Country music in the 1960s had its own unique sound and style. So many hits came out in the decade, including these three country songs. All out in 1963, every 60s kid almost certainly still knows them by heart today.
“Leavin’ On Your Mind” by Patsy Cline
Patsy Cline’s “Leavin’ On Your Mind” is part of The Patsy Cline Story, a record released three months after Cline passed away in an airplane crash. “Leavin’ On Your Mind” is Cline’s final single that she released before her death. The song was written by Wayne Walker and Webb Pierce.
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The song starts with, “If you got leavin’ on your mind / Tell me now, get it over / Hurt me now, get it over / If you got leavin’ on your mind.”
Interestingly, “Leavin’ On Your Mind” is actually a cover song. Canadian artist Joyce Smith first released “Leavin’ On Your Mind” in 1962. Cline heard Smith’s version and decided she wanted to record it on her own.
“Still” by Bill Anderson
“Still” is Bill Anderson’s second consecutive No. 1 single. The title track of his freshman record, “Still” follows “Mama Sang A Song”, Anderson’s first song to reach the top of the charts.
Anderson is the only writer of “Still”. The song says, “(Still) After all this time / (Still) / You’re still on my mind / (I love you still).”
What makes “Still” unique is that Anderson speaks some of the words. “Still” is his biggest crossover hit, reaching the Top 5 on Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. Also in 1963, Bing Crosby released a cover of this song, as part of his Bing Crosby Sings The Great Country Hits record.
“Before I’m Over You” by Loretta Lynn
The title track of Loretta Lynn’s sophomore album, “Before I’m Over You” was written by Betty Sue Perry.
A heartbreaking song, “Before I’m Over You” says, “I just can’t get it through my head, you love another now instead / Can’t make myself believe we’re really through / I’m walkin’ up and down the hall, talkin’ to a silent wall / I’ll lose my mind before I’m over you.”
“Before I’m Over You” is Lynn’s first Top 5 single. Perry also wrote Lynn’s next single, “Wine, Women And Song”. Also on Before I’m Over You, that song became Lynn’s second single to reach the Top 5. Although Lynn had many other hit singles, it wasn’t until 1966 that Lynn had her first single to reach the top of the charts. That year, “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ On Your Mind)” became her first of many No. 1 hits.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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