There have been many, many tributes since Loretta Lynn passed away on Oct 4, both online and on many traditional media outlets. So, instead of what could become just another repetitive retrospective, I’m going to discuss one of her songs that truly symbolizes the kind of artist she became and what she meant to many rural Southern women.
Never one to shy away from controversy, Lynn had the extreme nerve to release a single in 1975 called “The Pill,” a song that crossed over onto the pop charts. It peaked there at No. 70, becoming her highest-charting song ever on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the only single lifted from her LP, Back to the Country.
Lynn had actually recorded “The Pill” in 1972, but her record company took three years to release it in any format. Considering the time period, that shouldn’t be surprising.
The song is a humorous take on a woman who tired of her husband getting her pregnant every year. Now that she had a contraceptive at her disposal, she was happy to finally have total control over her body. Country songs were seldom this brazen, especially those recorded by its female stars – and many radio stations banned “The Pill” due to its supposed indecency. The controversy caused “The Pill” to stall at No. 5 on the country music chart, while most of Loretta Lynn’s songs of the era were guaranteed to climb higher still.
In an interview for Playgirl magazine, Lynn said many doctors – especially those from rural areas – praised her because “The Pill” did more to advertise this then-new drug’s availability than almost anything they had done up to this point.
“The Pill” was written by Lorene Allen, Don McHan, and T.D. Bayless. Only later – after a court fight – it was revealed that Lynn was also one of the composers. Her own life experience was undoubtedly an inspiration: She had six children, four of them were born before her 20th birthday.
Loretta Lynn must have been smiling during the recording session.
