On this day (January 29) in 1972, Merle Haggard was at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart with “Carolyn.” The track retained the top spot for three consecutive weeks, giving Haggard one of his most successful singles. Moreover, it was a departure from his usual sound, proving that he had no trouble stepping out of his Bakersfield Sound comfort zone.
Many modern fans place Haggard in the “Outlaw Country” category. However, he doesn’t really fit there. He and the Strangers built on the bedrock of the Bakersfield Sound, which the likes of Wynn Stewart and Buck Owens had developed. They were playing loud electric guitars combined with pedal steel twang for years before Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson took the genre by storm in the 1970s.
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The Bakersfield Sound, a combination of honky tonk and Western swing, developed in the rowdy barrooms and dance halls along the West Coast. It started as a way to play danceable music loud enough to cut through the noise of the clubs. Later, it became an answer to the pop-leaning Nashville Sound.
Most of Haggard’s output falls firmly within the bounds of Bakersfield country. However, he wasn’t limited to the sound that made him famous. With “Carolyn,” he proved that he could take on the string-laden, pop-leaning sound of Nashville just as well as anyone else.
Merle Haggard Briefly Branches Out
“Carolyn” isn’t a bad song, but its swelling strings do make it stand out from the bulk of Merle Haggard’s output. The song’s chart performance is proof of how far he ventured from his comfort zone with the song.
It topped the country chart for three weeks, which is unsurprising for a throwback Haggard single. It also peaked at No. 58 on the Hot 100. At the time, only “Okie from Muskogee” had reached the pop chart, where it peaked at No. 41. Two years later, he’d find his only top 40 hit on the survey with “If We Make It Through December.”
“Carolyn” was the first of two Merle Haggard singles to reach the Adult Contemporary chart. It peaked at No. 35 and stayed on the chart for three weeks. Interestingly, the other Haggard tune to reach that chart was “If We Make It Through December.” It peaked at No. 16 and spent eight weeks on the tally.
Featured Image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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