Marty Robbins helped everyone believe they could be cowboys. His music feels very lived in, the kind of music that makes country fans dream about being gunslingers on horseback. From an oldies country star to a NASCAR driver, Robbins really did it all. Moreover, his credibility never took a hit in his multiple skills.
Videos by Wide Open Country
Combing over his extensive discography reaps a ton of rewards. Consequently, making a Mount Rushmore for Marty a monumental task. However, when it comes down to it, these four represent the best, quintessential songs in his career.
The Four Best Marty Robbins Song Ever
"Doggone Cowboy"
Country music loves themselves a good ol' fashioned cowboy. There's a lot of fake, pretend cowboys in the industry, more Woody from Toy Story than The Good, The Bad, & The Ugly. Modern country often plays in the glitz and glamour of Hollywood Spaghetti Westerns. What's great about Marty Robbins is that all of his music felt truly organic. His songwriting seeps in the Western environment.
"Doggone Cowboy" plays as the Western mission statement. Early mornings on the ranch with rope for the cattle in hand, the dry, warm winds juxtaposed to the clear, night sky. Every once in a while, Marty ponders the loneliness, the lack of companionship or the romance in his life. Instead, she's merely a photograph in his pocket as he commits his life to being a cowboy.
"Big Iron"
As much as Marty thrives in the mundane coming of age of Western life, he's just as great in theatrics. It plays with the sting and heat of an Ennio Morricone score. The outlaw Texas Red goes head to head with an Arizonian Ranger across eight verses and ends with the same kind of easy resolve you'd expect in a classic Western flick. It's riveting stuff and incredibly strong songwriting from Robbins.
"San Angelo"
As someone who spent some time in San Angelo, Marty really captures the beauty of rural Texas. It's a pretty standard but dark affair, another gunfighter ballad about an outlaw longing for an escape with his lover in San Angelo. But what I adore about this record is the soaring horns and the orange glow coming from the record. The flatlands are endless, the sunrise stretches for miles uninterrupted. Knowing San Angelo firsthand, I know that his desire for the town isn't unfounded. The peace and tranquility are what dreams are made of, the kind of isolation you could only savor with a lover. Of course, these gunfighter ballads only end a couple of ways. Sadly, Marty emphasizes the consequences of the outlaw's actions and knows death waits around the corner.
"Ave Maria Morales"
My favorite Marty Robbins songs earlier in the list have a sort of levity to them. "Ave Maria Morales" is a true tragedy though, one of the better storytelling songs in country music. The songs detail a dark haired Mexican woman named Ava Maria Morales living in a small town in Arizona. She falls in love with a man who supposedly works on a ranch near Tuscon. Unfortunately, as the song progresses forward and the earnest, blue collar man turns into an outlaw cowboy. Obviously, Marty emphasizes the heartbreak Morales experiences in his story. But the real crushing blow is that there is no fantasy ending. Instead, The window where Ava Maria would watch was dark where a light used to be. Some love stories live for a while and then they are gone. For over a century, the story of Ava Maria has lived on and on," Robbins croons.
