Coal Miner's Daughter Introduction
In a Nutshell
Back in 1999, a lot of people caught the Y2K Bug.People thought that on New Year's Eve, when the new millennium commenced, all computer operating systems were going to crash and leave the nation in a blackout, without light, food, or water. And you could forget about heat or air conditioning. The more paranoid folks purchased generators, hoarded bottled water and energy bars, and hunkered down for doomsday.
Alas, all those Costco trips were wasted, and on January 1st, 2000, business continued as usual. Relief prevailed, but there was maybe a little disappointment, too. Living off the grid might have sounded a little romantic.
Country music legend Loretta Lynn wrote in her 2002 memoir that the risk of a great millennial blackout didn't make her even the slightest bit nervous. Her reason was simple. "I lived without electricity, indoor plumbing, or central heat every day of my life until I was a grown woman," said Lynn. Her family often hunted for food to avoid going hungry, she'd never heard of air conditioning, and she didn't see a car until she was 13.
Lynn, born in 1934 in rural Eastern Kentucky, lived the life of a coal miner's daughter. In her autobiographical hit "Coal Miner's Daughter," there's definitely no bottled water or back-up generators.
But living off the grid ain't the worst thing that can happen to a girl either.
About the Song
| Artist | Loretta Lynn | Musician(s) | Loretta Lynn (vocals) |
| Album | Coal Miner's Daughter | ||
| Year | 1970 | ||
| Label | Decca | ||
| Writer(s) | Loretta Lynn | ||
| Producer(s) | Owen Bradley | ||
|
Learn to play: Tablature Buy this song: Amazon iTunes |
Try Listen and Learn (BETA) | ||
Shmoop Connections
Lynn told her own childhood story in "Coal Miner's Daughter" in 1970, and the song also provided the title for her 1976 memoir and the award-winning 1980 film about her life.Lynn's celebrated biography is a great window into history: the devastation of the Great Depression, the low wages and terrible labor standards for rural miners, and the growing role of women in country music are all part of her work.
But Lynn's sentimental lament about old-time life in a coal mining town is no less significant these days, when we're still as dependent on coal as we were during World War II.
Can you imagine a romantic country song about being a windmill maintenance man's daughter? Or the son of a solar panel builder? Better start preparing for the years to come.
On the Charts
"Coal Miner's Daughter" was #1 on the Billboard Hot Country chart for a week in December 1970, after slowly climbing up the chart throughout the year."Coal Miner's Daughter" was #13 on CMT's 2003 countdown of the 100 Greatest Songs of Country Music. It landed at #12 on Taste of Country's list and at #42 on Rolling Stone's list.
"Coal Miner's Daughter" was ranked #185 of 365 Songs of the Century in a 2001 list released by the Recording Industry Association of America.
The song was the only single off of Loretta Lynn's 1970 album Coal Miner's Daughter, and also provided the title for Lynn's 1976 memoir and a 1980 film about her life. Sissy Spacek won the 1980 Oscar for Best Actress for her performance as Lynn in Coal Miner’s Daughter.