3 Country Songs From 1965 That Still Make Me Smile Today
Country music was gaining popularity and developing a wider range of sounds in 1965. Three songs from that year still bring the writer joy: Little Jimmy Dickens’s comic chart-topper, Loretta Lynn and Ernest Tubb’s duet about love across distance, and Red Sovine’s story of life on the road.
“May The Bird Of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose”, written by Neal Merritt, was Dickens’s only No. 1 single and spent two weeks at the top. “Our Hearts Are Holding Hands”, written by Bill Anderson, was Lynn and Tubb’s second duet. Sovine co-wrote “Giddyup Go”, the first of several songs he recorded about truck drivers; his next No. 1 did not arrive until 1976, with “Teddy Bear”.
- Three country songs from 1965 still delight the writer.
- Dickens’s humorous single topped the charts for two weeks.
- Lynn, Tubb and Sovine explored distance, love and life on the road.
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In 1965, country music was reaching more listeners and taking in a wider variety of sounds. The songs mentioned here show three familiar approaches: comedy, a duet about love, and a story told through song.
Little Jimmy Dickens was known for comic songs, and “May the Bird of Paradise Fly Up Your Nose” became his only single to reach number one on the country chart. Loretta Lynn and Ernest Tubb recorded several duets; “Our Hearts Are Holding Hands” was their second. Red Sovine often sang about truck drivers and life on the road, a subject he returned to in later recordings.