Anderson charted 12 No. 1, 18 Top 10, and more than 50 Top 40 hits. In addition to being named "Top Female Vocalist" by the Academy of Country Music (ACM) twice and "Female Vocalist of the Year" by the Country Music Association (CMA), Anderson won a Grammy Award (earning seven nominations), People's Choice Award and an American Music Award (AMA). She was named Billboard's Female Artist of the Decade (1970–1980).
Anderson was the first female country artist to win the American Music Award (in 1974), as well as the first to headline and sellout Madison Square Garden that same year.
Anderson debuted in 1966, at the age of 19, and had her first hit with Ride, Ride, Ride. After a series of Top 10 hit singles on the country charts during the late 1960s, Anderson signed with Columbia Records in 1970. Under Columbia, she had her most successful string of hits. Her signature song, "(I Never Promised You a) Rose Garden", remains one of the biggest selling country crossover hits of all time. In addition, the song also went to No. 3 on the Billboard Pop Chart and reached the top of the charts in several countries, an unprecedented achievement at the time. CMT ranks "Rose Garden" at No. 83 on its list of the "100 Greatest Songs in Country Music History". Anderson continued to record and remained a popular concert attraction until her death, regularly headlining major casino showrooms, performing arts centers and theaters.
She grew up in Sacramento, California with her mother, acclaimed singer-songwriter Liz Anderson who wrote "The Fugitive" and "(All My Friends Are Gonna Be) Strangers", both Merle Haggard hits, among others. She began her solo career in 1966 with "In Person", followed by a hit with her mother's "If I Kiss You (Will You Go Away)".
In 1968 she married Glenn Sutton, a future Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee, with whom she had a daughter, Lisa. (They divorced in 1977.)
Consistent hits followed, and she was a regular on The Lawrence Welk Show during the 1967-68 season. In 1969 Anderson signed to Columbia where her work veered a bit more toward a polished, pop sound. She released her signature song, "Rose Garden" in late 1970. The song, written by Joe South, won a Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance reached number 1 on the U.S. country charts, and also hit number 3 on the pop charts, as well as being a hit in fifteen countries. Anderson also received Grammy nominations for her recordings "Big Girls Don't Cry" (1968), "That's a No No" (1969), and "How Can I Unlove You" (1971)> Anderson's other hits during this period included "You're My Man", "Listen to a Country Song", "Top of the World" (a number 1 country record for Anderson before becoming a pop hit for The Carpenters), "Cry", "Keep Me in Mind", "What a Man My Man Is" and "Smile For Me". In 1971, she was voted Top Female Vocalist of the year by both the Academy of Country Music and Country Music Association. Anderson charted eight no.one singles, 18 Top-Tens and earned a total of 17 international Gold records. She was perhaps the most in-demand country female vocalist on network television throughout the 1970's but after 1975 her records usually peaked in the top 20 as opposed to her earlier top ten success.
Anderson married a Louisiana businessman in 1978. The second marriage produced two more children, and she was divorced in 1982.
Anderson remained one of the top female country singers into the 1980's. Her last top ten record was 1984s "You're Welcome to Tonight". During the late 1980's and early 1990s, she received much press for her disputes with her now-divorced second husband. After spending time on her ranch, raising horses and participating in equestrian events, she began recording again in 1992.
"The Bluegrass Sessions", released in 2004, earned Anderson her first Grammy nomination in over 30 years.
That same year Anderson was arrested in Denton, Texas, for drunk driving.
The American Rose Society created and named in her honor a white and raspberry hybrid tea rose.
Anderson released a new CD of original songs entitled "Cowgirl" in 2006, all of the songs penned by her mother, the acclaimed songwriter Liz Anderson.
I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool
Lynn Anderson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Even when they weren't in style
I remember singin' with Roy Rogers at the movies
When the West was really wild
And I was listenin' to the Opry
When all of my friends were diggin' Rock 'n Roll
And Rhythm & Blues
I was country, when country wasn't cool
I remember circlin' the drive-in, pullin' up
And turnin' down George Jones
I remember when no one was lookin'
I was puttin' peanuts in my Coke
I took a lot of kiddin'
'Cause I never did fit in
now look at everybody tryin' to be what I was then
I was country, when country wasn't cool
I was country, when country wasn't cool
I was country, from my hat down to my boots
I still act, and look the same
What you see ain't nothin' new
I was country, when country wasn't cool
They call us country bumpkins
For stickin' to our roots
I'm just glad we're in a country
Where we're all free to choose
I was country, when country wasn't cool
The lyrics of Lynn Anderson's song I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool represent a nostalgic reflection on the singer's upbringing in the country and her rejection of the mainstream culture of Rock 'n Roll and Rhythm & Blues that was popular at the time. She proudly proclaims that she was wearing straight leg Levis and flannel shirts before they were fashionable, singing along to country legends like Roy Rogers, and listening to the Opry when her friends were into different types of music. The driving force behind these feelings of pride and defiance is the belief that she was a true country girl when it was far from fashionable or cool to be so, which speaks of her authenticity as a person and her commitment to her roots.
The lyrics take an introspective approach and offer a reflection on the past, which allows Lynn Anderson to tell her story in a broader sense. There is a sense of acceptance in the vision Lynn Anderson presents in this song, as she acknowledges that her choices may have seemed strange or even ridiculous to others, but she is happy with who she is and how she lives her life. She remained true to herself and what she loves, which is what makes her feel special, and this is something that carries through in the song’s message.
Line by Line Meaning
I remember wearin' straight leg Levis and flannel shirts
Even when they weren't in style
I used to wear straight leg jeans and flannel shirts even when they were not fashionable.
I remember singin' with Roy Rogers at the movies
When the West was really wild
And I was listenin' to the Opry
When all of my friends were diggin' Rock 'n Roll
And Rhythm & Blues
I was country, when country wasn't cool
I used to sing western songs with Roy Rogers during the time in which the west was considered wild. While my friends were following Rock 'n Roll and Rhythm & Blues, I preferred to listen to the Opry shows which in those days was the typical music style of rural southern America.
I remember circlin' the drive-in, pullin' up
And turnin' down George Jones
I remember when no one was lookin'
I was puttin' peanuts in my Coke
I used to drive around the drive-in roughly and listen to George Jones, but quickly switch over while no one was looking. I was ashamed of the habit of putting peanuts in my Coke for a while.
I took a lot of kiddin'
'Cause I never did fit in
now look at everybody tryin' to be what I was then
I was teased a lot by others because I never fit into their music preference. Now, I can see most of them trying to copy my fashion style and way of living I had back in those days.
I was country, from my hat down to my boots
I still act, and look the same
What you see ain't nothin' new
I was a typical country person from the kind of hat I wore down to my boots. I don't see anything new in my current self that wasn't present then
They call us country bumpkins
For stickin' to our roots
I'm just glad we're in a country
Where we're all free to choose
I was country, when country wasn't cool
They mock people that refuse to abandon their culture but I'm just happy that I live in a place where it's possible for everyone to choose how they want to live. I was a country person from when the genre wasn't popular as it is now.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: DENNIS W. MORGAN, RHONDA KYE FLEMING
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind