Coal Miner's Daughter (song)
Encyclopedia
"Coal Miner's Daughter" is an autobiographical 1969 country music
song written, released and made famous by Loretta Lynn
. Released in 1970, the song became Lynn's signature song
, one of the genre's most widely-known songs, and provided the basis for both her autobiography and a movie on her life.
", while her father, Melvin "Ted" Webb, worked all night in the Van Lear
coal mine
. The song depicts the real story of Lynn's life growing up in rural Kentucky, and discusses how she and her seven siblings lived off of a coal miner's salary ("Daddy loved and raised eight kids on a miner's pay"), and that her father always made sure there was love in the Webb household.
Subsequent verses recall Lynn's other childhood experiences and hardships, such as her mother reading the Bible
by a coal-oil light or having bloody fingers from constantly doing the laundry using an abrasive "warsh"board (this pronunciation was reflective of her Appalachian Kentucky roots), ordering shoes from a mail-order catalog, and working so hard every day that everyone slept because "they were tired."
In the song's final verse, the now-adult Lynn returns to her homestead, which has since been abandoned ("Not much left but the floor; nothing lives here anymore ..."). However, she remarks that the "memories of a coal miner's daughter" remain.
"Coal Miner's Daughter" was unlike anything Lynn had ever recorded previously. She had become known for her sassy back-talking songs, including "Don't Come Home A' Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)
" (an angry-wife's warning to a hard-drinking husband not to come home drunk and intent on making love) and "Fist City
" (wherein a married woman threatens her husband's would-be temptress). However, fans quickly reacted to the song with praise and turned the song into one of country music's iconic hits.
chart during the latter half of the year, and reached No. 1 on December 19 for a single week .
In addition to reaching No. 1 on the Country charts, "Coal Miner's Daughter" also became Lynn's first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100
, peaking at No. 83.
An album of the same name was also released in 1970, and despite the fact that the title track was the lone single, Coal Miner's Daughter became quite successful.
. The movie starred actress Sissy Spacek
as Lynn and Tommy Lee Jones
as Lynn's husband. The film's soundtrack featured Spacek singing all of Lynn's hits sung in the movie, including "Coal Miner's Daughter". Spacek won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Lynn in the film.
"Coal Miner's Daughter" helped provide a better understanding of Lynn, and led to the widespread fascination with her life story.
The song was listed at No. 185 on RIAA's list of Songs of the Century
and was also listed in 2003's TV special at No. 13 on CMT's 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music.
The most famous cover of the song is the version recorded by Sissy Spacek
for the motion picture, which is also featured on the soundtrack.
Loretta Lynn recorded the song with guest vocals from Miranda Lambert
and Sheryl Crow
in 2010 for Coal Miner's Daughter: A Tribute To Loretta Lynn
. Additionally, this recording was released as a single in September 2010. This version of the song debuted and peaked at #55 on the Hot Country Songs chart for the week dated December 4, 2010.
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
song written, released and made famous by Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn
Loretta Lynn is an American country music singer-songwriter, author and philanthropist. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky to a coal miner father, Lynn married at 13 years old, was a mother soon after, and moved to Washington with her husband, Oliver Lynn. Their marriage was sometimes tumultuous; he...
. Released in 1970, the song became Lynn's signature song
Signature song
A signature song is the one song that a popular and well-established singer or band is most closely identified with or best known for, even if they have had success with a variety of songs...
, one of the genre's most widely-known songs, and provided the basis for both her autobiography and a movie on her life.
About the song
"Coal Miner's Daughter" tells the story of her life growing up "in a cabin on a hill in Butcher HollerButcher Hollow, Kentucky
Butcher Hollow is a coal-mining community located in Johnson County, Kentucky, USA. Its claim to fame is being the birthplace of country music legend Loretta Lynn, who paid tribute to the community in the song Coal Miner's Daughter, which begins with the lyrics"Well, I was born a coal miner's...
", while her father, Melvin "Ted" Webb, worked all night in the Van Lear
Van Lear, Kentucky
According to the census of 2000, there were 2,106 people, 807 households, and 625 families in the ZIP Code Tabulation Area for Van Lear's ZIP code .The racial makeup of the community was 99.7% White, 0.0% African American, and 0.3% Asian....
coal mine
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
. The song depicts the real story of Lynn's life growing up in rural Kentucky, and discusses how she and her seven siblings lived off of a coal miner's salary ("Daddy loved and raised eight kids on a miner's pay"), and that her father always made sure there was love in the Webb household.
Subsequent verses recall Lynn's other childhood experiences and hardships, such as her mother reading the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
by a coal-oil light or having bloody fingers from constantly doing the laundry using an abrasive "warsh"board (this pronunciation was reflective of her Appalachian Kentucky roots), ordering shoes from a mail-order catalog, and working so hard every day that everyone slept because "they were tired."
In the song's final verse, the now-adult Lynn returns to her homestead, which has since been abandoned ("Not much left but the floor; nothing lives here anymore ..."). However, she remarks that the "memories of a coal miner's daughter" remain.
"Coal Miner's Daughter" was unlike anything Lynn had ever recorded previously. She had become known for her sassy back-talking songs, including "Don't Come Home A' Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)
Don't Come Home A' Drinkin' (With Lovin' on Your Mind)
"Don't Come Home A' Drinkin' " is a country music song, made famous by Country music singer Loretta Lynn in early 1967...
" (an angry-wife's warning to a hard-drinking husband not to come home drunk and intent on making love) and "Fist City
Fist City
"Fist City" is a country music song written and performed by Loretta Lynn, released in 1968. Inspired by her husband's dalliances with other women who pursued him while she was busy touring, Lynn wrote the song as a warning for other women to stay away from him if they do not wish to be soundly...
" (wherein a married woman threatens her husband's would-be temptress). However, fans quickly reacted to the song with praise and turned the song into one of country music's iconic hits.
Chart performance
Lynn recorded "Coal Miner's Daughter" in October 1969, but the song's release was delayed until mid-1970. The song slowly climbed the Billboard Hot Country SinglesHot Country Songs
Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales...
chart during the latter half of the year, and reached No. 1 on December 19 for a single week .
In addition to reaching No. 1 on the Country charts, "Coal Miner's Daughter" also became Lynn's first single to chart on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
, peaking at No. 83.
An album of the same name was also released in 1970, and despite the fact that the title track was the lone single, Coal Miner's Daughter became quite successful.
| Chart (1970) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles | 1 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 83 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 1 |
Legacy
"Coal Miner's Daughter" served as the name of Lynn's 1976 autobiography, Coal Miner's Daughter: The Autobiography, which Lynn co-wrote. The song title also served as the name of Lynn's 1980 biographical motion picture on her life, Coal Miner's DaughterCoal Miner's Daughter
Coal Miner's Daughter is a 1980 American biographical film which tells the story of country music icon Loretta Lynn. It stars Sissy Spacek in her Academy Award for Best Actress winning role, Tommy Lee Jones, Beverly D'Angelo and Levon Helm, and was directed by Michael Apted.-Background:The film was...
. The movie starred actress Sissy Spacek
Sissy Spacek
Sissy Spacek is an American actress and singer. She came to international prominence for her for role as Carrie White in Brian De Palma's 1976 horror film Carrie for which she earned her first Academy Award nomination...
as Lynn and Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones
Tommy Lee Jones is an American actor and film director. He has received three Academy Award nominations, winning one as Best Supporting Actor for the 1993 thriller film The Fugitive....
as Lynn's husband. The film's soundtrack featured Spacek singing all of Lynn's hits sung in the movie, including "Coal Miner's Daughter". Spacek won an Academy Award for her portrayal of Lynn in the film.
"Coal Miner's Daughter" helped provide a better understanding of Lynn, and led to the widespread fascination with her life story.
The song was listed at No. 185 on RIAA's list of Songs of the Century
Songs of the Century
The "Songs of the Century" list is part of an education project by the Recording Industry Association of America , the National Endowment for the Arts, and Scholastic Inc. that aims to "promote a better understanding of America’s musical and cultural heritage" in American schools...
and was also listed in 2003's TV special at No. 13 on CMT's 100 Greatest Songs in Country Music.
Cover versions
Few singers have released cover versions of Lynn's hit, as it is a biographical song about Lynn's life. However, there have been several karaoke sing-along versions made in the past ten years.The most famous cover of the song is the version recorded by Sissy Spacek
Sissy Spacek
Sissy Spacek is an American actress and singer. She came to international prominence for her for role as Carrie White in Brian De Palma's 1976 horror film Carrie for which she earned her first Academy Award nomination...
for the motion picture, which is also featured on the soundtrack.
Loretta Lynn recorded the song with guest vocals from Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert
Miranda Lambert is an American country music artist who gained fame as a finalist on the 2003 season of Nashville Star, where she finished in third place and later signed to Epic Records. Lambert made her debut with the release of "Me and Charlie Talking", the first single from her 2005 debut...
and Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Crow
Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, musician, and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, folk, hip hop, country and pop...
in 2010 for Coal Miner's Daughter: A Tribute To Loretta Lynn
Coal Miner's Daughter: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn
Coal Miner's Daughter: A Tribute to Loretta Lynn is a tribute album compiled by various music artists that is dedicated to country music icon Loretta Lynn. It was released in the United States on November 9, 2010 through Columbia Records...
. Additionally, this recording was released as a single in September 2010. This version of the song debuted and peaked at #55 on the Hot Country Songs chart for the week dated December 4, 2010.