The 1970s might seem like a lifetime ago, and in many ways, it was. But the decade brought about some country classics, songs that are still considered among the best, so many years later. These three country music songs all came out in 1976, but are still worth listening to, over and over again, today.
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“Golden Ring” by George Jones and Tammy Wynette
George Jones and Tammy Wynette released a lot of duets over the years, but perhaps none as popular as “Golden Ring“. The song, written by Bobby Braddock and Rafe Van Hoy, is the title track of the duo’s seventh studio album together.
The song says, “In a pawn shop in Chicago / On a sunny summer day / A couple gazes at the wedding rings there on display / She smiles and nods her head / As he says, ‘Honey that’s for you / It’s not much / But it’s the best that I can do / Golden ring with one tiny little stone / Waiting there for someone to take it home / By itself it’s just a cold metalic thing / Only love can make a golden wedding ring.”
Ironically, Jones and Wynette divorced in 1975. “Golden Ring” still became a No. 1 hit for them, one year later.
“El Paso City” by Marty Robbins
“El Paso City” is written by Marty Robbins, who released it as a single. The song is the title track of Robbin’s 28th studio album. Robbins reportedly wrote the song while flying over El Paso, Texas,
“El Paso City” says, “El Paso City, by the Rio Grande / The cowboy lived and rode away / But love was strong, he couldn’t stay / He rode back just to die in that El Paso sand / El Paso City, by the Rio Grande / I try not to let you cross my mind / But still I find there’s such a mystery in the song / That I don’t understand.”
“El Paso City” was Robbins’ first No. 1 hit in six years. He last had a chart-topping single with “My Woman, My Woman, My Wife”, out in 1970. The song is a sequel of sorts to his 1959 single, “El Paso”.
“Sweet Dreams” by Emmylou Harris
“Sweet Dreams” was a multi-week No.1 single for Emmylou Harris. Written by Don Gibson, “Sweet Dreams” appears on Elite Hotel, Harris’s third studio album.
“Sweet Dreams” begins with, “Sweet dreams of you / Every night I go through / Why can’t I forget you and start my life anew Instead of having sweet dreams about you.”
“Sweet Dreams” is one of Harris’s more successful singles, and only her second No. 1 hit. But before Harris recorded it, “Sweet Dreams” was recorded by several other artists, including Gibson, who released it on his own. Other artists who also recorded “Sweet Dreams” include Faron Young, Patsy Cline, and Reba McEntire.
Photo by David Redfern/Redferns
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