The 10 Biggest Hit Country Songs of the 1970s

Many country fans agree that some of the best hit songs and artists the genre ever produced came from the 1970s. The decade saw the rise of the Outlaw Country movement with Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings releasing groundbreaking albums like Red-Headed Stranger and Honky Tonk Heroes, respectively. Additionally, artists like Lynn Anderson, Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and many others were releasing timeless music.

While chart success isn’t necessarily a marker of quality, it does show how popular a song or album is upon release. Today, we’re going to look back at the ten biggest hit country songs of the 1970s according to Billboard.

[RELATED: Forgotten 1970s Country Music Stars That Deserve to Be Rediscovered]

10. “Empty Arms” by Sonny James–An R&B Hit Goes Country

Ivory Joe wrote and released “Empty Arms” in 1957. It reached No. 2 on the Billboard R&B chart. More than a decade later, country singer Sonny James took the song to No. 1 in the early 1970s.

James released “Empty Arms” as the second single and title track from his 1970 album. It topped the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1971 and stayed there for four weeks. It was the 14th in a string of 16 consecutive No. 1 country singles that started with “Need You” in 1966 and ended with “Here Comes Honey Again” in 1971.

9. “Baby, Baby (I Know You’re a Lady)” by David Houston–Houston’s Final No. 1

Written by Norro Wilson and Alex Harvey, David Houston released “Baby, Baby (I Know You’re a Lady)” as the sole single from his 1969 album Baby, Baby in October of that year. It topped the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in 1970 and kept the top spot for four weeks. It was Houston’s seventh and last No. 1 single.

8. “Hello Darlin’” by Conway Twitty

This may not be the biggest hit of the decade but when it comes to country songs from the 1970s, they don’t get much more iconic than “Hello Darlin’” by Conway Twitty. In fact, there’s a better than even chance that some will read the title and instantly hear Twitty’s silky voice in their mind.

Twitty wrote “Hello Darlin’” and released it as the lead single from his 1970 album. It went to the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and stayed there for four weeks, Twitty’s fourth trip to the top of the chart. Along with becoming one of his signature songs, it was the No. 1 song of 1970.

7. “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot” by Jerry Reed—The Guitar Man’s Biggest Hit

Jerry Reed wrote and released “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot” as the sole single and title track from his 1971 album. The song went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and stayed there for five weeks, giving Reed his first chart-topper. It also went to No. 9 on the Hot 100 chart, making it his biggest crossover hit.

More than being a smash hit and a great song, “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot” might be the only country tune about an illegal game of craps.

6. “Here You Come Again” by Dolly Parton—The Country Queen’s Biggest Hit Song of the 1970s

Dolly Parton has written a plethora of hit country songs but she didn’t pen her biggest hit from the 1970s. That just proves that she knows a hit when she hears one.

Written by Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil, Parton released “Here You Come Again” as the lead single and title track from her 1977 album. The song went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and stayed there for five weeks. It also peaked at No. 3 on the all-genre Hot 100 chart, giving Parton her first crossover hit. The song would also go on to net her the Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1978.

5. “Rose Garden” by Lynn Anderson—The Hit That Almost Didn’t Happen

Written by Joe South, Lynn Anderson released “Rose Garden” as the sole single and title track from her 1970 album. The song went to the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and stayed there for five weeks, giving Anderson her first No. 1. Additionally, the song peaked at No. 3 on the Hot 100, making it her first crossover hit. Anderson would also win a Grammy for the song.

Today, “Rose Garden” is Anderson’s signature song. However, it was a hit that almost didn’t happen. First, her husband and producer Glenn Sutton didn’t want her to record it because he said it was a “man’s song” and didn’t fit a female vocalist. However, Anderson persisted. Sutton didn’t plan to release the song as a single, though. That changed when Columbia Records president Clive Davis heard it, knew it was a hit, and told Sutton to get it out as soon as possible.

4. “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’” by Charley Pride—A Love Song for the Ages

Written by Ben Peters, Charley Pride released “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’” as the lead single from his 1971 album Charley Pride Sings Heart Songs. It went to the top of the country chart and stayed there for five weeks, giving Pride his eighth chart-topper. It would go on to become one of his signature songs.

More than one of the biggest hit country songs of the 1970s, it remains one of the best love songs ever recorded. The song is about a strong relationship that keeps the narrator happy without being saccharine.

3. “Convoy” by C.W. McCall—The Only 1970s Hit Country Song Recorded by a Fictional Character

The tradition of trucking songs was alive and well in country music during the 1970s and this smash hit is proof. It went to No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and stayed there for six weeks in 1975. It also topped the all-genre Hot 100 chart for a week. Additionally, it was the theme for the 1978 film Convoy. Fries would release eight studio albums under the pseudonym.

Interestingly, C.W. McCall wasn’t a real person. He was a character invented by award-winning commercial artist William Fries Jr. He invented the truck-driving country singer character for a series of bread commercials.

2. “Luckenbach, Texas (Back to the Basics of Love) by Waylon Jennings—The Hit Waylon Hated

This massive hit country song is a perfect example of why the genre was so great in the 1970s. Written by Chips Moman and Bobby Emmons, Waylon Jennings released the track as the lead single from his 1977 album Ol’ Waylon. It went to the top of the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and stayed there for six weeks.

While it was a huge hit and remains a favorite among fans, Jennings wasn’t a fan. He said as much in his 1996 autobiography. “I knew it was a hit song, even though I didn’t like it—and still don’t,” he wrote.

1. “My Hang-Up Is You” by Freddie Hart—The Biggest Hit Country Song of the 1970s

Freddie Hart released his debut single “Butterfly Love” in 1953. However, his songs didn’t start hitting the upper regions of the country charts until the early 1970s. Written by Hart and released as the title track and sole single from a 1971 album, “My Hang-Up Is You” was his second No. 1 in a string of five consecutive chart toppers. It stayed atop the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart for six weeks.

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