“One’s On the Way”
Loretta Lynn
Written by Shel Silverstein
Billboard
#1 (2 weeks)
February 5 – February 12, 1972
I’ll never truly get over the discovery that the guy who wrote Where the Sidewalk Ends was also a hit country songwriter.
Shel Silverstein delivered a tongue in cheek classic for Loretta Lynn back in early 1972. It has references to the political movements and famous celebrities of the day, which might date it for some listeners, but I think that the boneheaded thoughtlessness of the husband and the disconnect between the rich and famous on television and the common folks at home combine to give it a timeless appeal.
Lynn shows off her adept comedic timing in the second verse as her wandering toddler distracts her from the wandering husband on the other end of the phone line. Ten bucks says he makes it back home without the groceries and she’s stuck making bologna sandwiches while those army buddies watch The Newlywed Game.
It may be only her second best song with a reference to the pill, but it’s a winner nonetheless.
“One’s On the Way” gets an A.
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Shel Silverstein was most famous at the time for having written “A Boy Named Sue,”–Johnny Cash’s biggest hit–and for being a long-time cartoonist for Playboy. He also wrote a bunch of comedic/risque/brawling songs for Bobby Bare, including Bare’s only #1, “Marie Laveau.” The children’s books came later.
Shel wrote most of Dr. Hook’s pop hits including “Cover of the Rolling Stone”, “Freakin’ at the Freakers’ Ball” and “Sylvia’s Mother”. Between Bobby Bare and Dr. Hook, they recorded enough of Shel’s songs to fill several albums. Shel also wrote “The Taker” (Waylon Jennings), “The Unicorn” (the Irish Rovers) and “Big Four poster Bed” (Brenda Lee0. I think globally “Sylvia’s Mother” and “The Unicorn” were his biggest copyrights.
My second favorite Loretta single after Don’t Come Home Drinkin’ (With Lovin’ On Your Mind). I love everything about this one–the instrumentation, that one-in-a-million authentic vocal, just all of it.
Nothing I can add Kevin. I completely agree with your assessment
…can’t picture anybody else pulling that one off like ms. loretta did. not quite sure though what the topeka tourist authority thought about it.
Loretta memorably performed this song with the muppet babies on the Muppet Show back in the mid 1970s. It may be her most charming performance, ever.
First time I’ve ever heard this one and it’s fun. I’m a little surprised Loretta didn’t write it herself as it certainly employs a lot of the same humorous wordplay she brought to her own self-penned material. Also a little surprising to hear Raquel Welch’s name invoked in another country song besides the theme song for my favorite elementary-age TV show, “The Fall Guy”.
Raquel Welch was an absolute superstar in the 1970s and was referenced a lot in the popular culture. She co-starred in movies with Burt Reynolds, who had a lot of country music connections and was famously name-checked himself in Don Williams’ No. 1 hit, “If Hollywood Don’t Need You.”
“A+”. This is such a great song. It’s one of the few songs that no matter how many times you hear it, it’s always great. It’s hard to believe that it wasn’t written by Loretta but Shel was such a great writer that it does not surprise me that he was able to write a couple of great songs specifically for Loretta. For those her have not heard it before, check out her song “Hey Loretta”. It’s equally as good.