Country ballads always seem to hit the spot. The following country ballads from 1974, in particular, just make listeners happy whenever they come on the radio. And these songs might still be stuck in your head if you’re a baby boomer who first heard them way back in 1974.
“I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton from ‘Jolene’
The late great Dolly Parton dropped this insanely memorable song in 1974. And it was made even more popular decades later by the iconic crooner Whitney Houston. But there’s something particularly sweet about Parton’s original country-flavored version of “I Will Always Love You” that listeners still can’t get enough of.
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“I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton remains one of the Queen of Country’s biggest hits. It peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart.
“As Soon As I Hang Up The Phone” by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn from ‘Country Partners’
Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn went together like two peas in a musical pod. They dropped a ton of duets together back in the day, one of which was the iconic country hit “As Soon As I Hang Up The Phone”. Written by Twitty, this song was the fourth No. 1 hit on the country charts that the duo scored. It was also a surprising hit in South Africa, where it also peaked at No. 1.
“A Very Special Love Song” by Charlie Rich from ‘Very Special Love Songs’
Charlie Rich occupied both country and rock spaces quite well. And “A Very Special Love Song” is a great example of how he blended the two genres together. Not only did this smooth ballad make it to No. 1 on both the Hot Country Singles and Easy Listening charts, but it was a crossover pop hit at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100. This one’s really timeless.
“Please Don’t Tell Me How The Story Ends” by Ronnie Milsap from ‘Pure Love’
Ronnie Milsap dished out some solid country ballads back in the day, and this 1974 song is a great example of how he could take someone else’s song and turn it into a hit. Kris Kristofferson wrote this ballad, and it was first recorded by Bobby Bare and later by Kristofferson himself as a duet with Rita Coolidge. But Milsap’s 1974 version is the one most people know, as it topped both country charts in the US and Canada that year.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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