Country Music Television's top 100 love songs

By John Gerome
Associated Press

In the teen movie "Fast Times at Ridgemont High," one character advises his buddy, "When it comes down to making out, whenever possible, put on side one of Led Zeppelin IV."

Country Music Television has come up with its own list of can't-miss love songs, but it doesn't include Zeppelin.

Topping the 100 greatest love songs is Dolly Parton's "I Will Always Love You," a song she took to No. 1 on the country chart in 1974. The tune got a rebirth 18 years later, when Whitney Houston made it a No. 1 pop hit and it was featured in the movie "The Bodyguard."

In 1998, Parton told CMT about a woman who stopped her in an airport and thanked her for writing the lyrics.

"The lady's father was dying of cancer, and he had never been able to tell his family how much he loved them," Parton said. "When he heard the song, he went out and bought the cassette and brought each of his children in individually and played the song for them. He said, 'These are the words I want you to know are in my heart."' Parton called the encounter "one of the proudest moments of my life."

CMT's 100 Greatest Love Songs

1. "I Will Always Love You" (Dolly Parton)

2. "You Were Always On My Mind" (Willie Nelson)

3. "Sweet Dreams (Of You)" (Patsy Cline)

4. "Forever and Ever, Amen" (Randy Travis)

5. "Hello Darlin'" (Conway Twitty)

6. "Unanswered Prayers" (Garth Brooks)

7. "Amazed" (Lonestar)

8. "She Believes in Me" (Kenny Rogers)

9. "I Cross My Heart" (George Strait)

10. "Golden Ring" (George Jones & Tammy Wynette)

11. "That's The Way Love Goes" (Merle Haggard)

12. "When You Say Nothing At All" (Keith Whitley, also Alison Krauss & Union Station)

13. "He Stopped Loving Her Today" (George Jones)

14. "How Do I Live" (LeAnn Rimes, also Trisha Yearwood)

15. "It's Your Love" (Tim McGraw & Faith Hill)

16. "Stand By Your Man" (Tammy Wynette)

17. "Kiss An Angel Good Mornin"' (Charley Pride)

18. "I Fall to Pieces" (Patsy Cline)

19. "Feels So Right" (Alabama)

20. "Behind Closed Doors" (Charlie Rich)

21. "Breathe" (Faith Hill)

22. "When I Call Your Name" (Vince Gill)

23. "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" (Hank Williams Sr.)

24. "Ring of Fire" (Johnny Cash)

25. "Today I Started Loving You Again" (Merle Haggard)

26. "I Swear" (John Michael Montgomery)

27. "I Can't Stop Loving You" (Ray Charles)

28. "Gentle On My Mind" (Glen Campbell)

29. "Strawberry Wine" (Deana Carter)

30. "You're Still the One" (Shania Twain)

31. "You Look So Good In Love" (George Strait)

32. "Lady" (Kenny Rogers)

33. "I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love With You)" (Hank Williams Sr.)

34. "Mama He's Crazy" (The Judds)

35. "Wichita Lineman" (Glen Campbell)

36. "Annie's Song" (John Denver)

37. "The Woman in Me (Needs the Man in You)" (Shania Twain)

38. "Make The World Go Away" (Eddy Arnold)

39. "On The Other Hand" (Randy Travis)

40. "For The Good Times" (Ray Price)

41. "This Kiss" (Faith Hill)

42. "When I said I Do" (Clint Black & Lisa Hartman Black)

43. "Angel Flying Too Close To The Ground" (Willie Nelson)

44. "Before The Next Drop Falls" (Freddy Fender)

45. "I Still Believe in You" (Vince Gill)

46. "Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man" (Loretta Lynn and Conway Twitty)

47. "Love in the First Degree" (Alabama)

48. "Could I Have This Dance" (Anne Murray)

49. "He'll Have to Go" (Jim Reeves)

50. "She Still Thinks I Care" (George Jones)

51. "Please Remember Me" (Tim McGraw)

52. "El Paso" (Marty Robbins)

53. "Help Me Make It Through the Night" (Sammi Smith)

54. "One More Day" (Diamond Rio)

55. "In Another's Eyes" (Garth Brooks with Trisha Yearwood)

56. "I've Got a Tiger By the Tail" (Buck Owens)

57. "Maybe It Was Memphis" (Pam Tillis)

58. "I Wouldn't Have Missed It for the World" (Ronnie Milsap)

59. "I Love You" (Martina McBride)

60. "Crying" (Roy Orbison & k.d. lang)

61. "Roll In My Sweet Baby's Arms" (Flatt & Scruggs)

62. "I Honestly Love You" (Olivia Newton-John)

63. "Something That We Do" (Clint Black)

64. "Wrapped Around" (Brad Paisley)

65. "I'll Still Be Loving You" (Restless Heart)

66. "Jackson" (Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash)

67. "Cowboy Take Me Away" (Dixie Chicks)

68. "Good Hearted Woman" (Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson)

69. "Where've You Been" (Kathy Mattea)

70. "Keeper of the Stars" (Tracy Byrd)

71. "Together Again" (Buck Owens)

72. "It Was Almost Like a Song" (Ronnie Milsap)

73. "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" (Crystal Gale)

74. "Always Late (With Your Kisses)" (Lefty Frizzell)

75. "What's Forever For" (Michael Martin Murphey)

76. "That's What I Like About You" (Trisha Yearwood)

77. "Paper Roses" (Marie Osmond)

78. "Remember When" (Alan Jackson)

79. "The Heart Won't Lie" (Reba McEntire with Vince Gill)

80. "Would You Lay With Me (In a Field of Stone)" (Tanya Tucker)

81. "No One Else On Earth" (Wynonna)

82. "Swingin"' (John Anderson)

83. "I Believe in You" (Don Williams)

84. "How Forever Feels" (Kenny Chesney)

85. "Timber, I'm Falling" (Patty Loveless)

86. "You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma" (David Frizzell and Shelly West)

87. "Walkin' the Floor Over You" (Ernest Tubb & Friends)

88. "We Were in Love" (Toby Keith)

89. "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" (Gene Autrey)

90. "She's In Love With the Boy" (Trisha Yearwood)

91. "Anymore" (Travis Tritt)

92. "Amanda" (Waylon Jennings, also Don Williams

93. "Angel of the Morning" (Juice Newton)

94. "If You See Him, If You See Her" (Reba McEntire with Brooks & Dunn)

95. "Shut Up and Kiss Me" (Mary Chapin Carpenter)

96. "Your Everything" (Keith Urban)

97. "Heaven's Just a Sin Away" (The Kendalls)

98. "I Fell in Love" (Carlene Carter)

99. "You've Never Been This Far Before" (Conway Twitty)

100. "I Melt" (Rascal Flatts)