3 Eternal Country Songs from the 1960s that Have Stood the Test of Time

At times, the genre of country music sometimes gets a bad rap. Some purists tend to point to the fact that so many of the genre’s most popular songs resemble pop tracks or tunes with even more of a hip-hop beat. Where, they lament, are the country songs of old? The tunes they grew up with on their parents’ old record players. Songs that sound as if they rose up from the dusty earth itself.

Well, while there might not be many of that sort coming out during today’s streaming era, there are plenty of classic songs of that nature that were released in the 1960s. Indeed, here below, we wanted to explore a trio of such songs. Three tracks that have stood the test of time both for their subject matter and sounding like they could have been written at a horse ranch near a few rattlesnakes. Indeed, these are three enteral country songs from the 1960s.

[RELATED: 5 Songs You Didn’t Know Featured Johnny Cash]

“Folsom Prison Blues” by Johnny Cash from At Folsom Prison (1968)

First released as a single in 1955, this classic track was later recorded live and included on the famous 1968 LP At Folsom Prison, where it earned icon status. Perhaps more than anything else—more than walking any line or singing about any ring of fire—Johnny Cash was known for his prison concerts. They are what helped solidify his outlaw “Man in Black” status, and this live track is an essential reason why. Combining the country elements of a prison song and a chunking railroad tune, this track gave music fans the classic line, I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die! On it, Cash also sings,

I hear the train a comin’
It’s rolling round the bend
And I ain’t seen the sunshine since I don’t know when
I’m stuck in Folsom prison, and time keeps draggin’ on
But that train keeps a rollin’ on down to San Antone

When I was just a baby my mama told me
“Son, always be a good boy, don’t ever play with guns”
But I shot a man in Reno just to watch him die
When I hear that whistle blowing, I hang my head and cry

“Stand by Your Man” by Tammy Wynette from Stand by Your Man (1969)

The title track of Tammy Wynette’s 1969 LP, this song is about loyalty. Relationships are hard. Life itself is often difficult. But love is the thing that binds and women should help their men, just as men should help their women. On this song, Wynette sings about the former (though the latter is no less important). Sympathy, empathy, adoration, respect, and forgiveness are crucial in human survival. Everyone makes mistakes but there is nobility in getting through them. On this mellow track, bolstered by slide guitars, Wynette sings,

Sometimes it’s hard to be a woman
Givin’ all your love to just one man
You’ll have the bad times
And he’ll have the good times
Doing things that you don’t understand

But if you love him, you’ll forgive him
Even though he’s hard to understand, mm, mm
And if you love him, oh, be proud of him
‘Cause after all, he’s just a man

“Flowers on the Wall” by The Statler Brothers from Flowers on the Wall (1965)

This track, which hit No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100, originally came out in 1965 but it enjoyed renewed attention almost 30 years later when it was included in the hit 1994 film Pulp Fiction. As for the song itself, it’s rich with vocal harmony and head-bobbing rhythms. It’s about being lonesome and trying to figure out how to get through the day by staring at the wall, playing solitaire, and smoking cigarettes. It’s a song about a breakup and the singer is saying, almost facetiously, that he has plenty to do after splitting with his love. Offers the group’s lead singer Lew DeWitt,

Last night I dressed in tails, pretended I was on the town
As long as I can dream it’s hard to slow this swinger down
So please don’t give a thought to me, I’m really doin’ fine
You can always find me here, I’m havin’ quite a time

Countin’ flowers on the wall
That don’t bother me at all
Playin’ solitaire ’til dawn with a deck of 51
Smokin’ cigarettes and watchin’ Captain Kangaroo
Now don’t tell me, I’ve nothin’ to do

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