On This Day in 1986, Randy Travis Released His Second Paul Overstreet-Penned No. 1 Single

On this day (August 4) in 1986, Randy Travis released “Diggin’ Up Bones” as the third single from his debut album, Storms of Life. The song topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart on November 8 of the same year. It was the second of many of Travis’ singles co-penned by Paul Overstreet.

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Technically, “Diggin’ Up Bones” was the third single from Travis’ debut album. However, it was only the second song from the album to hit the airwaves. He released “On the Other Hand” as the album’s lead single, and his debut, in 1985. It peaked at No. 67 on the country chart. Then, he released “1982” later that year, which peaked at No. 6. Travis then re-released “On the Other Hand” in 1986, and it topped the country chart. “Diggin’ Up Bones” came next, giving him his second consecutive chart-topper.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1985, Randy Travis Released a Single That Flopped Before Becoming a Major Hit a Year Later]

“Diggin’ Up Bones” also brought Travis some of his first award nominations. It earned the nomination for Favorite Country Single at the 1987 American Music Awards. Additionally, it brought him his first Grammy nomination. The song was up for Best Male Country Vocal Performance in 1987.

Randy Travis Tapped into Modern Heartbreak with “Diggin’ Up Bones”

Country music wouldn’t be the same without heartbreak songs. In the early days of the genre, there were plenty of songs about girlfriends leaving. Additionally, the genre had its fair share of songs about infidelity that ended with murder. However, a major shift in American culture and laws helped bring about songs like “Diggin’ Up Bones.”

No-fault divorce is a relatively new thing in the United States. The first law allowing a couple to dissolve their marriage just because they no longer wanted to be together went into effect in California in 1969. More states adopted similar laws over the next decade. According to Bowling Green State University, the divorce rate peaked in 1980 at 22.6 per 1000.

In the song, Randy Travis sings about his “recent broken home” and “a love that’s dead and gone.” If not for the rise and normalization of divorce across the country, we wouldn’t have songs like this one.

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