The Wild Side of Life

A huge hit for country music singer, Hank Thompson, in 1952, this song remained at number one on the Billboard Country Chart for 15 weeks. The cynical story of a wife who sheds her domestic role to seek company in bars drives the singer to cry, “I didn’t know god made honky tonk angels.” which just begged for an answer from women. It got it later in 1952 when Kitty Wells had an even bigger hit with the answer song, “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” No, in fact it was deceiving, cheating men. Take that Hank Thompson! Well’s success paved the way in country music for other women like Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn.

Both songs have essentially the same melody.

I have included two youtubes with this post. One features Hank Thompson in the original version of the song and the second Waylon Jennings and Jessie Coulter doing a great medley of the two songs.