On this day (December 23) in 1969, Merle Haggard stepped into Capitol Recording Studios in Los Angeles to record “The Fightin’ Side of Me.” He released it as a single in late January the following year, and it quickly climbed to No. 1, where it spent three weeks. That summer, he released a live album of the same name, which became one of his most successful releases.
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Earlier in the year, Haggard saw major success with “Okie from Muskogee.” The song went to No. 1 on the country chart and stayed there for four weeks. To capitalize on the success of the single, Capitol released a live album of the same name in late 1969. It spent five weeks at No. 1. So, when “The Fightin’ Side of Me” showed early success, Capitol plotted another live album. The Fightin’ Side of Me dropped in July 1970 and spent seven weeks at the top of the chart.
The single did more than bring Haggard chart success and increased sales numbers. It also solidified his image as a right-wing artist and opponent of the counterculture. However, that was not his original plan. In fact, Haggard had another song in mind when he went to the studio. However, Capitol leadership feared it would damage the jingoistic image he created with “Okie from Muskogee.”
Merle Haggard’s Label Pushed Him to Record “The Fightin’ Side of Me”
Merle Haggard didn’t initially want to go into the studio to record another right-wing anthem. Instead, he planned to release something that was incredibly progressive for the time. He wanted to record “Irma Jackson,” a song about an interracial relationship.
The song’s narrator, a white man, expresses his love for Irma Jackson, a Black woman. However, he knows they can’t be together due to societal pressures. Depending on when Haggard wrote the song, their union might have been illegal. Loving v. Virginia, the Supreme Court ruling that made interracial marriage federally legal in the United States, took place in 1967. As a result, it was still a hot-button topic for some, especially those who were drawn to the right-wing anthem that was “Okie from Muskogee.”
According to Rolling Stone, Ken Nelson, who was the head of Capitol’s country music division, informed Haggard that the world “wasn’t ready” for something as progressive and anti-racist as “Irma Jackson.” Instead, Nelson and other top brass at the label urged him to record “The Fightin’ Side of Me.”
Haggard finally released “Irma Jackson” on his 1972 album Let Me Tell You About a Song. However, he never released it as a single.
Featured Image by David Redfern/Redferns
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