Maps of Music

Back to the Country (1975)

Where the lyrics of Back to the Country take you, and where it was really made.

The album's only single was banned by a number of radio stations, yet it still reached No. 5 on the US Hot Country Singles chart and No. 1 on the Canadian RPM Country Singles chart.

Key places

Where the album was recorded (1974)

Recording site Bradley's Barn — Recording sessions for the album began on August 29, 1974, at Bradley's Barn in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Three more sessions followed in December 1974. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Back to the Country: the 25th solo studio album by American country singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn
• Released February 3, 1975 by MCA Records
• Lead and only single: The Pill, a controversial song about birth control
• The Pill brought Lynn much notoriety in the media
• Banned by a number of radio stations, yet reportedly her best-selling single of the decade
• The album's single was released in January 1975, shortly before the album came out

Background

• The Pill and The Hands of Yesterday were recorded on December 12, 1972, for the 1973 album Entertainer of the Year
• Paper Roses was recorded on March 4, 1974, for the 1974 album They Don't Make 'Em Like My Daddy
• Three songs on Back to the Country therefore came from sessions made for earlier albums
• The rest of the album was recorded in new sessions in 1974 and 1975

Recording

• Recording sessions began August 29, 1974, at Bradley's Barn in Mount Juliet, Tennessee
• Three additional sessions followed on December 17, 18, and 19
• Owen Bradley produced the album
• Bobby Bradley, Vic Gabany and Joe Mills worked as engineers
• Harold Bradley played electric and bass guitar; Ray Edenton and Pete Wade played rhythm guitar
• Johnny Gimble played fiddle and Hal Rugg played steel guitar
• Charlie McCoy played harmonica and Buddy Harman played drums
• The Jordanaires and Millie Kirkham sang background vocals
• Loretta Lynn sang lead vocals on all tracks
• Bud Gray is credited for photography in the album liner notes

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Early life

• Born Loretta Webb on April 14, 1932, in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, the oldest daughter in a coal miner's family.
• Married Oliver Vanetta "Doolittle" Lynn in 1948 at age 15; the marriage lasted almost 50 years until his death in 1996.
• Began singing in local clubs in the late 1950s and formed her own band, the Trailblazers.

Career

• Signed with Zero Records in 1960; her first release was "Whispering Sea" and "I'm a Honky Tonk Girl".
• Joined Decca Records through the Wilburn Brothers; joined the Grand Ole Opry on September 25, 1962.
• Scored a string of hits from the 1960s, including "You Ain't Woman Enough (To Take My Man)" and "Don't Come Home A-Drinkin'".
• Wrote songs on women's issues such as birth control ("The Pill") and double standards ("Rated 'X'"), many inspired by her own marriage.
• Recorded five No. 1 duets with Conway Twitty between 1971 and 1975.
• Her 1976 autobiography Coal Miner's Daughter became a bestseller and inspired the 1980 Oscar-winning film starring Sissy Spacek.
• Named Artist of the Decade for the 1970s by the Academy of Country Music, the only woman to win this honor.
• Released Van Lear Rose (2004), produced by Jack White, which won the Grammy for Best Country Album.
• Had a stroke in 2017 and broke her hip in 2018, which ended her touring after 57 years.
• Died on October 4, 2022, at age 90, at her home in Hurricane Mills, Tennessee.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Billboard published a review in its February 15, 1975 issue
• Billboard noted that Lynn did not sing a single song of her own on the album, but she sang songs written by others
• Billboard wrote that the album is down-to-earth country, and no one can sing that sort of song the way Loretta does it
• Cashbox also published a review in its February 15 issue
• Cashbox called Lynn the No. 1 artist among her fans and said each release hit the same way for her and MCA
• Cashbox listed songs such as Will You Be There, Paper Roses and Mad Mrs. Jesse Brown among the good country cuts
• Cashbox remarked that Loretta never left the country, but the album title's back to suggested otherwise

Records

• The album peaked at No. 2 on the US Billboard Hot Country LPs chart
• The album peaked at No. 182 on the Billboard Top LP's and Tape chart
• The Pill peaked at No. 5 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart
• The Pill peaked at No. 70 on the US Billboard Hot 100 despite being banned by a number of radio stations
• The Pill peaked at No. 1 on the RPM Country Singles chart in Canada
• The Pill peaked at No. 49 on the RPM Top Singles chart in Canada

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The Pill was banned by a number of radio stations, yet it reached No. 1 on the Canadian RPM Country Singles chart
• Billboard observed that Lynn sang songs by other writers on this album, including songs previously performed by Marie Osmond, Billy Swan and Cal Smith
• Three of the album's songs were carried over from recording sessions made for Lynn's earlier albums
• The album's sessions began at Bradley's Barn in Mount Juliet, Tennessee, on August 29, 1974
• The Pill was reportedly Lynn's best-selling single of the decade

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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