On this day (August 11) in 1968, Glen Campbell was at the top of the Billboard Hot Country Albums chart with A New Place in the Sun. It peaked at No. 1 on August 10 after a nearly three-month-long climb and stayed there for six consecutive weeks. It was also a hit on the publication’s all-genre albums chart, peaking at No. 24.
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Campbell didn’t release any singles from A New Place in the Sun. As a result, the album’s massive success came partially from name recognition. At the time, he’d already released timeless tunes like “By the Time I Get to Phoenix,” “Hey Little One,” and “Gentle on My Mind.” So, fans knew what they were getting when they picked up the LP.
[RELATED: Did You Know That at Age 10, Glen Campbell Opened for Hank Williams?]
Glen Campbell Gives Fans Something Special, Scores a Major Hit
Campbell’s talents as a singer and guitarist were only part of what helped drive the album’s success. The tracklist was full of classic country and bluegrass songs like “Freeborn Man,” “The Last Letter,” and the recently-released Merle Haggard track, “The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde.” He also took on Stevie Wonder’s “A Place in the Sun” and “She Called Me Baby.” A gender-swapped version of the latter was a hit for Patsy Cline three years earlier. The album also contained two new songs co-written by Campbell: “Visions of Sugar Plums” and “I Have No One to Love Me Anymore.”
A New Place in the Sun didn’t need singles to help make it a hit. It had familiarity. Listeners knew they liked most of the songs on the tracklist and enjoyed Campbell’s blend of folk, pop, and country. As a result, they were likely confident that they would enjoy the LP.
Months after A New Place in the Sun peaked at No. 1, Glen Campbell released the massively successful Wichita Lineman which brought him awards, accolades, and a 20-week stay atop the country albums chart.
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