The beauty of country music is that so many of the songs are timeless. Whether they are from a year ago or decades ago, so many country songs have proven they can stand the test of time. These three country songs came out in 1962, but every music fan should still know them by heart.
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“Mama Sang A Song” by Bill Anderson
Bill Anderson had a multi-week No. 1 hit with “Mama Sang A Song”. The song is on Anderson’s Bill Anderson Sings Country Heart Songs, and became his first single to land at the top of the charts. “Mama Sang A Song” spent a total of six non-consecutive weeks in the No. 1 spot.
A prolific songwriter, Anderson wrote “Mama Sang A Song” by himself.
The song begins with Anderson speaking the verse, which says in part, “I’ve seen the nights when my daddy would cry / For the things that his family would need / But all he ever got was a badland farm and seven hungry mouths to feed / And yet and yet our homefire never flickered once / Cause when all these things went wrong / Mama took the hymn book down and mama sang a song.”
“Devil Woman” by Marty Robbins
Right before Anderson had a No. 1 hit with “Mama Sang A Song”, Marty Robbins spent eight weeks at the top of the charts with “Devil Woman”. The song is the title track and only single from Robbins’ 10th studio album.
Written solely by Robbns, “Devil Woman” is about a man who regrets his infidelity. The song says, “I told Mary about us / I told her about our great sin / Mary cried and forgave me / And Mary took me back again / Said if I wanted my freedom / I could be free evermore / But I don’t want to be, and I don’t want to see / Mary crying anymore / Oh, devil woman / Devil woman, let go of me / Devil woman, let me be.”
“She’s Got You” by Patsy Cline
When people think of Patsy Cline songs, most people think of “Walkin’ After Midnight” or “Crazy”. But Cline had plenty of other hits, including “She’s Got You”. The song is Cline’s first release after “Crazy”, and also became a No. 1 hit, even if it isn’t as universally known as some of Cline’s other country songs.
“She’s Got You” is on Cline’s Sentimentally Yours album, the final record Cline released before she was killed in a plane crash in 1963. Written by Hank Cochran, the song says, “I’ve got your memory or has it got me? / I really don’t know but I know it won’t let me be / I’ve got your class ring that proved you cared / And it still looks the same as when you gave it dear / The only thing different, the only thing new / I’ve got these little things, she’s got you.”
According to Texas Hill Country, Cochran wrote the song with Cline in mind, correctly predicting that it would be her next No. 1 hit.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Image
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