Moms are the best. What would we not do for them? When they call us for help with their cell phone or iPad, what do we do? We help! When they need snow shoveled from their driveways, what do we do? We help! And when they need some great songs for their brand new country tune playlist, what do we do? That’s right, we help! That’s just what we wanted to do here below. We wanted to highlight three great country songs for Mama’s new country playlist. More specifically, we wanted to highlight a golden age for the country genre, the 1970s. Indeed, these are three country songs from the 1970s that we know your mom would just love!
Videos by American Songwriter
“Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys” by Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson from ‘Waylon & Willie’ (1978)
A fun, cheeky, albeit perhaps disingenuous message for any parent, but particularly mothers, this track from outlaw country stars Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson has lasted through the decades. A cover of a song written originally by Ed Bruce, Haggard, and Nelson made the track their own and gave a warning to all mamas. The life of a cowboy is rough—don’t make it a goal for your kids. And yet…
“Jolene” by Dolly Parton from ‘Jolene’ (1973)
The ultimate revenge song for anyone, but especially for wives of husbands… On this iconic track, Dolly Parton asks (warns?) the woman named Jolene not to take her man. She was beautiful, had all the charm in the world, but Parton asked her to please use those talents on someone else—anyone else. Though Parton asked nicely, Jolene has nevertheless become a villain through the decades thanks to this poignant country composition.
“A Lesson In Leavin’” by Dottie West from ‘Special Delivery’ (1979)
Relationships are hard. Sometimes one party decides to leave the other. Well, when the singer in this country song realized her husband was leaving her, she wished that the next woman he came across would make him feel the same sort of pain. She sang that she hoped that woman would give him a lesson in leaving! Sometimes a song that hopes for karma is just the song we need!
Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns
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