Top 10 Cowboy Junkies Songs

Photo: 3.26, CC BY-SA 2.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0>, via Wikimedia Commons

In the late 1980s, the Cowboy Junkies’ second album, The Trinity Sessions, was a mainstay in almost every car. What we loved most about the album was Margo Timmons’s voice that reminded us of the great country albums and artists such as the music that came out of Laurel Canyon publishing of the late 1960s and early 1970s. However, Cowboy Junkies came up with a style of music that we all obsessed over. Their sound was unique, and our 90’s obsession with the band has never faded. Although the band would later release several other albums, there is not one that ever came close to replacing The Trinity Sessions. The band’s signature sound featured an emotional mix of blues and some hush and haunting vocals by Margo Timmins.

The journey to being the most popular band in Canada in the late 1980s and 1990s started in 1985 when three siblings decided to start the band. Their first album dropped in 1986 and was a blue-inspired record which they recorded in their family garage. In 1987, the band released their second album, The Trinity Sessions, which earned the band critical acclaim and a huge fanbase. The album was also named by Los Angeles Times as one of the best albums of 1988. In addition, the hit single “Sweet Jane,” increasingly became popular in the US and was even included as a soundtrack in the 1994 movie “Natural Born Killers.” As of 2021, the band has released a total of 16 studio albums and five live albums, and the band is still active. In this article, we will look at the songs that gave this band such a huge following. Here are the top 10 Cowboy Junkies songs.

# 10 – Angel Mine

The number ten song in our list of the best Cowboy Junkies songs is a song whose video was shot at the El Rey Theatre in Los Angeles. The song features some whispered vocals by Margo, and it is one of the best country love songs you will ever hear. Listen to this song will make you reminisce about the good times you’ve had with someone you love. “Angel Mine” is featured on the band’s 1996 album, Lay It Down.

# 9 – Where Are You Tonight

Cowboy Junkies third studio album had some classic songs in there. “Where are you Tonight” is one of the most beautiful, poignant songs on the album. The sounds are quite unique, and the lyrics are original, to say the least. “Where are you Tonight” is, in my opinion, one of the band’s best-ever songs in their long catalog of great songs.

# 8 – Dreaming My Dreams With You

“Dreaming My Dreams With You” was a song that had been initially done by Waylon Jennings back in 1975. The song is a beautiful masterpiece, and the lines, “but I’ll always miss dreaming my dreams with you..” have always been my mind since I always like thinking about my future with my partner. However, the real message behind the song is to have courage and live honestly in the real world rather than always being in a state f dreams and regret.

# 7 – Southern Rain

It’s crazy how good Margo Timmins vocals are. She would just open her mouth, and her beautiful voice would blow you away anytime you listened to her singing. At the time of the song’s release, Margo’s vocals and style had evolved as she would have wanted. “Southern Rain” is the lead single from the band’s 1992 album Black Eyed Man. The guitar breaks in this song are fantastic, and the lyrics are lovely.

# 6 – Anniversary Song

If this song were a bottle of wine, it would probably be one of the finest ever. If you would like to start listening to country music for the first time, I would advise you to listen to their 2001 greatest hits compilation. “Anniversary Song” is the thirteenth song in the compilation, although it was initially from their 1993 album, Pale Sun, Crescent Moon, which they created just after returning from the Black Eyed Man Tour.

# 5 – Come Calling (Her Song)

The lyrics to “Come Calling” are self-explanatory. The song is about two people who believe and think that the other is waiting for them hence each one of them is waiting for the other to call. The beauty of Michale Timmins’s lyrics is evident in this song and it goes to show how good a lyricist he is. “Come Calling” is contained in the twelfth song on the band’s 1996 album, Lay It Down. There is definitely a bit of a Chris Isaak feel on this one.

# 4 – Misguided Angel

More than 30 years after the release of The Trinity Session, I still get emotions listening to the album. The song also contains an amazing video which is one of the most underrated videos of the late 80s and early 90s. As always, Margo Timmins’s vocals and melodies are marvelous. “Misguided Angel” is the second song from the hit album, The Trinity Session.

# 3 – Blue Moon Revisited

The number three song in our countdown of the best Cowboy Junkies is another song from the album, Trinity Session. “Blue Moon Revisited” is an easy song to play on the guitar and it’s also pretty easy to sing it. However, it’s so difficult to sing it quite like Margo Timmins. She is the true definition of the voice of an angel and she beautifully performs this track from her heart.

# 2 – I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry

The Trinity Session was a significant moment for Cowboy junkies since it is the album that introduced us to the world of their greatness. “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” is the fifth song from the album and it is one of the saddest country tunes ever written and done masterfully. The song features a strange, blurry sound, and listening to it gives you an emotion of heartbreak.

# 1 – Sweet Jane

“Sweet Jane” is arguably Cowboys Junkie’s most popular song and an easy choice for the number one song in our countdown of the top ten Cowboy Junkies songs. “Sweet Jane” is the cover for Velvet Underground’s 1973 song for the album, Loaded. Although the song has several other cover versions, Velvet Underground’s lead guitarist, Lou Reed said that the cover done by Cowboy Junkies was the best. “Sweet Jane” was used as the soundtrack for the movie, “Natural Born Killers.”