The Top 5 Patsy Cline Songs

Patsy Cline's music lives on amongst the greatest of her generation. You can pick almost any list of Patsy Cline songs A to Z, and she has something to offer. She gracefully navigates the torments of love, whether it be unrequited love and heartbreaks or longing stares of yearning. So much of her power lies in Patsy's stunning voice. Whether it be covers or the litany of other writers that pen her best work, her singing is so beautifully tender.

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Tragically, Patsy Cline passed away at 30 years old from a plane crash. However, her music still travels across the decades, inspiring artists like Loretta Lynn and also Wynonna Judd. Now, artists today wish they could summon the flurry of emotions she easily invokes in her best records.

Wide Open Country tries to wrangle together the best songs in the dazzling discography Patsy holds under her belt. Admittedly, this proves to be a tall order given how many killer oldies she croons. The expansive amount of devastating heartbreakers and also love-drunk ballads alike shine bright in her illustrious career.

Eventually, though, the cream of the crop rises and we have the 5 best songs by Patsy Cline in order.

Every Patsy Cline Song From A-Z

• "Ain't No Wheels on This Ship (We Can't Roll)"
• "Always"
• "Anytime"
• "Back in Baby's Arms"
• "Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home"
• "Blue Moon of Kentucky"
• "A Church, a Courtroom, Then Goodbye"
• "Come on In (And Make Yourself at Home)"
• "Crazy"
• "Crazy Arms"
• "Crazy Dreams"
• "Cry Not for Me"
• "Dear God"
• "Does Your Heart Beat for Me"
• "Don't Ever Leave Me Again"
• "Faded Love"
• "Fingerprints"
• "Foolin' Around"
• "Gotta Lot of Rhythm in My Soul"
• "Half as Much"
• "Have You Ever Been Lonely (Have You Ever Been Blue)"
• "He Called Me Baby"
• "He Will Do for You"
• "The Heart You Break May Be Your Own"
• "Heartaches"
• "Hidin' Out"
• "Honky Tonk Merry-Go-Round"
• "Hungry for Love"
• "I Can See an Angel"
• "I Can't Forget You"
• "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)"
• "I Cried All the Way to the Altar"
• "I Don't Wanta"
• "I Fall to Pieces"
• "I Love You, Honey"
• "I Love You So Much It Hurts"
• "I'll Sail My Ship Alone"
• "I'm Blue Again"
• "I'm Moving Along"
• "I've Loved and Lost Again"
• "If I Could Only Stay Asleep"
• "If I Could See the World (Through the Eyes of a Child)"
• "Imagine That"
• "In Care of the Blues"
• "Just a Closer Walk with Thee"
• "Just Out of Reach"
• "Leavin' on Your Mind"
• "Let the Teardrops Fall"
• "Life's Railway to Heaven"
• "Lonely Street"
• "Love Letters in the Sand"
• "Love, Love, Love, Love Me Honey Do"
• "Lovesick Blues"
• "Lovin' in Vain"
• "Never No More"
• "Pick Me Up (On Your Way Down)"
• "A Poor Man's Roses (Or a Rich Man's Gold)"
• "San Antonio Rose"
• "Seven Lonely Days"
• "She's Got You"
• "Shoes"
• "So Wrong"
• "Someday (You'll Want Me to Want You)"
• "South of the Border (Down Mexico Way)"
• "Stop, Look and Listen"
• "Stop the World (And Let Me Off)"
• "Strange"
• "A Stranger in My Arms"
• "Sweet Dreams (Of You)"
• "That Wonderful Someone"
• "That's My Desire"
• "Then You'll Know"
• "There He Goes"
• "Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray"
• "Today, Tomorrow and Forever"
• "Too Many Secrets"
• "Tra Le La La Triangle"
• "True Love"
• "Try Again"
• "Turn the Cards Slowly"
• "Walkin' After Midnight"
• "Walkin' Dream'
• "The Wayward Wind"
• "When I Get Through with You (You'll Love Me Too)"
• "When You Need a Laugh"
• "Who Can I Count On"
• "Why Can't He Be You"
• "Yes I Understand"
• "You Belong to Me"
• "You Made Me Love You (I Didn't Want to Do It)"
• "You Took Him Off My Hands"
• "You Were Only Fooling (While I Was Falling in Love"
• "You're Stronger Than Me"
• "Your Cheatin' Heart"
• "Your Kinda Love"

Patsy Cline's 5 Best Songs (In Order)

Honorable Mention: 'Tennessee Waltz'

'Tennessee Waltz' proves to be a brutal cut in the making of this list. Patsy Cline really knows how to sell the stakes of lost love. She dances with her partner and also introduces her to him. Then she ends up in a wicked tailspin when her partner and her friend hook up, leaving Cline out in the cold. 'The beautiful Tennessee Waltz' plays more ironically, knowing the Virginia native leaves burying her face in her hands.

What keeps Patsy's version of this off the list properly is my preference for Patti Page's interpretation. Despite sounding like she has no ties to the state, Page's delicate voice lends a more somber note whereas Cline plays it more straight. Still, a magnificent rendition that really places you in the setting and time period.

1. 'A Poor Man's Roses (Or a Rich Man's Gold)

The writing really shines on 'A Poor Man's Roses.' Milton DeLugg and Bob Hilliard provide a lot of rich material for Patsy Cline to play around with on the song. Here, she journeys the listener through a conundrum: does she opt for the spoils of the rich man? Or does Patsy learn to live content with the poor man, knowing his love is true?

Although it's easy to forecast where she goes, there are valid arguments in either direction. The rich man may be 'callous and cold,' but Cline does wonder whether or not she could help teach him how to open up his heart. She knows early on that his riches alone won't get the job done.

Conversely, the poor man brings very little to the table. But he's also a man of detail and of true compassion. Consequently, Patsy finds herself helplessly loving the man with nothing. She can't shake 'the thrill when we kiss.' Eternity lasts longer than any riches.

2. 'Half as Much'

It's easy to fall in love with Patsy's lovesick ballads, all the records you hear when you dance close with someone. However, I find quite a bit of joy in listening to Cline relish in a bit of spite. 'Half as Much' also sees her laying into a lousy partner. "If you loved me half as much as I love you, You wouldn't worry me half as much as you do," she emphasizes.

Then, she continues listing off the various ways he fails to uplift her in the relationship. He acts fake in front of company, bringing her down despite being kind in private. Conversely, he frequently stays away from her in the second verse, leaving her in a cold, distant relationship. As much as she lays into him, she just wishes to be with someone who gives her mutual adulation. Instead, Patsy sits lonely, crooning alongside the wispy harmonica.

3. 'Leavin' on Your Mind'

Similarly, Patsy Cline also desperately wants you to call things off for good if you aren't happy any longer. Rip the band-aid off, tell her it's over with so she can move on. Maybe she can find love again afterward. But the last thing Cline wants is for her partner to hold her hostage in an unloved relationship.

The bridge remains especially powerful. Over the twinkling keys and luscious strings, Patsy sighs, "Don't leave me here in a world filled with dreams that might have been."

It's very easy to wallow over the end of a relationship. I find true power in knowing that love is possible once again. It's just up to us to be willing to accept the possibility and to love unabashedly. Otherwise, we'll lay hopeless with empty love in the atmosphere.

4. 'Faded Love'

Although I'm typically against posthumous releases, 'Faded Love' stands the test of time as an essential Patsy Cline record. The arrangement is stunning, sweet strings swell around the intro, love radiates from its composition. She ruminates on the most mundane memories, reading old letters, thinking of the past, watching doves mate. Everything still feels as fresh and romantic as it was at the beginning of their love. We spend our whole lives dreaming of such undying care and devotion.

Additionally, 'Faded Love' takes on a different context as well. Patsy passes away in a plane crash at 30 years old. The song serves as a brutal reminder of the tragedy, the family living on in her memory, and the countless people she inspires still to this day. Moreover, the chorus takes on a particular heft and Patsy gracefully embraces the weight of the lyrics. "I miss you, darling, more and more everyday, as Heaven would miss the stars above. With every heartbeat, I still think of you and remember our faded love," she cries out.

'Faded Love' stands as one of the best gut-wrenching ballads of its time. It also comes really close to sitting prominently at number 1. But there's only one record it could truly be.

5. 'I Fall to Pieces'

The toughest part of a breakup is all the memories you leave behind with your former lover. All you could really do in the immediate aftermath is to lie in shambles and remember what once was. Patsy Cline adds a very understated detail that emphasizes this devastation even further. "How can I be just your friend?" she somberly also sings.

Patsy sells 'I Fall to Pieces' with such keen detail. She sheds the standard doo-wop stylings of 50s and 60s oldies and also fully emerges prominently, a full-throated mourning of lost love. Cline cannot simply dismiss the kisses they once share. Moreover, she can't even hold her composure when she sees him coming on the street. Rather, she helplessly swoons over this man.

Each note she belts feels like one step closer to bursting into tears. Patsy knows other lovers won't suffice. Her eyes and her heart wander to the man she once loved. Now, every time she sees him, she falls to pieces. She can't help it. That's pure, true love.

Did Patsy Cline Write Her Own Songs?

Usually, Patsy Cline would leave songwriting duties to the professionals. For instance, she enlisted Willie Nelson on a song like "Crazy." Typically, her songs across her three albums were done by committee.

However, in her early days, Cline did pick up the pen and help write some of her own records. Moreover, she also took on the pseudonym 'Virginia Hensley' to throw people off of her scent. That way, the entire focus shifted towards her work as the singer rather than fixating on her writing qualities. There are only two songs Patsy wrote before her big break, "Don't Ever Leave Me Again" and "A Stranger in my Arms."

How Many Number 1 Hits Did Patsy Cline Have?

Patsy secures several big hits across her career. However, she only wrangles in two #1 hits on Billboard's Hot Country and Western Sides chart. "I Fall to Pieces" was one, even cracking into their year end chart at #2. This proves she had plenty of crossover appeal back then. Moreover, "Crazy" is her other song, also proving to be her biggest crossover hit with the pop audiences. The Willie Nelson penned hit topped out at #9 on the Hot 100, also spending 11 weeks there.