3 Country Songs From 1971 That Were Far Too Honest for Their Time

These country songs from 1971 were just a little too honest for mainstream country music. And despite it all, they remain some of the most beloved country songs of the era. Let’s take a look!

“One’s On The Way” by Loretta Lynn

Loretta Lynn sang about the American woman’s struggle on more than one occasion, especially when it came to having children. “The Pill” was quite a controversial song when it was first released in 1975. And before then, the slightly less controversial “One’s On The Way” painted a picture of motherhood and expectations that were considered a little too honest at the time.

“One’s On The Way”, a humorous but painfully honest and feisty song about being endlessly pregnant and taking care of children in a traditional family unit, resonated with listeners at the time. It peaked at No. 1 on the Hot Country Singles chart in 1972.

“Yesterday’s Wine” by Willie Nelson

Willie Nelson is considered a pioneer of the outlaw country music movement for a reason. His songs were not made out of concern for making it big in the tidy, clean mainstream music world of Nashville. He blazed his own trail, complete with this poignant and vulnerable song about regrets, aging, and mortality. “Yesterday’s Wine” is one of Nelson’s most philosophical works. And it was too honest compared to the relatively non-existential tunes that dominated country charts at the time. The album of the same name is still considered one of the very first concept albums to be produced in the country genre.

“Man In Black” by Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash was, at least at one point in his career, a country crooner and a protest singer in equal parts. “Man In Black” remains one of the most beloved and honest country songs of 1971. But it was far from the easy-going love tunes that were common in popular country music at the time. “The Man In Black” was written as a critique of the treatment of lower-class Americans by wealthy politicians, mass incarcerations, and the then-ongoing Vietnam War. It peaked at No. 3 on the Hot Country Songs chart. The song also had some crossover success on the Billboard Hot 100 at No. 58.

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