My Ten Favorite Girl Songs: All for the Love of a Girl (#1)

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I just started the list of ten favorite "boy" songs. That means that my countdown of favorite "girl" songs, an idea begun by @teamfreak16 , is at an end. And here it is, my favorite song with "girl" in the title. #1: All for the Love of a Girl - Johnny Horton Sit down or this song will knock you off your feet. Johnny Horton was an "overnight sensation" ten years in the making. He was a regular on the Louisiana Hayride and quite a regional favorite in Louisiana and eastern Texas. His career wasn't that big, though, and at one point he temporarily quit music after his contract with Mercury Records expired in the mid-50s. Picked up by Columbia Records, Horton did some rockabilly (listen to his version of Moon Mullican's "Cherokee Boogie," for instance, or the song "Got the Bull By the Horns") and started to gain a wider audience. But it was his 1959 recording of Jimmie Driftwood's historical song "The Battle of New Orleans" that turned him into that "overnight sensation." The song topped the country and pop charts and took home the 1959 Grammy for "Record of the Year." Other "historical" songs followed, quickly earning Horton the reputation of a singer of historical ballads (such as "Sink the Bismarck" and "Johnny Reb"). But, sadly, the reputation -- and his superstardom -- didn't last long. On November 5, 1960, less than a year after winning the Grammy for "The Battle of New Orleans," Horton was killed in a car wreck by a drunk driver. He was only 35 years old. In an ironic twist of fate, he was married to Billie Jean Jones, who was married to Hank Williams at the time of his death in 1953. This wonderful ballad was recorded twice: once during his tenure on Mercury, and once on his The Spectacular Johnny Horton album, which featured "The Battle of New Orleans." It's a treasure. It's a fabulous song. It's easily my favorite "girl" song. Thanks for reading, and thanks for the idea, Scott! All for the Love of a Girl Written by Johnny Horton Recorded by Johnny Horton Released as a single, 1954, and on The Spectacular Johnny Horton, 1959 "Spectacular Johnny Horton," indeed!