Fist City (Loretta Lynn album)

Fist City is the twelfth solo studio album by American country music singer-songwriter Loretta Lynn. It was released on April 15, 1968, by Decca Records.[1]

Fist City
Studio album by
ReleasedApril 15, 1968
RecordedApril 20, 1967–March 22, 1968
StudioBradley's Barn, Mount Juliet, Tennessee
GenreCountry
Length25:36
LabelDecca
ProducerOwen Bradley
Loretta Lynn chronology
Who Says God Is Dead!
(1968)
Fist City
(1968)
Here's Loretta Lynn
(1968)
Singles from Fist City
  1. "What Kind of a Girl (Do You Think I Am?)"
    Released: August 14, 1967
  2. "Fist City"
    Released: January 29, 1968

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic     [2]

In the issue dated May 4, 1968, Billboard magazine published a review of the album, saying, "Loretta Lynn couples potent lyrics with intense emotion on this LP. Call it county soul. "You Never Were Mine" is a tear jerker. An excellent LP."[3]

The April 27, 1968 issue of Cashbox featured a review which said, "Highlighted by her No. 1 smash, "Fist City", Loretta Lynn's latest album is a powerhouse effort that's bound to be climbing the charts in short order. Lorett'’s warm, sincere singing has long made her the uncontested Queen of Country Music, and she seems only to get better with each successive disk." The review highlighted "Fist City", "A Satisfied Mind", "I Don’t Wanna Play House", and "What Kind of a Girl (Do You Think I Am?)" as the best songs on the album.[4]

Commercial performance

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The album peaked at No. 1 on the US Billboard Hot Country LP's chart, becoming Lynn's second album to top the chart.

The first single, "What Kind of a Girl (Do You Think I Am)" was released in August 1967[5] and peaked at No. 5 on the US Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. The second single, "Fist City", was released in January 1968[6] and peaked at No. 1 on the chart, making it Lynn's second No. 1 hit.

Recording

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Recording sessions for the album began on January 9, 1968, at Bradley's Barn in Mount Juliet, Tennessee. Two additional sessions followed on March 21 and March 22. "What Kind of a Girl (Do You Think I Am)" was recorded during the April 20, 1967 session for 1967's Singin' with Feelin'.[7]

Track listing

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Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."Fist City"Loretta LynnJanuary 9, 19682:10
2."Jackson Ain't a Very Big Town"Vic McAlphinMarch 21, 19682:16
3."You Didn't Like My Lovin'"March 22, 19681:52
4."I've Got Texas in My Heart"
  • Mildred Burk
  • Rose Burk
January 9, 19682:14
5."You Never Were Mine"Jay Lee WebbMarch 22, 19682:09
6."Somebody's Back in Town"
March 21, 19682:34
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Recording dateLength
1."A Satisfied Mind"
March 21, 19682:42
2."How Long Will It Take?"Warren McPhersonMarch 22, 19682:23
3."I Don't Wanna Play House"March 21, 19682:32
4."I'm Shootin' for Tomorrow"LynnMarch 22, 19681:55
5."What Kind of a Girl (Do You Think I Am)"
  • Lynn
  • T. Wilburn
April 20, 19672:49

Personnel

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Adapted from the album liner notes and Decca recording session records.[7]

  • Harold Bradley – electric bass guitar
  • Owen Bradley – producer
  • Hal Buksbaum – photography
  • Floyd Cramer – piano
  • Ray Edenton – guitar, acoustic guitar
  • Larry Estes – drums
  • Buddy Harman – drums
  • Junior Huskey – bass
  • The Jordanaires - background vocals
  • Loretta Lynn – lead vocals
  • Grady Martin – guitar, lead electric guitar
  • Harold Morrison – banjo
  • Hal Rugg – steel guitar
  • Pete Wade – guitar
  • Joe Zinkan – bass

Charts

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Album

Chart (1968) Peak
position
US Hot Country Albums (Billboard)[8] 1

Singles

Title Year Peak position
US
Country

[9]
CAN
Country

[10]
"What Kind of a Girl (Do You Think I Am?)" 1967 5 6
"Fist City" 1968 1 1

References

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  1. ^ "Loretta Lynn – Fist City". Discogs.
  2. ^ Fist City at AllMusic
  3. ^ "Billboard - May 4, 1968" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard. Retrieved 7 July 2018.
  4. ^ "Cashbox - April 27, 1968" (PDF). American Radio History. Cashbox. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  5. ^ "Billboard - August 26, 1967" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  6. ^ "Billboard - February 10, 1968" (PDF). American Radio History. Billboard. Retrieved 16 April 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Loretta's Recording Sess". LORETTA LYNN FAN WEBSITE. Archived from the original on 2017-08-28. Retrieved 2017-05-29.
  8. ^ "Loretta Lynn Chart History - Hot Country Albums". Billboard. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  9. ^ "Loretta Lynn Chart History - Hot Country Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 8 July 2018.
  10. ^ Canada, Library and Archives (17 July 2013). "Results: RPM Weekly". www.bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 20 April 2019.