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Why Do Some Listeners Feel Like Country Hits From The ’60s Are Offensive?

Today, some country fans listen to older hits—including those from the ’60s—and consider them offensive.

As times change, so do attitudes and perspectives. Because of this, some songs that never bothered country fans in the ’60s don’t always sit right with modern listeners. Other ’60s country hits caused a little controversy upon their initial release and remain polarizing today.

This list features songs that fall into both categories. As it continues, we’ll detail why tracks such as Loretta Lynn‘s “Fist City” and Tammy Wynette‘s “Stand By Your Man” ruffle a few feathers in the modern day.

A List Of ’60s Country Hits Some Modern Fans Have Deemed “Offensive”

“Fist City” – Loretta Lynn

Loretta Lynn never shied away from speaking her mind in her songs. Some of her tracks, including “Rated X” and “The Pill,” were even banned from country radio for challenging societal norms of the time.

“Fist City,” which Lynn wrote herself and released in 1968, was another song that faced a radio ban.

Lynn was inspired to write the song in response to a woman who was interested in her husband, Oliver “Doolittle” Lynn. Whenever Loretta was away, this woman would try to win Doo’s affection.

Lynn addresses the woman in “Fist City.” She cautions her to think twice about pursuing her husband, singing:

“You’ll bite off more than you can chew if you get too cute or witty.
You better move your feet if you don’t wanna eat a meal that’s called Fist City.”

The song caused a little controversy upon its initial release, and some radio stations refused to play it. Although others did, and it became a #1 hit in the U.S. and Canada.

However, the song fails to resonate with some modern listeners. Many bristle at the song’s confrontational tone and disagree with the idea of taking someone to “Fist City.”

“Heartbreak U.S.A.” – Kitty Wells

Harlan Howard wrote “Heartbreak U.S.A.,” and Kitty Wells released it as a single in 1961. The track is now known as one of her signature songs.

“Heartbreak U.S.A.” is a quintessential heartache song. In it, Wells dreads parting from her lover. Since she sings about an empty harbor, you could interpret that her lover is in the Navy or another branch of the military.

Upon his departure, Wells reminds her lover to remember her at home in America whenever he sees an attractive woman elsewhere in the world. Her heart breaks as she thinks of him being swept up in love with someone else.

“Heartbreak U.S.A.” reached the #1 spot on the Hot Country & Western Sides chart, known today as the Hot Country Songs chart. It was Wells’ third and final #1 single.

While modern listeners can still relate to heartbreak and long-distance relationships, “Heartbreak U.S.A.” makes some people uncomfortable. The reason is that the song includes the word “Geisha” in the lyrics: “Don’t let those Geisha girls get your heart in a whirl.”

A Geisha is a traditional Japanese entertainer and performing artist. But the word has devolved to take on more stereotypical (and often incorrect) connotations and is sometimes used as a blanket term to refer to Asian women in general. Because of this, some modern country fans feel uncomfortable when they hear the word.

The song also mentions a “Fraulein,” an outdated term for an unmarried German woman. Some now consider the term to be condescending.

“Devil Woman” – Marty Robbins

Marty Robbins served as the sole songwriter behind his 1962 single, “Devil Woman.”

Robbins opens “Devil Woman” by confessing that he told “Mary” about his “great sin” with another woman. Based on what he says about Mary, it’s assumed she’s his wife or committed partner.

Robbins speaks directly to the other woman in the song, pleading with her to “let go” of him so he can be loyal to Mary. As he sings:

“Devil woman, it’s over,
Trapped no more by your charms.
‘Cause I don’t want to stay, I want to get away.
Woman, let go of my arm.”

“Devil Woman” was one of Robbins’ many hits. It reached the #1 spot on the Hot Country Songs chart and peaked at #16 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart.

But despite its popularity decades ago, this ’60s country hit is one some fans now consider offensive. Modern listeners don’t appreciate how Robbins’ narrator seems to entirely blame his lover for their “sin,” even calling her “evil” at one point.

“Understand Your Man” – Johnny Cash

Johnny Cash wrote “Understand Your Man” and featured it on his famous album I Walk the Line. He released the track as the album’s first single in 1964.

In “Understand Your Man,” Cash’s narrator addresses the woman in his life as he gets ready to leave and clear his head. It’s clear they’ve been on rocky terms, as he sings:

“Just lay there in your bed and keep your mouth shut,
Till I’m gone.
Don’t give me that old familiar cry and fuss and moan.
Understand your man, I’m tired of your bad-mouthin’.
Understand your man.”

The song claimed the #1 spot on the Hot Country Songs chart and held on to it for six weeks. It also crossed over to claim the 35th position on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart.

While “Understand Your Man” was a success in the ’60s, modern listeners have less-than-positive feelings about the song. Some fans have a hard time hearing about the narrator’s perceived lack of respect for the woman in his life just because she “fusses” and “moans.”

“Dang Me” – Roger Miller

Roger Miller penned his song “Dang Me” and released it as a single in 1964.

Despite its jovial tune, “Dang Me” is a song about regrets. But it also features Miller’s signature sense of humor as he sings:

“Dang me, dang me.
They oughta take a rope and hang me,
High from the highest tree.
Woman, would you weep for me?”

The song reached the #1 spot on Billboard‘s country chart and ranked at #4 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. It also led Miller to win three Grammy Awards in 1965.

While most of “Dang Me” doesn’t offend modern listeners, one line does cause some discomfort. Some take issue with the lyric referencing hanging and feel it shouldn’t be treated as a joke.

“Waitin’ In Your Welfare Line” – Buck Owens

Buck Owens teamed up with Don Rich and Nat Stuckey to write “Waitin’ In Your Welfare Line.” Owens released the track as a single in 1966.

Owens’ narrator addresses a woman he admires. He shares how he’s given up everything, is poor, and sleeping in a telephone booth. While he yearns for her to acknowledge him, he sings:

“I got the hungries for your love,
And I’m waitin’ in your welfare line.”

“Waitin’ in Your Welfare Line” was a huge success for Owens. The song held on to the #1 spot on the Hot Country Singles chart for seven weeks.

However, feelings around the song have changed. Some listeners who weren’t around when it was a big hit in the ’60s find it offensive that the narrator compares unrequited love to the experience of waiting in a welfare line.

“Stand By Your Man” – Tammy Wynette

Tammy Wynette‘s “Stand by Your Man” is both one of the greatest and one of the most controversial country songs of all time. Wynette co-wrote the song with Billy Sherrill and released it as a single in 1968.

In “Stand by Your Man,” Wynette encourages women to support, forgive, and love their man, even when he does wrong. As the iconic lyrics go:

“Stand by your man,
And show the world you love him.
Keep giving all the love you can,
Stand by your man.”

“Stand by Your Man” reached the #1 spot on the Hot Country Songs chart and peaked at #19 on the all-genre Billboard Hot 100. Wynette won a Grammy for her performance in 1970, and the song joined the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999.

The song was criticized by those who supported the women’s liberation movement in the ’60s and ’70s. These individuals felt the song was too conservative and didn’t contain an empowering message. For her part, Wynette maintained that she never meant for the song to have a political connotation.

In 1992, Hillary Clinton referenced the song when speaking to 60 Minutes about her husband Bill Clinton’s affair with Gennifer Flowers. She said, “I’m not sitting here, some little woman standing by my man like Tammy Wynette.”

American Songwriter cites the statement Wynette released in response:

“With all that is in me I resent your caustic remark. I, with no apologies, am as angry as I can be with your statement. Mrs. Clinton, you have offended every woman and man who love that song – several million in number. I believe you have offended every true country music fan and every person who has ‘made it on their own’ with no one to take them to a White House.”

As the decades have passed, “Stand by Your Man” still generates mixed responses. Like those who protested the song before, some modern country fans don’t believe you should “Stand by Your Man” if he does something wrong.

Revisiting These “Offensive” ’60s Country Hits Today

Changing times and attitudes have affected the way that some listeners feel about the songs in this list. While many country fans still enjoy these hits from the ’60s, others consider them to be offensive.

As we revisit these tracks in the modern day, we can acknowledge why they may not be everyone’s cup of tea. But we can also recognize these songs’ place in country music history and how they’ll always be part of it.

If you enjoyed this list, check out our previous compilations of “offensive” country songs from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s.

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