You can’t go wrong with a classic country ballad. And if you’re a baby boomer, you might just remember each of the following four country ballads that hit the airwaves in 1964.
“I Guess I’m Crazy” by Jim Reeves from ‘The Best Of Jim Reeves Vol. 11’
Jim Reeves dropped this classic ballad in the summer of 1964. “I Guess I’m Crazy” was easily one of the biggest country songs of the year, peaking at No. 1 on the Hot Country Singles chart and No. 17 on the Easy Listening Singles chart. And, surprisingly, it wasn’t a Reeves original. “I Guess I’m Crazy” was written by Werly Fairburn and first recorded about a decade prior by Tommy Collins, and his version was also a hit on the Country & Western charts. Most people, however, remember Reeves’ version.
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“I Don’t Love You Anymore” by Charlie Louvin from ‘Less And Less/I Don’t Love You Anymore’
Charlie Louvin dropped this beautiful ballad in 1964, and it’s one of many hits that songwriter Bill Anderson enjoyed in the mid-1960s. “I Don’t Love You Anymore” made it to the top of the Canadian country charts and No. 4 on the Hot Country Singles chart in the US. Louvin’s contemporaries resonated with it too, considering so many of them covered it. A few noteworthy names include Kitty Wells, George Jones, Norma Jean, and several others.
“Before I’m Over You” by Loretta Lynn from ‘Before I’m Over You’
This song was technically released as a single in 1963 ahead of the release of the album of the same name in 1964, but I just had to include it on our list of iconic country ballads. “Before I’m Over You” by Loretta Lynn is a stunning honky-tonk country ballad for the ages, and it’s still one of the country icon’s most memorable hits. This Betty Sue Perry-penned tune peaked at No. 4 on the Hot Country Singles chart.
“Once A Day” by Connie Smith from ‘Connie Smith’
Connie Smith always seems to make it to our lists of country ballads, but that’s just because she was dishing them out left and right back in the 60s. “Once A Day”, another hit penned by Bill Anderson, was just one of many country ballads from Smith that hit the charts. This lovely tune peaked at No. 1 on both the Hot Country Songs chart and the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.
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