A history lesson.
In 1952, some guy none of us have ever heard of released a song called "The Wild Side of Life." The song features lyrics about how "the world was going to hell and faithless women deserved a good deal of the blame," and it spent 15 weeks atop the country charts.
Later that year, Kitty Wells reluctantly recorded an answer song titled "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels." This song "blamed unfaithful men for creating unfaithful women," which was a daring and controversial statement to release in the conservative, male-dominated genre of country music.
But it paid off.
"It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" became the first ever #1 country song by a solo female artist, made Kitty Wells the first ever female country star, opened the door for songs where women defied stereotypes, and-according to one biography-"paved the way for other female artists, particularly Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn, and Tammy Wynette." It's these four women that we'll be featuring in this rate, although Kitty Wells herself does appear in a 1993 recording of "Honky Tonk Angels" from the joint album of the same name released by Parton, Lynn, and Wynette.
The Songs
Parton / Lynn / Wynette - It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
TAMMY WYNETTE | LORETTA LYNN |
| |
Bedtime Story
D-I-V-O-R-C-E
He Loves Me All The Way
I Don't Wanna Play House
Justified And Ancient
Kids Say The Darndest Things
Run Woman Run
Silver Threads And Golden Needles
Singing My Song
Stand By Your Man
Take Me To Your World
The Ways To Love A Man
Til I Can Make It On My Own
Til I Get It Right | Coal Miner's Daughter
Don't Come Home a Drinking
Fist City
Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man
Miss Being Mrs.
One's On The Way
Portland, Oregon
Rated X
The Pill
Trouble in Paradise
Woman of the World
You Ain't Woman Enough
You're Lookin' At Country
You're The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly |
DOLLY PARTON | PATSY CLINE |
| |
9 to 5
All I Can Do
Coat of Many Colors
Hard Candy Christmas
Here You Come Again
I Will Always Love You
Islands in the Stream
Jolene
Just Because I'm A Woman
Love is Like A Butterfly
My Tennessee Mountain Home
Old Flames Can't Hold A Candle To You
Starting Over Again
Traveling Thru | A Church, A Courtroom, and then Goodbye
Crazy
I Fall To Pieces
Imagine That
Leaving On Your Mind
She's Got You
Sweet Dreams
Walkin' After Midnight |
The usual rules.
Rate every song. From one to ten. Up to one decimal place allowed.
No zeroes. A 10.25, a 10.5, a 10.75, an 11.
Tentative deadline of AUGUST 31.
PM ballots to me
here.
Comments welcomed + encouraged!
Spotify Playlist
Not On Spotify:
Loretta Lynn - Portland, Oregon
Loretta Lynn - Miss Being Mrs.
Tammy Wynette - Justified and Ancient
PM Friendly List
PARTON / LYNN / WYNETTE
It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels
TAMMY WYNETTE
Bedtime Story
D-I-V-O-R-C-E
He Loves Me All The Way
I Don't Wanna Play House
Justified And Ancient
Kids Say The Darndest Things
Run Woman Run
Silver Threads And Golden Needles
Singing My Song
Stand By Your Man
Take Me To Your World
The Ways To Love A Man
Til I Can Make It On My Own
Til I Get It Right
LORETTA LYNN
Coal Miner's Daughter
Don't Come Home a Drinking
Fist City
Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man
Miss Being Mrs.
One's On The Way
Portland, Oregon
Rated X
The Pill
Trouble in Paradise
Woman of the World
You Ain't Woman Enough
You're Lookin' At Country
You're The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly
DOLLY PARTON
9 to 5
All I Can Do
Coat of Many Colors
Hard Candy Christmas
Here You Come Again
I Will Always Love You
Islands in the Stream
Jolene
Just Because I'm A Woman
Love is Like A Butterfly
My Tennessee Mountain Home
Old Flames Can't Hold A Candle To You
Starting Over Again
Traveling Thru
PATSY CLINE
A Church, A Courtroom, and then Goodbye
Crazy
I Fall To Pieces
Imagine That
Leaving On Your Mind
She's Got You
Sweet Dreams
Walkin' After Midnight