If you’re a baby boomer with a love for country music, there’s no way you could forget these tender country ballads from 1977. A couple of them might still choke you up after all these years.
“Say You’ll Stay Until Tomorrow” by Tom Jones from ‘Say You’ll Stay Until Tomorrow’
Tom Jones had quite the crossover hit on his hands with the country ballad “Say You’ll Stay Until Tomorrow”. Written by Barry Mason and Roger Greenaway, this tune managed to touch quite a few non-country charts in 1977. “Say You’ll Stay Until Tomorrow” topped the Canadian charts and the Hot Country Songs chart in the US. It also crossed over to No. 3 on the US Adult Contemporary chart and No. 15 on the coveted Billboard Hot 100.
“It Couldn’t Have Been Any Better” by Johnny Duncan from ‘Johnny Duncan’
Johnny Duncan is, in my mind, a little bit underrated among country greats. But listeners definitely agreed on how incredible this particular country ballad from Duncan was back in 1977. “It Couldn’t Have Been Any Better” topped both the Canadian and US country charts, and it featured the gorgeous harmony vocals of session crooner Janie Fricke.
“Some Broken Hearts Never Mend” by Don Williams from ‘Visions’
Don Williams dropped this heartbreaker in early 1977, and it was a fast hit on the charts. This darling ballad almost made it to the Hot 100 and topped the Hot Country Songs chart as well. You might remember the famous cover of the song from the recent comedy series The Righteous Gemstones, à la Danny McGride, Adam DeVine, and Edi Patterson. Personally, I think Telly Savalas’ cover from 1981 is also quite beautiful.
“It Was Almost Like A Song” by Ronnie Milsap from ‘It Was Almost Like A Song’
“It Was Almost Like A Song” by Ronnie Milsap is a shoo-in for our list of country ballads from 1977 that many a baby boomer still remembers. Written by Hal David and Archie Jordan, “It Was Almost Like A Song” ended up becoming one of Milsap’s biggest hits and his signature song. The tune topped the Hot Country Songs chart and even crossed over to the Hot 100 at No. 16.
Photo by Gilles Petard/Redferns
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