On the Charts 41 Years Ago, This Underrated Merle Haggard Gem Featuring Harmony Vocals From Janie Fricke Hit No. 1

Active in the music industry for five decades, outlaw country pioneer Merle Haggard is perhaps best known for rollicking, rabble-rousing hits like “The Fighting Side of Me” and “Okie From Muskogee”. Unsurprisingly, however, the Hag had a softer side. On this day (July 8) in 1985, Haggard sat atop the country singles chart with “Natural High”, from his 39th studio album It’s All in the Game.

Merle Haggard Teamed Up With Janie Fricke Twice on This Album

The early 1980s would see Merle Haggard and his ilk displaced from the country charts by a new kind of performer, such as Randy Travis and George Strait.

However, All in the Game—released by Epic Records in 1984—displayed the Hag at his professional peak. The album yielded three number-one hits—the playfully risqué “Let’s Chase Each Other Around the Room”; followed by a pair of Janie Fricke features: “A Place to Fall Apart” and “Natural High”.

“Natural High” Was One of Haggard’s Few No. 1 Hits He Didn’t Write

Acclaimed country music singer-songwriter Freddy Powers wrote “Natural High” following a phone conversation with his then-girlfriend, jazz vocalist Debbie DeFazio. Noting her upbeat nature, Powers remarked, “You’re always on a natural high.”

That comment ignited a creative spark in Powers, and he penned “Natural High” during his flight to Lake Tahoe, Nevada, where he was planning to meet Merle Haggard.

Once there, he showed the song to the 1970 Entertainer of the Year, who said, “That’s a number one song right there.”

According to Fricke, her cameo was an afterthought that came about when she and her husband/manager Randy Jackson bumped into the country singer in a Music Row-area parking lot.

“Merle was at Shoney’s Inn on his bus, and he had just recorded several songs,” recalled Fricke. “He said ‘How about you coming in and doing some overdubs on ‘em?’ So we went right in and did it.”

“Natural High” spent one week atop the country singles chart, marking Haggard’s 37th number-one hit overall and only the ninth he had no hand in writing.

[RELATED: Merle Haggard’s Ode to His Grandmother Was at No. 1 Exactly 3 Years After a Song Inspired by His Mom Was at the Top]

The “Mama Tried” crooner would reach the apex just one more time with 1988’s  “Twinkle, Twinkle Lucky Star”. He died of pneumonia on April 6, 2016—his 79th birthday.

Featured image by Paul Natkin/Getty Images

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