Welcome back to Country Music 4 Ever! Today is part 4 of my "Story Behind the Song" series with one of my all-time favorites, "Coal Miner's Daughter" by the one and only, Loretta Lynn.

When asked to write a song for bluegrass act, The Osborne Brothers, Loretta got to work quickly. Bluegrass music was a tradition in Butcher Holler, Kentucky where Loretta grew up. However, the writing process soon became too personal for her and by the end of the day, she had nine verses written about her life and it was clear no one else could tell this story.

Loretta took the song to Decca Records producer, Owen Bradley, who told her no one would want to listen to a song with nine verses. She then removed three of them which was not easy because she had to choose which parts of her life to not share with her fanbase. Even after making the song shorter, Owen still didn't think much of the song, but he agreed to let her record it.

After its release, "Coal Miner's Daughter" started climbing the charts and took on a life of its own. It soon became the title of Loretta's "New York Times" bestselling autobiography, and it also became the title of the 1980 Loretta Lynn biopic starring Sissy Spacek and Tommy Lee Jones.

"Coal Miner's Daughter" became more than just a song or a movie title. It was Loretta's life set to music and fans fell in love with it for that reason. Every time you hear this song it's like Loretta is introducing herself to you and telling you exactly who she is. There are very few songs like that in the history of music and that's why it's so special.

Thanks for reading. I'll be back soon with part 5 which will go behind the scenes of a classic by the "Hillbilly Shakespeare" so stay tuned!