“Run, Woman, Run”
Tammy Wynette
Written by Ann Booth, Duke Goff and Dan Hoffman
Billboard
#1 (2 weeks)
October 24 – October 31, 1970
As important as predecessors like Kitty Wells and Patsy Cline were, the true birth of the female country superstar came with the trio of Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette, and Dolly Parton.
These three women broke through the intermediaries of Music Row songwriters because they were all brilliant songwriters themselves, and they made careers out of talking directly to different types of women who were navigating societal barriers that my generation will never fully understand as well as our mothers and grandmothers. (And, sadly, our daughters and granddaughters.)
For the women who wanted to stand their ground and give as good as she gets, there was Loretta. For the women who simply wouldn’t acknowledge those societal barriers as legitimate and were ready to fly, there was Dolly. And for the women who genuinely wanted the wife and mother Platonic ideal that had been promised to them as birthright, there was Tammy.
With all three ladies, it was exceedingly rare for their outside material to speak to their target audiences as the self-written material that they performed. But sometimes outside songwriters got it right, and “Run, Woman, Run” is one of the best examples of this from the Tammy catalog.
Having a woman in the writer’s room works wonders because these are real characters who are all acting in good faith, as most of us try to do every day. The husband is loyal and hard-working and comes home every night. The wife is feeling limited by the domestic life that leaves no space for her to make her own mark on the world. And the friend is sharing a good faith warning on how that outside world will crush a woman’s dreams, which has led her to believe that acquiescence to the role of traditional wife is the only real path to a woman’s security in a world hostile to their agency.
There’s a direct line from records like this to nineties records like “Is There Life Out There,” “Do You Know Where Your Man is,” and “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her.” The societal details change with time, but that sense of authentic storytelling with believable characters bonds the generations together.
“Run, Woman, Run” gets an A.
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I love your spot on descriptions of Tammy, Loretta, & Dolly. I agree this is an “A” song performed the way only Tammy could. It just feels so authentic and I could absolutely see Tammy having this conversation. She struggled on when to stay and go in relationships so many times and it’s well documented. Yes, she has to share in the blame of her personal life but I also think it’s fair to say she deserved better.
I was never quite as big a Tammy Wynette fan as most folks of my age. Yes I liked Tammy, but I was always aware of her vocal deficiencies. She never sounded as good in live performances as she did on record. I saw her at the peak of her vocal prowess when she and George had their facility (Plantation Music Park) in Lakeland, Florida.
While she recorded more interesting songs during her later years, her best recordings are the ones produced by Billy Sherrill with his “Country Cocktail” arrangements. Often Sherrill would use a bank of strings to cover up notes Tammy couldn’t quite hit. This is most noticeable in the duets with George Jones, but also on some of her solo efforts.
That said, Tammy Wynette made some terrific records. She had the quintessential tear in her voice that so few of today’s female singers have. She had reliable sources of songs – even today female singers at karaoke bars and open mike nights continue to perform many of her songs.
Tammy’s vocal defines the song completely – this is in the B+/A- range
I can’t say Tammy is one of the female country artists I listen to much, but I have to appreciate the way she emotes with her voice. This one is right in her wheelhouse. Billy Sherrill knew how to play to her strengths.