a faster tempo, while still keeping the true relatable lyrics that make break up songs so powerful. The song tells the story of not being able to escape the memories of a past relationship.
"I can't go anywhere / I can't do anything / no I can't close my eyes / without you in my dreams"
8. Goodbye Girl: Goodbye Girl is another mid-tempo song about a girl that just won't stay with him, but keeps coming back and forth. He knows it isn't healthy, but just can't seem to bring himself to end the relationship.
"There you go / wrecking my whole world / one more hello / one more goodbye girl"
9. Play It Again: Play It Again is extremely catchy and tells a cute story about a girl with a favorite song, and the guy who goes to any length to play it for her. The melody is catchy and fun and the story is adorable.
"Oh my God / this is my song / I've been listening to the radio / all night long"
10. Blood Brothers: Blood Brothers moves closer to country-rock and is almost an edgier version of We Run This Town. Again it's reminiscing on old friends, but this time its more about all the dumb things they did and how they stuck together through it all.
"Blood brothers / closer than your next of kin / thick as thieves / and the best of friends"
11. Out Like That: Out Like That is fun, a little faster, and a classic Luke Bryan party song. It talks about getting to know a girl and going all out with it, and it has a strong guitar and an energetic feel to back it up.
"I wanna feel your heart go tick-tock / while the rain from your hair drip-drops / girl I'm talking / country kinda crazy"
12. Shut It Down: Shut It Down is very country, telling the story of a farmer working in the field with a woman waiting for him, and how he can be done for a while. It's a story-telling ballad dealing with a classic country occupation.
"A lot of work left to do / the sun's still out / any hay to make / can wait for now"
13. Dirt Road Diary: Dirt Road Diary is autobiographical - literally like a diary. It talks about shooting with his dad, first getting a license, and how that old truck could "tell on us." It's a very personal and genuine song that will appeal to very country fans
"If you want / to know the real me / just turn the page on my dirt road diary / it's all there / for you to see"