12 Country Stunners by '90s Icon Lorrie Morgan

As a Nashville native and the daughter of Grand Ole Opry star George Morgan, Lorrie Morgan was born to be a country singer. Her destiny became clear as a teenager in the '70s and reached full stride in 1989— the breakout year for peers Garth Brooks, Clint Black and Alan Jackson. Ten Top 10 hits in the '90s continued this momentum in a crowded marketplace. Add duets with partners ranging from Pam Tillis ("Come See Me and Come Lonely") to the Beach Boys ("Don't Worry Baby") and you've got a glaring Country Music Hall of Fame snub.

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Here's Wide Open Country's playlist of 12 must-hear songs from what seems like a bottomless well of rewarding listens.

12. "I Finally Found Someone" Feat. Sammy Kershaw (I Finally Found Someone, 2001)

In the same year they wed, Morgan and ex-spouse Kershaw brought a country feel to this power ballad originally sung by Barbra Streisand and Bryan Adams for Streisand's self-directed film The Mirror Has Two Faces. In the context of Morgan's career, it's further evidence of her vocal versatility.

The duo's other collaborations range from the equally powerful "Maybe Not Tonight" to the campy "He Drinks Tequila."

Listen here.

11. "We Both Walk" (Something in Red, 1991)

The fourth and final single from Morgan's classic 1991 album Something in Red, "We Both Walk" is a freewheeling, honky-tonk-flavored song about relationship strife that references Ernest Tubb's "Walking the Floor Over You."

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10. "Go Away" (Shakin' Things Up, 1997)

Morgan sings of being "wishy-washy" —the name of the laundromat where Dolly Parton met her husband, coincidence or not— in romance on this roaring cut penned by Stephony Smith, Cathy Majeski and Sunny Russ. It's the first and highest-charting (No. 3) single from her 1997 album Shakin' Things Up.

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 9. "Good As I Was to You" (Greater Need, 1996)

Though Morgan's talents typically shine brightest with uptempo material, she's more than capable of making the most of such Reba McEntire-style heartbreakers as this story-song in which a cheating partner gets confronted in a crowded restaurant.

Other standouts in this mold include 1989's "Dear Me," 1992's "I Guess You Had to Be There" and 1994's "If You Came Back From Heaven."

Listen here.

8. "A Picture of Me (Without You)" (Something in Red, 1991)

Morgan delved into the catalog of one of her dad's peers, George Jones, with this rendition of the Possum's Top 5 hit from 1972. It's even older in spirit, with Jones' version resembling Webb Pierce's 1953 recording of "That's Me Without You."

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7. "Except for Monday" (Something in Red, 1991)

Something in Red's third single tells of someone who's living their best life after a breakup— aside from on Mondays, which were a drag to begin with. It brings the kind of fun twist to an otherwise serious song that country audiences eat up.

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6. "Five Minutes" (Leave the Light On, 1989)

Morgan's breakout 1989 album Leave the Light On established her as one of the traditionalists capable of pushing the genre into a lucrative, new decade. Its fourth single, the Beth Nielsen Chapman-penned "Five Minutes" became Morgan's first No. 1 country hit— fittingly in 1990.

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5. "'Til a Tear Becomes a Rose" Feat. Keith Whitley (Whitley's Greatest Hits, 1990)

This duet with Whitley —Morgan's wife from 1986 to his 1989 death— appeared on his postumous Greatest Hits compilation in 1990. Beyond its emotional backstory, the Top 15 single stands out as a traditional country weeper that's sang by two all-time-great song interpreters.

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4. "Trainwreck of Emotion" (Leave the Light On, 1989)

From its fiddle-as-train-whistle accompaniment to its railroad analogy-filled lyrics and of course a strong vocal performance by Morgan, this is easily one of her best songs— even if it peaked at No. 20 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart.

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3. "I Didn't Know My Own Strength" (Reflections: Greatest Hits, 1995)

Morgan sings about fiercely independent characters in multiple songs, with this No. 1 from 1995 being her finest single reflecting the resolve of many women in her audience. And ironically, it's among the best signs that Morgan knew her own strength as a creative force.

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2. "Watch Me" (Watch Me, 1992)

This No. 2 hit from 1992's narrator calls their partner's bluff and insists they'll leave at the drop of a dime if things don't change for the better. Beyond being a universally-understandable kiss-off, it's one of the catchiest country-rock hybrids in the annals of '90s country.

Listen here.

1. "What Part of No" (Watch Me, 1992)

The second of Morgan's three No. 1s, this classic shutdown of a pushy bar patron is among the most traditional country-sounding hits of its time. In fact, it could've charted just as high in past decades for any number of Morgan's musical forerunners.

Listen here.

This post was originally published on October 4, 2019.

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