{"id":1318123,"date":"2020-02-07T09:00:49","date_gmt":"2020-02-07T16:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cmt.com\/news\/?p=1817075"},"modified":"2020-02-07T09:00:49","modified_gmt":"2020-02-07T16:00:49","slug":"merle-haggards-the-fightin-side-of-me-turns-50","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/kske\/music-news\/merle-haggards-the-fightin-side-of-me-turns-50\/","title":{"rendered":"Merle Haggard\u2019s \u201cThe Fightin\u2019 Side of Me\u201d Turns 50"},"content":{"rendered":"
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by Craig Shelburne<\/a><\/span>
\n40m ago<\/span>
\n<\/span> <\/p>\n

Merle Haggard introduced \u201cThe Fightin\u2019 Side of Me\u201d to the world right after making waves with \u201cOkie From Muskogee.\u201d Recorded in December 1969, \u201cThe Fightin\u2019 Side of Me\u201d appeared on the country chart just two months later, ultimately rising to No. 1. <\/p>\n

Fifty years on, the lyrics are still relevant, as phrases such as \u201cAnd if you don\u2019t love it, leave it\u201d still get tossed around in the modern era.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I had to take my choice I\u2019d rather write a song that people may not agree with than one that they never hear at all,\u201d Haggard said then, according to the 1996 box set, Down Every Road<\/em>. \u201cYou\u2019ve got to make people turn their heads and listen closer to you and maybe say to themselves, \u2019What did he say?’\u201d<\/p>\n

Take a look at this live performance of \u201cThe Fightin\u2019 Side of Me,\u201d filmed on The Porter Wagoner Show<\/em> in 1970.<\/p>\n

Embedded from www.youtube.com<\/a>.