The highest civilian honor in the United States is the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Past recipients include former Presidents themselves, scientists, athletes, journalists, historians, businesspeople, ambassadors, generals, and country musicians. Well, one in particular, and the one that showed the industry that country music wasn’t just a man’s game—Loretta Lynn.
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Loretta Lynn’s legacy as a country musician goes far beyond the Grand Ole Opry, her hit songs and albums, awards, and the movie Coal Miner’s Daughter. It is no surprise that Lynn won the Presidential Medal of Freedom on this day, November 20, 2013, as she is arguably the most prominent ground-shaker in the history of country music. That being so, she was well deserving of this award, because she wasn’t just a country musician, but also an activist who disrupted the status quo and spoke bluntly about truthful yet taboo subjects.
The Heck of a Career that Led to Loretta Lynn’s PMF Reception
In a commercial and simple sense, Loretta Lynn entertained the masses with her country music. More importantly, her country music was truthful, honest, and pulled back the veil on women’s experiences that were often silenced due to factors such as decorum and public taste.
The songs that Lynn released that did just that included “The Pill”, “Rated X”, and “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind)”. In short, all three of these songs spoke about topics such as birth control, divorce, male alcoholism, sex, and, in totality, the unfair double standard imposed upon women by men and other women. Needless to say, that is a huge feat, and it is especially a huge feat when you dive in and learn about what societal norms made up the country music industry at the time.
Due to her unwavering belief and need to relay these untold experiences, and other career-defining factors as well, Loretta Lynn received the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a reception at the White House from the 44th President of the United States, Barack Obama.
Out of all the country singers from the 60s and 70s, Loretta Lynn was certainly the most deserving of this award. Was she an entertainer? Yes, of course, but as we just articulated, she was much, much more than just that. Medal of Freedom or not, Loretta Lynn will still always be the country singer who shook the hierarchy of the male-dominated country music industry.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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