On 14 August 1976, Waylon Jennings’ *Are You Ready for the Country* reached number one on the US Top Country Albums chart, where it spent 10 non-consecutive weeks. The album became one of Jennings’ strongest chart performers and earned RIAA Gold certification, illustrating the commercial appeal of his outlaw-country approach despite mixed critical reviews.

The 10-track record included four songs written by Jennings, notably “I’ll Go Back to Her”, alongside covers of rock and pop material including Neil Young’s title track and the Marshall Tucker Band’s “Can’t You See”. Its most unusual selection was a 6-minute-39-second version of Jimmy Webb’s “MacArthur Park”, a Grammy-winning song previously recorded by Richard Harris; Webb later said its surreal imagery reflected the end of a relationship and memories of meeting his former partner in the park.