When many people think back to the 1960s and reminisce about music, it's often the British rock bands that come to mind. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and many others drew legions of fans in that psychedelic, tie-dyed era. There were folk singers with angelic voices and social consciences like Joan Baez. We had the now almost-mythic Bob Dylan. Think of all the superb artists who braved mud, epic crowds, and other issues at Woodstock.
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But along with the shaggy-haired, restless counter-culture, country music was flourishing then as well. Seasoned performers like Johnny Cash mingled with newcomers such as Glen Campbell on the lively country scene. We look back at some of the 1960s country music hits that are eminently worth recalling.
"Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell
Campbell and prolific songwriter Jimmy Webb got together and gave us so many classic hits like "Wichita Lineman." The lyrics from this 1968 song are pure poetry. Per Parade, no less an authority than Bob Dylan termed this the "greatest song ever written."
Per the outlet via The Billboard Book of Number One Albums, Glen Campbell shared, "He [Webb] played it for me on this big organ that looked like the organ at the Crystal Cathedral, and it just blew me away," He added, "We couldn't get the sound we wanted for the record, so we ended up carting that organ down to the studio and we had Jimmy play on it."
"Crazy" by Patsy Cline
This 1961 song is so stunningly timeless, and so much a part of the tapestry of modern country music. There is almost nothing left to say about it. Sung by the great Patsy Cline, written by the equally great Willie Nelson, and produced by the legendary Owen Bradley, it never loses its emotional heft. The passage of decades has not dulled its luster. Rather, the years have burnished it.
Per Holler, "Patsy Cline wrote to a friend: 'They say 'Crazy' is a smash. I'm real glad but can't hardly believe it's happening to me.' Owen Bradley said: 'It was the height of her career and perhaps one of the best tracks we ever made.'"
"Harper Valley P.T.A." by Jeannie C. Riley
Written by Tom T. Hall, this 1968 song is for anyone who has been put down by those who think they are superior socially, morally, or economically. The story of a plucky widowed mom who bluntly tells off the local P.T.A. resonated with lots of people in the 60s as now. The acid-tongued subject of the song lets the hypocrites who are judging her know exactly what she thinks of them. Haven't we all longed to do that at some point in our lives?
Per American Songwriter via The Boot, "I was about nine years old and heard the story and got to know this lady. I was fascinated by her grit. To see this very insignificant, socially disenfranchised lady-a single mother-who was willing to march down to the local aristocracy and read them the riot act so to speak, was fascinating."
"Stand By Your Man" by Tammy Wynette
This 1968 song was inducted into the National Registry of the Library of Congress in 2010. Its message straight out of the 60s is somewhat polarizing. Some people interpreted it being about as the dutiful, martyred little wife tolerating her spouse's flaws because, hey, that's her etched-in-stone domestic role. Wynette, who co-wrote it with producer Billy Sherrill, explained it (defended it?) per the outlet via her autobiography.
"I don't see anything in that song that implies a woman is supposed to sit home and raise babies while a man goes out and raises hell... To me it means: be supportive of your man; show him you love him and you're proud of him; and be willing to forgive him if he doesn't always live up to your image of what he should be."
