3 Country Songs From 1971 That Every 70s Kid Still Knows Today

The year 1971 became an important part of country music. The start of an incredible era in the genre, these are three of the best country songs that came out in 1971. They are all so good, it’s almost certain that every 70s kid still knows them by heart today.

“One’s On The Way” by Loretta Lynn

One of Loretta Lynn’s many No. 1 singles, “One’s On The Way” was actually written by Shel Silverstein. It is the title track of a record that came out in 1972. The song is a humorous look at life as a mother of several children, something Lynn was quite familiar with since she became a mother of six.

The chorus of “One’s On The Way” says, “But here in Topeka the rain is a-falling / The faucet is a dripping / And the kids are a-bawling / One of them is toddling / And one is a-crawling / And one’s on the way.”

“Easy Loving” by Freddie Hart

Freddie Hart spent almost two decades releasing music before finally having a No. 1 single with “Easy Loving”. The song, on his California Grapevine record, was written by Hart.

The sweet song says, “Every time I look you over / So real to life it seems / For upon your pretty shoulders / There’s a pair of angel wings / Easy lovin’, seein’s believin’ / Life with you’s like livin’ in a beautiful dream.”

“Easy Loving” made it to the top of the country chart twice. It spent one week in the No. 1 spot. It was then replaced for two weeks by “The Year That Clayton Delaney Died”, a hit single by Tom T. Hall. “Easy Loving” then went back to the No. 1 slot for two more weeks. After “Easy Loving”, Hart’s next single, “My Hang-Up Is You”, stayed in the No. 1 spot for seven weeks.

“Carolyn” by Merle Haggard

“Carolyn” is one of three hit singles Merle Haggard released in 1971. The song is part of Haggard’s Someday We’ll Look Back album. Written by Tommy Collins, “Carolyn” follows the project’s title track and “Daddy Frank (The Guitar Man)”, which were also big hits for Haggard.

A song about being unfaithful, “Carolyn” says, “Yes Carolyn, a man will do that sometimes on his own / And sometimes when he’s lonely / I believe a man might do that sometimes out of spite / But Carolyn, a man will do that always / When he’s treated bad at home.”

Photo by: Gary Null/NBC via Getty Images

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