Loretta Lynn is one of the most important singer-songwriters in the history of country music, but even legends have to start somewhere.
What Was Loretta Lynn’s First No. 1 Hit?
Lynn was already a veteran country singer when she scored her first No. 1 hit with “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind)” on Feb. 11, 1967.
Who Wrote Loretta Lynn’s “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind)”?
Lynn co-wrote the song with her sister, Peggy Sue Wright.
Owen Bradley produced the track, which was the first of a number of controversial songs Lynn would write and record that came to include “Rated X, ” “The Pill” and more.
What Inspired Loretta Lynn’s “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind)”?
Lynn’s own turbulent marriage to her husband, Oliver “Doolittle” Lynn, inspired the song, which depicts a married woman rejecting her husband’s sexual advances when he comes home very drunk.
“Well you thought I’d be waitin’ up when you came home last night / You’d been out with all the boys and you ended up half tight / But liquor and love that just don’t mix leave a bottle or me behind / And don’t come home a drinkin’ with lovin’ on your mind,” Lynn sings in the pioneering song, which made Lynn the first female country artist ever to hit No. 1 with a song she’d written herself.
It marked only the seventh time a female artist topped the country charts, putting Lynn in an exclusive club that included Goldie Hill, Connie Smith, Kitty Wells and Patsy Cline — the latter two of whom had scored two No. 1 hits apiece.
How Did Loretta Lynn’s “Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind)” Do in the Charts?
“Don’t Come Home A-Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ on Your Mind)” was a career-changing song for Lynn, becoming the first of 16 No. 1 hits she would eventually place.
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The song helped her win the CMA Awards’ first-ever Female Vocalist of the Year title in 1967, setting her up for superstardom in the 1970s that would end with a best-selling book about her life, 1976’s Coal Miner’s Daughter, and a 1980 movie of the same name for which Sissy Spacek would win a Best Actress Academy Award for her portrayal of Lynn.
Loretta Lynn died on Oct. 4, 2022, at the age of 90.
PICTURES: Look Inside Loretta Lynn’s Luxurious Nashville Home
Loretta Lynn’s luxurious former home outside of Nashville is for sale, and pictures show a property that’s a perfect mix of classy and cozy. The country queen’s 4-bedroom, 3-bathroom, 3,409-square-foot home in a rural community outside of Nashville is listed for sale for $799,000, and that price includes a residence that is “finished to a T,” according to its listing. The beautiful home sits on more than five acres of rural land directly on the river, offering direct access for canoeing and kayaking. The rural property is just two minutes from I-40, offering an easy commute into Nashville, and it also offers easy access to schools, stores, dining options and more amenities that are just minutes away.
Gallery Credit: Sterling Whitaker
5 Banned Songs by Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn — the Queen of Country Music — died on October 4, 2022, but she leaves behind an incomparable legacy of music. Lynn wasn’t afraid to push the boundaries of the conservative country music of her time and write about what she truly felt. On some occasions, country fans and radio balked at her raw songwriting. Many of her songs were labeled “controversial” and some of them were even banned from airplay. However, Lynn managed to gain fans and have a successful career through her honest music, and she paved the way for other artists to do the same. Here are 5 of Loretta Lynn’s most controversial songs.
