When a song is good, the year it came out doesn’t matter. These three country songs were all released in 1966, but they are so good, I still want to listen to them today, 59 years later.
Videos by American Songwriter
“I’m A Lonesome Fugitive” by Merle Haggard
Merle Haggard’s “I’m A Lonesome Fugitive” is the title track of his third studio album. The song was written by Liz Anderson and Casey Anderson. Many people thought the song was written by Haggard, since he spent time in jail, including in the infamous San Quentin Prison.
“I’m A Lonesome Fugitive” is from the perspective of a man on the run. The song says, “I’d like to settle down but they won’t let me / A fugitive must be a rolling stone / Down every road there’s always one more city / I’m on the run, the highway is my home.”
“Don’t Touch Me” by Jeannie Seely
“Don’t Touch Me” is Jeannie Seely’s fourth single, and her first to hit the Top 5. The debut single from her freshman Seely Style album, the sole writer of the song is Hank Cochran.
According to Classic Country Music Stories, Cochran was inspired to write “Don’t Touch Me” by Seely, whom he was dating at the time. The two subsequently wed in 1969, divorcing ten years later.
“Don’t Touch Me” says, “Your kiss is like a drink when I’m thirsty / Oh, and I’m thirsty for you with all my heart / But don’t love me then act as though we’ve never kissed / Oh, don’t touch me if you don’t love me, sweetheart.”
“Almost Persuaded” by David Houston
David Houston had a nine-week reign at the top of the charts with “Almost Persuaded”. His first No. 1 hit, the song is the title track of his third studio album. Glenn Sutton and Billy Sherrill are the writers of the song. Sherrill also produced the record.
“Almost Persuaded” is about a married man who visits a bar and encounters an attractive woman. The lyrics include, “And I was almost persuaded to strip myself of my pride / Almost persuaded to push my conscience aside / Then we danced and she whispered, ‘I need you / Take me away from here and be my man’ / Then I looked into her eyes and I saw it / The reflection of my wedding band / And I was almost persuaded to let strange lips lead me on / Almost persuaded but your sweet love made me stop and go home.”
One of Houston’s most well-known songs, “Almost Persuaded”, has been covered by numerous other artists. Patti Page, George Jones, Hank Williams Jr., Johnny Paycheck, and Dottie West, among others, have their own version of the tune as well.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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