Countless songs become hits and fade into the ether. They’re only considered good for a short period before, like many disposable things, they’re discarded and audiences move on to the next big hit.

Classic country was as much about the story as it was about the song. Oftentimes, those narratives were so devastatingly sad, beautiful, or some poignant mix of the two that they are almost guaranteed ...

ChartCipher analyzes country as part of Billboard's yearlong retrospective on the first quarter of the century. By Yael Penn The opening lyrics to the song at No. 1 on the first Billboard Hot Country ...