Think of country music, and a few classics immediately come to mind, even if they were released decades ago. These four country songs all came out in 1961, but will always be considered country music classics.
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“Crazy” by Patsy Cline
It’s hard to think of a country music song that’s more of a classic than Patsy Cline’s “Crazy“. Written by Willie Nelson, the song became a hit on both the country and pop charts.
“Crazy” says, “Crazy / I’m crazy for feeling so lonely / I’m crazy / Crazy for feeling so blue / I knew / You’d love me as long as you wanted / And then some day / You’d leave me for somebody new.”
Cline’s husband, Charlie Dick, heard “Crazy” on a record, sung by Hugh Nelson, who is now known as Willie Nelson. It was Nelson who gave Dick a copy of “Crazy”.
“I took it home and listened to it about half the night, and kept Patsy up half the night, and she didn’t think too much of that,” Dick tells NPR. “And that’s when we finally got the demo on ‘Crazy.’ She didn’t think too much of the song. She just didn’t even want to hear Willie Nelson’s name mentioned.”
In 1963, Cline was tragically killed in a plane crash.
“Hello Walls” by Faron Young
Willie Nelson is also the writer of Faron Young’s “Hello Walls”. The title track of Young’s fifth studio album, “Hello Walls” remains one of Young’s biggest hits. It is also his only song to hit the Top 15 on the pop charts.
“Hello Walls” is about a man who feels all alone after his relationship ends. The song says, “Hello walls, (hello) (hello) / How’d things go for you today? / Don’t you miss her / Since she up and walked away? / And I’ll bet you dread to spend / Another lonely night with me / But lonely walls, I’ll keep you company.”
“Hello Walls” is Young’s last No. 1 single for ten years. He didn’t make it back to the top of the charts until 1971, with “It’s Four In The Morning”.
“Don’t Worry” by Marty Robbins
Marty Robbins is the sole writer of “Don’t Worry“. On his More Greatest Hits record, “Don’t Worry” stayed at the top of the country charts for ten weeks.
“Don’t Worry” says, “Don’t worry ’bout me / It’s all over now / Though I may be blue / I’ll manage somehow / Love can’t be explained / Can’t be controlled / One day it’s warm / Next day it’s cold.”
“Don’t Worry” has since been recorded by both Holly Dunn and LeAnn Rimes.
Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
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