Theoretically, it’s easy to write country songs—all you need are “three chords and the truth.” Sometimes, however, that truth bumps up against the interests and mores of those who hold power. When that happens, those people will often try to stamp it out in the interest of clinging to that power. Here are five country songs that were banned from the radio—and why they matter.
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“The Pill”, Loretta Lynn (1975)
In “The Pill”—released in 1975—Loretta Lynn extolled the virtues of women’s reproductive choices in the form of the birth control pill, introduced just 15 years earlier. Fearing the lyrics would encourage promiscuity among women, many country radio stations refused to play “The Pill.” (These bans didn’t stop the song from reaching No. 5 on the Hot Country Singles chart, however.)
Herself a mother of six, Lynn told Playgirl that doctors congratulated her for the song, claiming it drew more awareness to the availability of birth control in rural areas than any widespread public efforts had managed.
“I just write what I feel, what is going on with me and my life,” the country singer defiantly told Parade in 2021. “It just happened that a lot of other women felt the same.”
“You’ve Never Been This Far Before”, Conway Twitty (1973)
Here, Conway Twitty sings to his inexperienced lover just before they share their first intimate encounter. I don’t know what I’m saying / As my trembling fingers touch forbidden places. You get the idea.
Instead of dancing around the idea of sex, this song—off Twitty’s 1973 album of the same name—bared it all. Although it did so quite tastefully and tenderly, several stations refused to play it. This didn’t stop “You’ve Never Been This Far Before” from topping the country charts and giving Twitty his only country Top 40 hit.
[RELATED: The History Behind the Country Duo Conway Twitty & Loretta Lynn]
“It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels”, Kitty Wells (1952)
A direct callout to Hank Thompson’s 1952 hit “The Wild Side of Life,” Kitty Wells underscored the double standard regarding male and female infidelity. Understandably, “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” was not well received by the male-dominated country music establishment.
Along with several radio stations, the Grand Ole Opry initially forbade Wells from performing the song live there. After it unseated Thompson’s song at No. 1, however, the institution had little choice but to relent.
“Follow Your Arrow”, Kacey Musgraves (2013)
In yet another example of her trademark razor-sharp wordplay, Kacey Musgraves declared her support for the LGBTQ+ community and recreational marijuana use in the third single off her Grammy-winning debut album, Same Trailer Different Park.
Candidly reflecting on the song more than a decade later, Musgraves said, “It ended up tanking — it was banned by country radio. But I would never trade that for the love and the people it brought to my world. I’m not going to present a watered-down version of myself to be accepted.
“The Ballad of Ira Hayes”, Johnny Cash (1964)
Never afraid to push boundaries, Johnny Cash recorded this song—written by folk singer Peter La Farge—for his 1964 concept album Bitter Tears. “The Ballad of Ira Hayes” reckoned with the United States’ centuries-long legacy of cruel, harsh treatment toward indigenous people.
Released as the U.S. civil rights movement was heating up, many country radio stations deemed “The Ballad of Ira Hayes” too controversial for their audiences. A furious Cash responded to the censorship with an open letter in Billboard, demanding, “D.J.s, station managers, owners, etc., where are your guts?”
Featured image by ISC Images & Archives via Getty Images
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