Tunes of Cheatin' and Drinkin': 3 Locals' Honky-Tonk Essentials

McDermott's List

Pick Me Up on Your Way Down , Charlie Walker. "A good heartbreaking song you can dance to."

Honky Tonk Hardwood Floor , Johnny Horton. "A good example of how close rockabilly and honky-tonk are."

Wine Me Up , Faron Young. "This tune has it all: a good fast shuffle beat, great vocal performance and a tricky little twist in the self-pitying lyric 'Wine me up, turn me on and watch me cry for you.' "

Heartaches for a Dime , Wynn Stewart. "A classic number written by Harlan Howard, king of the honky-tonk songwriters. The lyric makes it clear that back in the 1950s you could make a phone call or play a song on the jukebox for only 10 cents, and either one could break your heart."

Honky Tonk Blues , Hank Williams. "I like this one because it's more about the dancing than the drinking: 'I went to a dance and I wore out my shoes/Woke up this mornin' wishin' I could lose/Them jumpin' honky-tonk blues.' "

Swinging Doors , Merle Haggard. "This one is stripped right down to the essentials: 'I've got swinging doors, a jukebox and a bar stool. . . . I'm always here at home till closing time.' "

Quinn's List

In the Jailhouse Now , Webb Pierce. "The guy singing the song goes out on the town with a girl and they 'took in every honky-tonk in town,' but they're 'in the jailhouse now.' "

Your Cheatin' Heart , Hank Williams. " The icon of country music and big daddy of honky-tonk music. He died at age 29, and that helped fuel the legend."

Heartaches by the Number , Ray Price. "A clever song about unrequited love."

Honky Tonk Man , Johnny Horton. "It's about a guy who likes pretty gals, wine and honky-tonk music: 'I'm a honky-tonk man and I can't seem to stop/I love to give the girls a whirl to the music of an old jukebox.' "

Walking After Midnight , Patsy Cline. "She is known more for her fabulous country pop songs like 'Crazy,' 'Sweet Dreams,' 'She's Got You' and 'So Wrong,' but 'Walking After Midnight' was the song that made her an international superstar."

The Race Is On , George Jones. "He's known as 'The Possum' -- don't ask me why -- and sings this wonderful, witty tune using a horse race as a metaphor for lost love."

-- D.Z.