3 Country Songs From the 1970s That Had the Potential To Be Major Crossover Hits

Country music rules country charts, and fairly often, especially nowadays, it also rules the most popular chart in the world, the Billboard Hot 100. However, that hasn’t always been the case, as the world didn’t have crossover artists such as Morgan Wallen, Ella Langley, Kacey Musgraves, and Zach Bryan. Back in the 1970s, country songs stayed on country charts; that was the norm, but, of course, there were a few exceptions. With all that in mind, here are three country songs from the 1970s that had the potential to be major crossover hits.

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“Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys” by Waylon Nelson & Willie Nelson

Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson are the faces of the 1970s outlaw country scene and rulers of the country charts in the 1970s. They both did quite well for themselves on the Billboard Hot 100 as well, but the one No. 1 country single of theirs that had the power to reach the top 10 on the chart was the 1978 single, “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys”.

Following the release of this staple outlaw country classic, it went on to peak at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Singles chart for four weeks. On the Hot 100, it peaked at No. 42. That placement isn’t bad, but given its utter dominance on the country chart, one would think it would have landed at a higher spot.

“Jolene” by Dolly Parton

To us, this one is baffling, as Dolly Parton has been and still is a fixture in both pop and country scenes. However, in 1973, it seems her appeal wasn’t far-reaching enough, because her No. 1 hit country song, “Jolene”, had a modest showing on the Billboard Hot 100 after its release.

As you probably already know or at least predicted, “Jolene” peaked at No. 1 on Billboard‘s Hot Country Singles chart. It was an enormous hit, and arguably the most popular country song of 1973. Although on the Hot 100, it only landed at No. 60. Again, most musicians dream of even having their song reach the chart, and this isn’t a bad spot, but c’mon, don’t you also think this deserved to be a little higher?

“Delta Dawn” by Tanya Tucker

In 1972, at just 13 years old, Tanya Tucker scored her breakthrough hit with “Delta Dawn”. In country music, it was an enormous hit, and to this day, the most popular song in her catalog. Thanks to this song, and many others, Tucker went on to have a long and fruitful career in music.

Following its release, “Delta Dawn” crushed on the country charts as it went on to peak at No. 6. However, on the Billboard Hot 100, it had a relatively mediocre performance, landing at No. 72 on the Billboard Hot 100. In the grand scheme of things, that is still incredibly impressive, especially for a 13-year-old’s first hit, but it certainly had the potential to go higher.

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