4 Country Songs From 1968 That Give Me Instant Goosebumps Every Time

Country music of the late 1960s graduated from the jangly, brassy production of the previous decade and evolved into a more lush, mature sound that reflected the times more than the genre itself. This naturally led to a wellspring of beautiful, goosebump-inducing music, including these four country songs from 1968.

“The Bridge” by Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton held no punches on her second studio album, Just Because I’m A Woman, and that absolutely includes songs like “The Bridge”. The 1968 B-side opener begins as most country songs are wont to do: setting up a heartache over a previous relationship. But by the end of the song, the story takes a dark, dramatic turn when the lingering last lyric suggests the narrator took her own life—and because she was pregnant, the life of the unborn child—by suicide.

“Mama Tried” by Merle Haggard

While the lyrics certainly have their own impact, I would argue that this Merle Haggard classic earned a spot on my list of goosebump-inducing country songs for 1968 because of its dynamic arrangement. The way the country singer and his backup vocalists lift up into the chorus, “I turned 21 in prison spending life without parole,” heightens the intensity of the lyrical content. It’s as if the narrator’s regret over his failure to heed his mother’s warning reached a fever pitch, and he just couldn’t hold the idea in any longer.

“The Day The World Stood Still” by Charley Pride

Country star Charley Pride technically released “The Day The World Stood Still” in December 1967, but it gained its footing as one of the top hit songs in 1968. Pride’s warm voice is so present and tender that it’s difficult not to get swept up in the romantic yearning of it all. The backup vocalists in this track make it even more goosebump-inducing as they sing along, “Time was a precious thing the day the world stood still.”

“Wichita Lineman” by Glen Campbell

Glen Campbell’s 1968 track “Wichita Lineman” is one of my favorite songs of all time, let alone just country songs of that year. The song lives somewhere between pop and country, thanks to its sweeping orchestral arrangement and Campbell’s pop-sensible vocal delivery. Lines like “and I need you more than want you, and I want you for all time” never fail to send chills up and down my arms.

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