American Songwriter has revisited four classic country songs from 1964, a year when the genre retained its rustic, traditional sound before Nashville's polished "countrypolitan" style took hold. The feature highlights tracks by four artists who defined the era, illustrating how country music was holding steady stylistically even as rock 'n' roll underwent rapid transformation, and offers a nostalgic look back for baby boomers who grew up with these songs.

The songs featured are Roger Miller's "Dang Me", his first country No. 1 which also crossed over to No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100; Buck Owens' "My Heart Skips A Beat", which spent 26 weeks on the chart including seven at No. 1 during a particularly prolific year for the singer; Johnny Cash's "Understand Your Man", the chart-topping lead single from his eleventh studio album; and Jean Shepard's "Second Fiddle (To An Old Guitar)", which reached No. 5 and earned her a Grammy nomination, notable as a rare female voice on the country charts at the time.