"I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" is the title of a song written by Kye Fleming and Dennis Morgan

Dennis Morgan (songwriter)

Dennis Morgan is a songwriter and music publisher, best known for writing songs for Aretha Franklin, Faith Hill, Barbara Mandrell, and Eric Clapton. He has also published hit songs by Garth Brooks, All-4-One, Feargal Sharkey, and Trisha Yearwood.Morgan's career as a songwriter started as a session...

. It was recorded by American country

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...

 artist Barbara Mandrell

Barbara Mandrell

Barbara Ann Mandrell is an American country music singer best known for a 1970s–1980s series of Top 10 hits and TV shows that helped her become one of country's most successful female vocalists of the 1970s and 1980s...

 as a live version for her 1981 live album, Barbara Mandrell Live

Barbara Mandrell Live

Barbara Mandrell Live is a live album by American country music singer, Barbara Mandrell, released in August 1981.This album spawned two hit singles, "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" and "Wish You Were Here." "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" became Mandrell's signature song, and a...

. It was released in April 1981 as lead single from the live album. It featured a guest appearance by country artist George Jones

George Jones

George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....

 who was not credited on the record charts. The song reached number one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in July 1981 and peaked at #14 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart.

Background and content

"I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" was a song produced by Tom Collins. Mandrell recorded the song as a "live" performance; however the track was actually recorded in the studio with an audience applause track inserted over various sections of the song to fit into the context of the Live album. The song also featured a guest appearance on part of the chorus by country vocalist, George Jones

George Jones

George Glenn Jones is an American country music singer known for his long list of hit records, his distinctive voice and phrasing, and his marriage to Tammy Wynette....

. The song describes a woman who is trying to get in touch with her traditional roots and explained she was proud of the music she listened to, even when her peers were listening to rock

Rock music

Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...

 and R&B

Rhythm and blues

Rhythm and blues, often abbreviated to R&B, is a genre of popular African American music that originated in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predominantly to urban African Americans, at a time when "urbane, rocking, jazz based music with a...

 music. The song's chorus further explains the storyline:

I was country when country wasn't cool

I was country from head down to my boots

I still act and look the same

What you see ain't nothing new

I was country when country wasn't cool

The song was released as the tenth track on Mandrell's 1981 live album. Applause from the audience can be heard in the beginning and end of the song, as well as when Jones makes his guest performance and when Mandrell references Jones in the lyrics in the early part of the song.

Chart performance

"I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" was released as Mandrell's second single of the year in mid 1981. The song became a major hit shortly after its release, reaching number one on the Billboard Magazine Hot Country Songs

Hot 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 on July 4 of that year. George Jones was never credited as a featured vocalist on the recording charts at the time of its release. It has since been considered to be one of Mandrell's signature recordings during her career. The single helped her 1981 live album, Barbara Mandrell Live

Barbara Mandrell Live

Barbara Mandrell Live is a live album by American country music singer, Barbara Mandrell, released in August 1981.This album spawned two hit singles, "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" and "Wish You Were Here." "I Was Country When Country Wasn't Cool" became Mandrell's signature song, and a...

 certify gold by the Recording Industry Association of America

Recording Industry Association of America

The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...

 and also helped her win the Country Music Association

Country Music Association

The Country Music Association was founded in 1958 in Nashville, Tennessee. It originally consisted of only 233 members and was the first trade organization formed to promote a music genre...

's "Entertainer of the Year" award in 1981.

Charts

Chart (1981)	Peak position
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs Hot 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...	1
Canadian RPM RPM (magazine) RPM was a Canadian music industry publication that featured song and album charts for Canada. The publication was founded by Walt Grealis in February 1964, supported through its existence by record label owner Stan Klees. RPM ceased publication in November 2000.RPM stood for "Records, Promotion,... Country Tracks	14