On This Day in 1965, Buck Owens Was at No. 1 With a Song That Started as a Sarcastic Joke From an Annoyed Co-Writer

On this day (March 18) in 1965, Buck Owens was in the middle of a five-week run atop the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart with “I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail.” While it wasn’t even his biggest country hit of the year, it was his only crossover hit. The single peaked at No. 25 on the Hot 100. Moreover, it became one of his signature songs. Its success shocked Owens’ co-writer, who believed it would ruin the Bakersfield legend’s career.

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Owens dominated the country charts in the 1960s. He scored 14 consecutive No. 1 hits on the country chart with classics like “Act Naturally” and “Love’s Gonna Live Here.” “I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail” was the fifth entry in that hot streak. However, Harlan Howard, who co-wrote the song with Owens, tried to talk him out of recording the hit.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1963, Buck Owens Was at No. 1 With a Song That Outperformed Every Country Single for the Next Five Decades]

Buck Owens Took a Joke to the Top of the Chart

According to an essay written by Harlan Howard’s widow, Melanie Howard, he and Buck Owens were longtime friends. The idea for “I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail” came while the pair were on a road trip through Texas. They were hoping to write songs on the trip, but found little inspiration. Then, Owens saw an Esso gas station sign. The company’s logo was “Put a Tiger in Your Tank.” This struck him, and he couldn’t let it go. “Buck thought it was a great idea for a song. Harlan was uninspired,” Howard wrote.

On the fifth day of the trip, Howard was stretched out in the backseat while Owens drove. Finally, tired of hearing about how great an idea the Esso slogan was, Howard threw out a few lines of what would become a major hit. “Here’s your lyric,” he told Owens.

About a week later, in late November, Owens called Howard and told him he’d finished the song and was getting ready to take it into the studio. Howard tried to talk him out of it, telling him it wasn’t a good idea.

Owens recorded the song on December 1, 1964, and released it on December 28. When the January 23 issue of Billboard came out, Howard checked the bottom of the chart for the song and didn’t find it until he checked the top 10. “I’ve Got a Tiger by the Tail” debuted at No. 8. A few weeks later, on February 20, it started a five-week run at the top of the chart.

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