On This Day in 1973, Conway Twitty Was at No. 1 With a Song That Might Still Be Too Hot for Country Radio

On this day (September 18) in 1973, Conway Twitty was on a three-week run at the top of the country chart with “You’ve Never Been This Far Before.” He wrote the song and released it as the second single from the album of the same name in July 1973. The track’s lyrics were incredibly steamy, even compared to Twitty’s long line of hits that fall under the umbrella of baby-making music. As a result, several radio stations refused to play it.

Twitty was an unstoppable force in the country music world between the mid-1960s and the early 1990s. In the ’70s, all but one of his singles landed within the top five. Most of those went all the way to No. 1. So, even with some stations banning “You’ve Never Been This Far Before,” the single was almost guaranteed to be a hit. Moreover, Twitty’s fans expected him to release sexy, sultry songs. This song fits that description.

Another adjective that has been used to describe the track is “explicit.” That seems a little more fitting. The lyrics are full of trembling bodies and fingers that are touching “forbidden places.” It’s about as close to sexually explicit as you’d get at the time. Decades later, after drastic social changes, it’s still fairly racy.

This Conway Twitty Hit Sparked Debate

“You’ve Never Been This Far Before” sparked a debate among critics and Conway Twitty fans alike. It boils down to one question: is the song sultry or a little gross?

Some point to the opening lines of the fourth verse, “Well I don’t know, and I don’t care / What made you tell him you don’t love him anymore,” as proof that this song is about either an incredibly sensual rebound hookup or adultery. From this perspective, when he sings “I can tell you’ve never been this far before,” it could mean that his partner has never stepped this far outside of her relationship. However, it kind of falls apart if you think about it for too long.

[RELATED: On the Charts 55 Years Ago, a Pair of Country Legends Were at No. 1 for the First Time With a Grammy-Winning Duet]

Then, some believe that this is a song about taking a woman’s virginity. The issue with this is that, for many people, “virgin” implies someone young, maybe even too young for the middle-aged Twitty and his trembling fingers.

Either way, it was Twitty’s 10^th No. 1 single. He would notch 45 more before it was all said and done.

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