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5 Loretta Lynn Songs That Were Too Controversial For Country Radio
If there’s one thing that the great Loretta Lynn was known for…. it’s not pulling punches. A trailblazing country music icon, she was known for her distinctive voice and unapologetic storytelling, often pushing boundaries in a genre that often shied away from controversial or feminist topics. Throughout her career she had multiple songs banned from the radio (14 of them to be exact) for being to controversial for the traditionally conservative genre, but the banning had an adverse affect to what they planned.
Of course, if we’ve learned anything from cancel culture in the past 5 years, it’s that often times canceling something leads to even a bigger level of support. And for Loretta, that was certainly the case. These songs didn’t go away… they became anthems for her and the women who felt that she was speaking for them.
In an interview with Parade, Loretta said it’s all about the telling the truth:
“I just write what I feel, what is going on with me and my life. It just happened that a lot of other women felt the same. I would never set out to write something just for it to shock someone; I am not that clever. It’s always been about truth and if that means radio wants to ban it, well that’s their problem. Most of my records they banned became No. 1 anyway.”
So with that being said, here’s five of her most controversial songs
“The Pill” – Back To The Country (1975)
This is easily the one that caused the most backlash, even leading to a preacher denouncing the album during a sermon, which more than likely just enticed attendees to go buy it. The song is a wife telling her husband there’d be no more never-ending pregnancies, a strong theme throughout her catalogue, because she’s now got the pill. Birth control became widely available in the ’60s, and the sexual revolution was well underway, but even by 1975 when more than 10 million women were on the pill, country music was not ready for a pro-birth control anthem.
The song was banned by at least 60 radio stations throughout the country, yet the ban had little to no effect on the single’s sales, which peaked at about 15,000 units a week and went to #5 on the country charts.
“Rated X” – Entertainer of the Year (1972)
“Rated X” is her take on how unfair divorce was back in her day, with men getting off pretty much scot-free and women being looked at with shame, yet simultaneously being marked as a target for men. A divorced women was looked at negatively by other woman, and as possibly being “easy” to other men… Loretta took exception to that stereotype and dismantled it.
Despite the risqué nature of the song, and hesitation from a number of radio stations, it went on to become the sixth #1 of her career.
“Wings Upon Your Horns” – Here’s Loretta Singing “Wings Upon Your Horns” (1969)
Losing virginity is always a touchy subject, especially when religious themes are used to express the idea but, like we’ve come to love, it didn’t stop Loretta from speaking her mind. The song tells the story of a young woman who is seduced into giving up her virginity, and then left disillusioned by the betrayal. The use of religious imagery seemed blasphemous to some, and in small town, Conservative, country music America in the ’60s… a woman talking so publicly about sex was still very taboo.
It failed to break the top 10, landing at #11 on the country charts, but still quite the success given the subject matter and the fact that not every station was willing to play it.
“Don’t Come Home A Drinkin’ (With Loving On Your Mind)” – Don’t Come Home a Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind) (1966)
Loretta brought her own life into many of her songs, including this one. Loretta was more than open about her tumultuous 50-year marriage to an alcoholic and a cheater brought this song about. In fact, he inspired a number of her more controversial songs. This was one of the first country songs to openly address marital issues, specifically a woman rejecting her husband’s drunken sexual advances, and even though it had a temporary ban from some radio stations, it went on to become a #1 single for Loretta.
“Fist City” – Fist City (1968)
While not diving into subjects as touchy or taboo as the others, Loretta’s warning to women who flirt with her man while she’s touring was done so directly and forcefully it made people do a double take. Once again, this song sent a message that was counter to the popular view of how women were supposed to act in conservative small town America in the ’60s. Women were supposed to be heartbroken, crying and sad over their cheating man, but for Loretta, the answer was… physical violence? Unheard of.
Some radio stations were reluctant to play the aggressive song, but it still topped the charts. And personally, this is probably my favorite Loretta song. The phrase “Fist City” for an a**-whooping is just so great, we need to start using it more often.
The post 5 Loretta Lynn Songs That Were Too Controversial For Country Radio first appeared on Whiskey Riff.
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