It’s great when musicians don’t take themselves too seriously. We all love a funny, quirky song every now and then. The three country songs from the 1970s below check that box. These songs know how to have a laugh. The listener can’t help but smile along while these out-of-the-box songs play.
[RELATED: 3 Songs That Every Small-Town Radio Station Played Constantly in the 1970s]
Videos by American Songwriter
“Dropkick Me Jesus” — Bobby Bare
“End over end, neither left, nor the right / Straight through the heart of them righteous uprights / Dropkick me, Jesus, through the goalposts of life,” the lyrics to this Bobby Bare song read. We’ve had a lot of religious metaphors in country music, but few are as heavy-handed as this one.
There is a massive overlap between football fandom and country listenership, making “Dropkick Me Jesus” an easy if humorous sell. This track has long been a beloved one, tickling our funny bones as well as our musical taste.
“Devil In A Sleeping Bag” — Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson might yearn to be on the road again, but he also has a song about the dangers of life on the road: “Devil In A Sleeping Bag”. “The devil shivered in his sleeping bag / He said traveling on the road is such a drag / If we can make it home by Friday we can brag,” he sings in this quirkily titled 1970s country song.
This is one of several songs from Nelson about his longtime drummer, Paul English. He is the character in question, who experiences the worst of what touring life has to offer. “A wheel ran off and jumped a railroad / Then ran through a grocery store / If you want to buy a bus I’m taking bids,” the lyrics read.
“Peanut Butter Conspiracy” — Jimmy Buffett
Jimmy Buffett’s “Peanut Butter Conspiracy” tells an autobiographical story from when the famed musician was younger and down on his luck. “Lookin’ back at my hard luck days
I really do have to laugh / Workin’ in a dive for 26 dollars / Spendin’ it all on grass,” he sings.
This is the kind of title that the listener can’t make sense of until they hear the song. “Who’s gonna steal the peanut butter / I’ll get the can of sardines,” he sings, reminiscing on the time when money wasn’t so easy to come by. The quirkiness of this title perfectly captures Buffett’s singular yet relatable experience.
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