The 70s are one of the most important decades in country music. In the 70s, numerous songs were released, which would later become classics that are still revered today. These three country songs all came out in 1970 and helped shape an entire decade of country music.
Videos by American Songwriter
“Coal Miner’s Daughter” by Loretta Lynn
When Loretta Lynn released “Coal Miner’s Daughter, she was a decade into what would become a legendary career in country music. The title track of an album released in 1971, Lynn wrote “Coal Miner’s Daughter” by herself.
The autobiographical tune says, “In the summertime, we didn’t have shoes to wear / But in the wintertime, we’d all get a brand new pair / From a mail-order catalog / Money made from selling a hog / Daddy always managed to get the money somewhere / Yeah, I’m proud to be a coal miner’s daughter / I remember well, the well where I drew water / The work we done was hard / At night we’d sleep ’cause we were tired / Never thought of ever leaving Butcher Holler.”
“Every word is true,” Lynn told American Songwriter. “My daddy would work all night in the coal mine. During the day, he would work in the cornfields. There were ten of us. He had to make a living for us. Eight kids. I was second, so I would take care of the kids while Mommy did the sewing and the cleaning and everything else. I think that’s why I sing. I’d rock the babies to sleep and sing to them.
“Hello Darlin’” by Conway Twitty
Conway Twitty wrote “Hello Darlin’” by himself. One of his most memorable songs, “Hello Darlin’”, is on an album of the same name.
“Hello Darlin’” is about the deep regret someone feels when they run into their ex. The song says, “What’s that, Darlin’, how am I doin’? I’m doin’ alright / Except I can’t sleep, I cry all night ’til dawn / What I’m trying to say is I love you and I miss you / And I’m so sorry that I did you wrong.”
“Hello Darlin’” is Twitty’s fourth No. 1 single. The tune kicked off a long series of successful songs for Twittu in the 70s, including “I Can’t Stop Loving You”, “There’s a Honky Tonk Angel (Who’ll Take Me Back In)”, and more.
“Rose Garden” by Lynn Anderson
By the time Lynn Anderson released “Rose Garden”, she had already released more than a dozen singles, beginning with “In Person” in 1966. But it wasn’t until “Rose Garden” that Anderson had a No. 1 hit. The song, written by Joe South, is the title track of Lynn’s album.
“Rose Garden” says, “I beg your pardon / I never promised you a rose garden / Along with the sunshine / There’s gotta be a little rain sometime / When you take, you gotta give / So live and let live or let go / I beg your pardon / I never promised you a rose garden.”
Anderson had to fight to record “Rose Garden”. Her producer and husband, Glenn Sutton, believed it to be more suited for a male artist. Fortunately, Anderson stood her ground.
“It was popular because it touched on emotions,” Anderson says (via Songfacts). “It was perfectly timed. It was out just as we came out of the Vietnam years, and a lot of people were trying to recover. This song states that you can make something out of nothing. You take it and go ahead.”
Photo by Richard E. Aaron/Redferns
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