10. You Got Me You're a secret that I'm gonna try to keep until the day I die
"You Got Me" is the moody second single from Ashley Monroe's Like A Rose.
9. Goodbye Town Gotta find a way to finally get out
"Goodbye Town" is just about the only semi-good thing to come from Lady Antebellum's fourth album, the misappropriately named Golden.
8. I Want Crazy I don't want easy, I want crazy
"I Want Crazy" was one of the biggest hits on country radio this year, but it still came as something of a surprise to see that it was nominated for a Grammy. Hunter Hayes is just about the only tolerable man in mainstream country music these days, and the light-hearted "I Want Crazy" a good example of his talent.
7. Weed Instead of Roses Give me weed instead of roses, and let's see where it goes.
Songs like "Weed Instead of Roses" demonstrate what makes Ashley Monroe such a compelling country artist. Somehow, she perfectly blends traditional sounding country music with untraditional lyrics. This song describes her desire to spice up a stale relationship by requesting weed instead of roses.
6. Mama's Broken Heart Hide your crazy and start acting like a lady
Miranda Lambert spent her wedding day on the phone begging Kacey Musgraves for this song, which was a good decision considering what a big hit and award show darling it ended up being for Miranda. "Mama's Broken Heart" provides a fresh look on the different perspectives of two different generations when it comes to romance.
5. Red Faster than the wind, passionate as sin
It was actually rather surprising to me that country radio was willing to play "Red" because I can't for the life of me figure out how this qualifies as a country song. "Red" is the title track of Taylor's blockbuster fourth album, and most people seem to love this song. The live version performed at the CMAs with Alison Krauss and Vince Gill is amazing.
4. Blowin' Smoke We all say that we'll quit someday
At first, I wrote "Blowin' Smoke" off as a simple song about smoking. Then I realized that the lyrics are rather genius. The song deals with the complacency of everyday life, and the way that people just "blow smoke." But "Blowin' Smoke" is also a metaphor for the way that people always say things that they don't mean.
3. Highway Don't Care I can't live without you, baby
"Highway Don't Care" brought three of country's biggest superstars together. The song itself is a cleverly written song where Taylor represents a song playing on the car radio as the woman drives away from Tim.
2. Like A Rose It's been a long, hard road, but I came out like a rose
"Like A Rose" is the title track of Ashley Monroe's album, and it is the album's most personal offering. The autobiographical song finds Ashley realizes that she "came out like a rose" despite all of the challenges that she has faced in her life.
1. Follow Your Arrow You're damned if you do, and you're damned if you don't
Could I possibly pick any other song as the best country single of 2013? "Follow Your Arrow" calls society out on its various hypocrises before encouraging people to just live their lives as they please. This resonates with a chorus in which Kacey encourages listeners to "Kiss lots of boys, or kiss lots of girls if that's something you're into." Rarely has country music been so progressive.
The video though. 
My girls. 
