Country tunes are often known for their honesty. However, some country songs from back in the day (1973, to be exact) were a little too honest for their time. And that didn’t stop them from becoming well-loved hits that still make it to the jukebox today. Let’s look at just a few examples, shall we?
“Honky Tonk Heroes” by Waylon Jennings
This jam from Waylon Jennings is one of the most memorable outlaw country songs of the era, and it unapologetically embraced the hard-living stories of honky tonk heroes that clashed against the clean and polished musical image of Nashville at the time.
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“Honky Tonk Heroes” opens up the album of the same name and really sets the scene nicely. The whole of the album reached No. 14 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart in 1973.
“Why Me” by Kris Kristofferson
Few country gospel tunes were quite as confessional and vulnerable as this song from the late great Kris Kristofferson. In a way, this song might have played a part in country musician getting more real, honest, and even emotional in their music. There’s no moral certainty to be found on “Why Me”.
This stunning tune from Jesus Was A Capricorn was a hefty hit for Kristofferson. It peaked at No. 16 on the Hot 100 chart and No. 1 on the Hot Country Singles chart. Shockingly enough, “Why Me” was the artist’s only major country hit as a solo artist. Considering how influential he was, that’s pretty surprising.
“Rednecks, White Socks And Blue Ribbon Beer” by Johnny Russell
“Rednecks, White Socks And Blue Ribbon Beer” by Johnny Russell is a celebration of the rough-around-the-edges blue-collar man, and working-class people as a whole. It’s a sweet ode to camaraderie, honestly. Just as well, the song’s dig at the “white collar crowd” might have ruffled a few feathers back in the day.
One of the most successful country songs to his the airwaves in 1973, “Rednecks, White Socks And Blue Ribbon Beer” by Johnny Russell peaked at No. 4 on the Hot Country Singles chart and also topped the Canadian country charts. It remains a standard jukebox tune in seedy pubs and bars around North America.
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