There are few things in life as invaluable as a country music-loving grandmother. She probably knows all the popular hits that have stood the test of time (from Nat King Cole and Louis Armstrong to Frank Sinatra and Elvis Presley) and can share the sort of grandparental wisdom The Judds sought in song. Numerous country singers grew up with a musically-inclined matriarch in the family, resulting in memorable songs about grandma for country playlists.
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The following ten songs exemplify reminiscing about a beloved grandmother. Some of these songs candidly tell you something about the frailty of those relatives that seemed like ageless giants when we were kids, while others merely glorify the good ole days.
1. "Mountain Music," Alabama
The title track of Alabama's most commercially successful non-compilation album belongs on any list of grandma or grandpa songs. A memorable line in the chorus speaks of playing the same music enjoyed by an earlier generation, accurately describing the appeal of revisiting grandparents' love for down-home gospel and country songs.
2. "Grandma's Song," Gail Davies
This heart-warming, gorgeous tune tells the true story of how a sought-after session player, trailblazing producer, solo hit-maker, and influential songwriter learned about roots music from her beloved grandmother.
3. "Grandma's Feather Bed," John Denver
This nostalgic trip back to grandma's house brought even more down-home appeal to crossover megastar John Denver. It bolsters 1974's Back Home Again, one of his most country albums due to its throwback folk sound and lyrics.
4. "Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer," Elmo and Patsy
This polarizing send-up of holiday music is either the funniest or the most obnoxious tale of a redneck Christmas, depending on who you ask. Still, it might just be the best-known comedic country song of them all, with even Ray Stevens' best material getting less seasonal play.
5. "In Color," Jamey Johnson
A firm reference to grandma punctuates this trip down slideshow lane with grandpa. As the narrator's grandfather describes a photo from the day he married grandma, it drives home how aging couples helped each other survive hard times. For similar sentiments from outside of country music, revisit Adele's "When We Were Young."
6. "Grandma's Hands," Willie Nelson and Mavis Staples
Bill Withers defined the grandmother lover's soul song with "Grandma's Hands." The often-covered song entered the country and gospel spheres in one fell swoop in 2013 via this dream collaboration.
7. "My Angel," Kellie Pickler
Every grandchild who sang "Amazing Grace" on the front porch with their grandmother lived every heart-warming moment of this eulogy.
8. "Love, Me," Collin Raye
A grandma's note to her future husband took a new meaning when read before the woman's funeral by her 15-year-old grandson. It places the hard situation of watching one grandparent grieve the others' death in a spiritual and downright poetic context.
9. "Holes in the Floor of Heaven," Steve Wariner
The first heartbreaking verse of Steve Wariner's 1998 tear-jerker tells of a little boy grasping the loss of his grandma. It reminds listeners of hard lessons learned when a grandparent passes away. The song doubles as a statement of faith, reassuring believers that death is not necessarily the end for loved ones.
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10. "Grandma," Gretchen Wilson
The 92-year-old woman described in Gretchen Wilson's "Grandma" sounds like one tough cookie. She surely deserves credit for her granddaughter knowing the words to every Charlie Daniels song, even if she waited nearly a century to try a particular recreational activity.
This post was originally published on October 23, 2017.
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