The 1970s saw the rise of some of the greatest artists in country music history and a world of timeless songs. However, taking a look at some of the songs that stood the test of time proves that chart success isn’t everything. Some of the decade’s biggest hits are distant memories today while plenty of tracks that missed the top 10 of the country charts remain in heavy rotation among fans of classic country music.
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Today, we’re going to look back at songs from country artists that weren’t top 10 hits but left a lasting impact on the genre. Some of these songs were released by other artists to more acclaim. However, these are the versions that genre fans continue to listen to decades later.
“Suspicious Minds” by Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter (1970)
The Mark James-penned “Suspicious Minds” was Elvis Presley’s final No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart when he released it in 1969. However, most country fans prefer the version recorded by Waylon Jennings and Jessi Colter. The husband-and-wife duo were country royalty. At the same time, their duet arrangement fit the song about a dysfunctional relationship like a glove.
Jennings and Colter released their version of the song as a non-album single the year after Presley had a huge hit with it. While it remains one of the best-known country songs of the ’70s, it wasn’t a hit. The duet peaked at No. 25 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
“Angel from Montgomery” by John Prine (1971)
John Prine wrote and recorded “Angel from Montgomery” for his 1971 self-titled debut album. However, he didn’t release the song as a single. The same can be said for Bonnie Raitt’s incredibly popular cover of the song. However, that didn’t stop it from being one of the most memorable country songs of the ’70s. Prine’s version of the song has garnered more than 40 million streams on Spotify. Raitt’s rendition has amassed more than 60 million streams.
“Angel from Montgomery” shows off Prine’s unique songwriting prowess. He was able to embody the character of a middle-aged woman and not only make it believable but memorable.
“Yesterday’s Wine” by Willie Nelson (1971)
Yesterday’s Wine might be Willie Nelson’s most criminally underrated album. The same can be said about the album’s title track and sole single. While George Jones and Merle Haggard made the song a duet and took it to No. 1 in 1982, Nelson’s original rendition peaked at No. 62 on the country chart upon its initial release.
Nelson would begin to find consistent chart success a few years after the release of Yesterday’s Wine. Red Headed Stranger (1975) would usher in an era of success that helped chisel the singer/songwriter’s name permanently on the face of country music.
“The Battle of New Orleans” by Buck Owens (1975)
“The Battle of New Orleans” is, at the same time, the oldest and most recent song on this list. Jimmy Driftwood wrote the humorous first-person account of the titular battle in 1936. Many artists have put their stamp on the song over the years, but Johnny Horton had the most success with it in 1959 when he took it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100.
Buck Owens, one of the most influential country singer/songwriters of the ’70s, released his version of the song in 1975 from The Best of Buck Owens Vol. 6. His version peaked at No. 51 on the chart. It and another single, “Country Singer’s Prayer” were among his least successful releases of the decade with the latter failing to chart. They performed so poorly that the album on which they were originally contained, Country Singer’s Prayer, was shelved by Capitol Records. The album finally saw the light of day in 2018 when Omnivore Records released it.
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