- #1 1970 Lynn Anderson
MARTINA: "'Rose Garden' is one of those songs that is a part of so many people's memories. It is such a fun song and has such a catchy melody. I was surprised that it hadn't been remade before this. It's one of those songs that just makes you feel good and brings a smile to your face."
There was a very popular book in the 1960s about mental illness called I Never Promised You a Rose Garden. Songwriter Joe South used the phrase as the basis for this song, which he included on his Introspect LP. That album contained his pop hits "Games People Play" and "Walk a Mile in My Shoes." Lynn Anderson bought it and thought its "Rose Garden" would be perfect for her. But her producer nixed the idea because he thought it inappropriate for a woman to be singing, "I could promise you things like big diamond rings." But one night in 1970 she had 15 minutes of studio time left, so he let her record it. She and the session musicians liked the result so much that they played it in the control room over and over again. It became a Gold-selling pop-crossover smash, propelled her onto The Tonight Show and earned her 1971 CMA Female Vocalist of the Year honors.
Lynn Anderson - Grammy Award 1970
5. "Today I Started Loving You Again"
-
#9 1975 Sammi Smith
MARTINA: "I've known this song all my life. I know there are hundreds of versions of it but the only one that I'm really familiar with is the Merle Haggard version. And what a song! It doesn't get any better than this…a simple, to-the-point lyric and a beautiful melody. It's an amazing piece of work and there was no question as to whether or not I would include it on this album.
I remember when I met Merle for the first time, he said he was familiar with my music and he said, 'I think you and I are coming from the same place,' which I thought was a little odd considering the pop-country I had out at the time. I guess he heard something in my music that let him know what I really come from. It made me feel really good that he said that."
Merle Haggard and his then-wife Bonnie Owens cowrote this and recorded it. But it was not initially a hit. Kenny Rogers issued it as a 1973 single, but it failed to catch fire again. Two years later, Sammi Smith became the first to have a top-10 hit with "Today I Started Loving You Again." It subsequently became a country standard with versions by dozens of stars, including Dolly, Willie, Emmylou, Waylon and Conway, and most recently, Dwight Yoakam and Buddy Jewell. The song also entered the r&b repertoire via renditions by Bobby "Blue" Bland, Ivory Joe Hunter, Arthur Prysock, Percy Sledge, Rufus Thomas and Junior Wells.
Merle Haggard - Country Music Hall of Fame 1994
6. "You Ain't Woman Enough"
-
#2 1966 Loretta Lynn
MARTINA: "I love Loretta Lynn! I've sung this a few times, twice when Loretta was in the audience. I just love the confidence and sassiness of this lyric. We stayed very close to the original version."
Loretta Lynn wrote and recorded "You Ain't Woman Enough" in response to her husband's philandering ways. Its sass and chin-out attitude made it a major hit in 1966. When Martina McBride was starting out, Loretta made a point of taking her under her wing, and they have remained Grand Ole Opry "sisters." In 1972, Lynn became the first woman named country's Entertainer of the Year. She entered the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1988.
Loretta Lynn - Country Music Hall of Fame 1988
7. "Once a Day"
-
#1 1964 Connie Smith
MARTINA: "Connie Smith is such a great singer. 'Once A Day' was the song I chose to pay homage to her since it was her biggest hit. I tried to pay my respects with the way I sang it. I wanted people who heard it to think, 'That sounds a little like Connie Smith.' I've always loved her voice. She has such a pure tone and I love the way she pronounces her words. I wasn't aware that Bill Anderson wrote this song! So I got to tip my hat to Bill AND Connie!"
Connie Smith became the first woman in country-music history to have a No. 1 hit with her debut single, which was "Once a Day." She was discovered singing at an Ohio talent contest by its songwriter, Bill Anderson. He urged her to come to Nashville and helped her land a recording contract. Both Connie and Hall of Famer Bill are among Martina's fellow Grand Ole Opry cast members.
Connie Smith - Grand Ole Opry 1971
Bill Anderson - Country Music Hall of Fame 2001
