It’s always a compliment to call someone ahead of their time, but the years where an artist is waiting for everyone to catch up can be grueling. Artists such as these can experience their fair share of “flops”, only to reap massive rewards later when the world realizes what they were missing. The three songs below suffered this fate. Whether a cover put them in a new light or culture shifted in just the right way, these country songs were flops in their day but became mega hits years later.
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“Wagon Wheel” (Old Crow Medicine Show)
We don’t know if we can call Old Crow Medicine Show’s version of “Wagon Wheel” a flop, but it certainly paled in comparison to the popularity of Darius Rucker‘s cover. Many would be forgiven for thinking this country hit was a Rucker original. Released many years after the Old Crow Medicine Show original, Rucker’s rendition of this folky tune skyrocketed to success. So rock me, mama, like a wagon wheel / Rock me, mama, any way you feel, became a pervasive chorus in the country sphere. It was inescapable, thanks to Rucker and his nostalgic vocals. It took a while for this song to rise to its proper place in the country heap. Timing is everything when it comes to earning a hit, it seems.
“Long Black Veil” (Lefty Frizzell)
Lefty Frizzell’s original version of “Long Black Veil” earned moderate success. It failed to reach the number one spot on the country charts in its day. That fact seems almost impossible given its prestige in the country community these days. This smoky track has become an outlaw staple. Countless artists with similar proclivities have covered “Long Black Veil”, helping it to grow in popularity over the decades. If an aspiring outlaw artist was looking for a song to help cement their reputation as a wayfaring cowboy who doesn’t shy away from danger, “Long Black Veil” is a good place to start. Given the sheer number of renditions, we can safely assume the country community agrees with that statement.
“Pancho and Lefty” (Townes Van Zandt)
Townes Van Zandt’s version of “Pancho and Lefty” went markedly unnoticed by the country community. Though it eventually became Zandt’s signature tune, it wouldn’t be completely out of order to call it a “flop” upon its release. However, thanks to a cover from Johnny Cash and Merle Haggard, this song later got its dues. People started to take notice of Zandt’s original after Cash and Haggard propped up his songwriting abilities. Nowadays, it’s considered one of the best country compositions ever. Genius often goes unrecognized in its day. The criminal lack of appreciate for Zandt in the early ’70s is just one example of that oversight.
[RELATED: The Townes Van Zandt Lyric That Stares Down the End of a Relationship]
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