3 Country Music Songs of the 1960s That Sound Even Better Today

The 1960s are a criminally underrated decade when it comes to country music. The 1970s saw the rise of Outlaw Country and singer/songwriters like John Prine and Guy Clark. Today, many genre fans are going back to the songs of the 1990s to find twangy, pop, and rock-infused nostalgic goodness. However, some of the biggest country stars in history released their best songs in the 1960s.

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The songs listed below were hits for iconic country stars in the 1960s. However, these six-decade-old songs aren’t dated, and they didn’t just stand the test of time. Instead, they’ve aged like fine wine and are even better today than they were when they were released.

1. “Crazy” by Patsy Cline (1961)

Willie Nelson wrote “Crazy” early in his career and brought it with him when he came to Nashville to work as a songwriter. Patsy Cline recorded the definitive version of the song and released it in 1961. It reached No. 2 on the country chart and No. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100. Today, more than 60 years later, it is a country standard and has been covered by countless artists.

“Crazy” is more than a timeless country song. It is an intersection of three legends with immortal legacies. Cline’s voice was beautiful, haunting, expressive, and inspired generations of artists. Owen Bradley’s lush production was the backbone of the Nashville Sound that permeated country songs in the 1960s and 1970s. Then, there’s Nelson’s genius songwriting. The result is a song that only gets better as it ages.

2. “Act Naturally” by Buck Owens (1963)

Buck Owens cemented his place as one of the biggest country stars of the 1960s with this song. Penned by Johnny Russell and Voni Morrison, “Act Naturally” was Owens’ first No. 1 single. It was also the first in a string of 14 consecutive chart-topping singles. Notably, Ringo Starr brought this song to his fellow Beatles, and they covered it on their 1965 album, Help.

In a world where many country fans are longing for old-school sounds, “Act Naturally” is a hard song to beat. It was a perfect example of the Bakersfield Sound upon its initial release. Decades later, it is a window into a time when what many fans refer to as “real country music” was topping the charts and flooding the airwaves.

3. “Mama Tried” by Merle Haggard (1968)

Country legend Merle Haggard had a long and storied career, but released some of his best songs in the 1960s. Those tracks include “The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde,” “Branded Man,” “Swinging Doors,” and “The Bottle Let Me Down.” However, he closed the decade with a pair of signature songs: “Mama Tried” (1968) and “Okie From Muskogee” (1969).

“Mama Tried” isn’t an autobiographical song. Haggard obviously didn’t find himself sentenced to life in prison. However, he did do some time behind bars before he got his life on track and became a full-time musician. As a result, he understands the pain a mother feels as she watches her son go against everything she raised him to be. That empathy shines in the way he delivers the song’s lyrics.

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