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Top 10 Songs From ‘Nashville’

Nashville has not long finished season 2 in the UK, but it’s already airing the beginnings of season 3 in the US, so here is a little roundup of the top 10 songs from Nashville, seasons 1 and 2.

10. Telescope – Hayden Panettiere (Juliette)

One of Juliette’s first songs, ‘Telescope’ also received a music video that aired on CMT (in real life) and was released to country radio. Sassy and sexy, it was the perfect description of Juliette’s character at that time, and was later covered acoustically on the show by Maddie & Daphne Conrad.

9. Wrong Song – Hayden Panettiere & Connie Britton (Juliette & Rayna)

‘Wrong Song’ appeared about halfway through the first season, as a duet between Juliette and Rayna that they wrote out of not being able to choose a song to perform together at an event. On the show, the song is a huge hit, and prompts their label head Marshall Evans to ask them again to go out on tour together (which they do).

8. Black Roses – Clare Bowen (Scarlett)

Halfway through season 2, Scarlett is a fledgling artist signed to Highway 65 and writing and recording for her debut album. Rayna hires Liam to be her producer, and at first they clash because Liam sees that she’s more authentic than she’s letting on. He steals her journal and finds the lyrics to ‘Black Roses’ inside, originally as a poem, and they put music to the song she reveals is about her destructive mother. This was the first song ever written specifically for the show.

7. No-One Will Ever Love You – Connie Britton & Chip Esten (Rayna & Deacon)

Rayna and Deacon’s first duet, ‘No-One Will Ever Love You’ closes the second episode of season 1 as the feelings the characters once had for each other reappear. They are supposed to go out on tour together but upon the emotional performance they give for this song, Rayna decides against it.

6. Don’t Put Dirt On My Grave Just Yet – Hayden Panettiere (Juliette)

In season 2, Juliette writes this with Avery after the news comes out about her affair with Charlie Wentworth, the rich multi-millionaire of US radio and a married man. Country fans are furious and a further misunderstanding about her belief (or lack thereof) in God causes label head Jeff to demand she publicly apologise at a Grand Ole Opry performance. Instead, she writes this song and performs it, further digging her career and reputation into the ground. It ends up becoming a hit, and even gets an orchestral version when some LA executives try to woo Juliette into pop music.

5. Fade Into You – Clare Bowen & Sam Palladio (Scarlett & Gunnar)

Not their first duet but definitely one of their biggest, ‘Fade Into You’ built upon Scarlett and Gunnar’s sultry Americana sound in the first season and the will they, won’t they sexual tension present at the time.

4. I Ain’t Leaving Without Your Love – Sam Palladio, Jonathan Jackson & Chaley Rose (Gunnar, Avery & Zoey)

Not one of the most publicly well-known songs of the series but definitely one of my favorites, ‘I Ain’t Leaving Without Your Love’ was performed by the one-time collective band of Gunnar, Avery and Zoey in season 2. It was written by upcoming country duo Striking Matches and is one of the catchiest, most upbeat songs of the series.

3. Undermine – Hayden Panettiere (Juliette)

Co-written in real life by Kacey Musgraves and Trent Dabbs (airing while Kacey was just charting at radio with her debut single ‘Merry Go Round’), ‘Undermine’ was Juliette’s first “authentic” song. She co-wrote it with Deacon in the second episode and it showed the true country roots of someone who at the time was marketed as a country-pop star, but desperately wanted to be taken seriously.

2. Ho Hey – Lennon & Maisy Stella (Maddie & Daphne)

The second song we ever heard from Maddie & Daphne, ‘Ho Hey’ is a cover of The Lumineers that they perform at one of Rayna’s tour soundchecks. It’s one of my favorite moments of the first season as every character just stops to marvel in how talented they are. The two actresses are real life sisters who are the daughters of famous Canadian country duo The Stellas, and established a following on YouTube for recording great covers when they were as young as 6 and 10.

1.A Life That’s Good – Lennon & Maisy Stella (Maddie & Daphne)

Another song that started off (at least) as Maddie & Daphne, ‘A Life That’s Good’ was actually co-written by Ashley Monroe and Sarah Siskind, and in the show is meant to be an old Deacon song from a solo album, that he wrote early on in his relationship with Rayna. Maddie listens to the song on repeat soon after learning that Deacon is her father, and it’s from this that she starts wanting to see him. We hear some of Deacon’s version, Maddie & Daphne’s version, Maddie & Deacon’s version and later one with the sisters, Deacon and Rayna all together, right at the end of season 2. It’s this live performance that prompts Deacon to begin to see them as a family, and propose to Rayna in the season finale.

 

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Annette Gibbons
Hi, I’m Annette, I have been a huge country music fan since the early 90s those were the days we were lucky enough to have CMT in the UK. I enjoy nothing more than listening to country music whilst having a cold beer (or a moonshine) with friends. I try to as many gigs as I can here in the UK and in the USA; I think of Nashville as my second home and I am lucky to have made some amazing friends in Tennessee. Think Country is something I am very proud of, I just want to share my love and passion of all things country music related with you all.
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