"Why Me," Kris Kristofferson (1973)

Regret as gospel

Peak: #1 on the country chart (#16 on the Hot 100)
Streams: 7.8 million

Like so many genres, country music can be obsessed with the notion of authenticity: Who has it, who fakes it, who used to have it and gave it away. If they’re deemed truly authentic, then artists are granted a lifelong aura that shines off everything they do. The exact criteria are al…