On this day (October 10) in 1970, Merle Haggard reached No. 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart with Fightin’ Side of Me. The LP remained at the top of the tally for seven consecutive weeks. Earlier that year, his first live album, Okie from Muskogee, spent five non-consecutive weeks at No. 1. Both albums sought to capitalize on the success of hit singles.
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Haggard found a formula for success shortly after the release of his signature hit “Okie from Muskogee.” The single quickly reached the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart after its release in September 1969. In December that year, he released Okie from Muskogee, his first live album. It reached No. 1 in June 1970.
In January 1970, Haggard released the studio version of “The Fightin’ Side of Me.” It became a three-week No. 1. Then, in July of that year, he released the live album of the same name. Again, he and Capitol Records were able to capitalize on the success of a hit single with a live album. Interestingly, both of those songs were held up as right-wing patriotic anthems.
Merle Haggard Turned His Anger at Hippies Into a Hit
While “Okie from Muskogee” and “Fightin’ Side of Me” may lead people to believe that Merle Haggard was a staunch right-winger, that wasn’t the case. Later in his career, he explained that “Okie” was a character study and not how he truly felt about things. He also explained why he wrote “Fightin’ Side of Me.”
“I sure was down on the hippies during the uprising that started in 1968 and 1969, which is what ‘Fightin’ Side’ was directed toward,” he said in The Hag: The Life, Times, and Music of Merle Haggard.
“I thought they were unqualified to judge America, and I thought they were lookin’ down their noses at something that I cherished very much,” Haggard explained in a later interview. He went on to say that he believed that the anti-war protesters were no more educated on the war than he was. Furthermore, he said, “They weren’t over there fightin’ that war any more than I was.”
Featured Image by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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