3 Songs From 1968 That Single-Handedly Changed Country Music Forever

Country music was enjoying a renaissance in the late 1960s, and some of the best music the genre ever produced came out during that era. Let’s take a look at just a few country songs from 1968, specifically, that remain massively influential today!

“Mama Tried” by Merle Haggard

This standout track that features the Bakersfield Sound has gone on to be one of Merle Haggard’s most enduring songs of his career, and is thus an important tune in country music history. Released with The Stranger on the album of the same name, “Mama Tried” won a Grammy Hall of Fame award in 1999 and also made it to the National Recording Registry mere weeks before Haggard’s passing in 2016. And, back in 1968, it was a No. 1 hit on the country charts in both the US and Canada.

“Fist City” by Loretta Lynn

Loretta Lynn was a trailblazer in country music from the start of her career to the end of her life. How many country songs before “Fist City” in 1968 showed a woman singing, very directly, about beating people up for eyeballing her man? This country tune from the album of the same name wasn’t Lynn’s first No. 1 hit, but it did pack a two-punch and topped both the US and Canadian country charts back in 1968. And, honestly, it’s still quite a fun song today.

“D-I-V-O-R-C-E” by Tammy Wynette

Like Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette was a pioneering woman in country music. And, considering the title of this song might as well have been a swear word, she was also a very brave musician in an otherwise conservative industry. Like the rest of the songs on this list, Wynette’s “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” was the title track of her album of the same name. It earned her a Grammy nomination and made it all the way to No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart. The crossover hit also made it to No. 63 on the Billboard Hot 100. 

This entry on our list of influential country songs from 1968 was a poignant one that reflected Wynette’s often difficult romantic life, and the song is that much more sincere because of it. The B-side “Almost Persuaded” is quite good, too.

Photo by David Redfern/Redferns