MARCH SADNESS: Sad Country Songs Final Four Voting Is LIVE

March Madness bracket

And then there were four.

For our 6th Annual Whiskey Riff Madness tournament – or as we’re calling this one, March Sadness, we paired up 64 all-time great sad country songs and let you, the readers, vote for your favorites. And once again, we had a matchup decided by just 1%.

Before we get to the voting in the Final Four to see who’s going to go head to head for the championship, let’s take a look back at the action in the Elite Eight.

The George Jones classic “He Stopped Loving Her Today” took an early lead on Keith Whitley’s heartbreaker “Don’t Close Your Eyes” and never really looked back, cementing itself as the frontrunner to win it all with a strong run to the Final Four.

But the other #1 seed, “Whiskey Lullaby” by Brad Paisley and Alison Krauss, got down early to Tyler Childers and “Follow You to Virgie” – before staging a massive comeback and winning with 65% of the vote.

Then you have “Broken Window Serenade” by Whiskey Myers, which has had an incredible run due to the band’s passionate fanbase. And that run’s going to continue on to the Final Four, as Johnny Cash’s cover of “Hurt” goes down in the Elite Eight.

But the closest matchup of the round came from the #16-seed Riley Green and “I Wish Grandpas Never Died” taking on the Garth Brooks hit “The Dance.” It’s been an amazing Cinderella run from Riley Green, taking down heavy hitters like “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton, “Almost Home” by Craig Morgan and “If We Make It Through December” by the Hag. But unfortunately, the clock struck midnight for the Cinderella run, and “The Dance” came out on top by less than 1%.

So we have our Final Four: “He Stopped Loving Her Today,” “Whiskey Lullaby,” “Broken Window Serenade” and “The Dance.”

Here’s the updated bracket:

March madness

And now it’s time to vote.

Voting is open now, and you have until 11:59 PM CDT on Thursday, March 30 to get your votes in. As always, you can vote as many times as you want either down below or by clicking the link here.

This one decides who competes for the championship, and every vote counts. Let’s see who can come out on top.

A beer bottle on a dock

STAY ENTERTAINED

A RIFF ON WHAT COUNTRY IS REALLY ABOUT

A beer bottle on a dock