1952 Country Song, Banned by Some Radio Stations, Dethroned Hank Thompson’s No. 1 Hit

It was 1952, and Kitty Wells was about to make country music history with a song that some radio stations considered too controversial to play. 

“It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” became a groundbreaking hit for Wells, making her the first solo female artist to reach No. 1 on the country charts. But the song did more than make history on the charts. It challenged the double standard surrounding men and women in country music and opened the door for generations of female artists who followed. 

The song was also an answer to one of the biggest country hits of the year, Hank Thompson’s “The Wild Side of Life.” 

Thompson’s song tells the story of a husband whose wife leaves him for “the places where the wine and liquor flow.” He laments, “I didn’t know God made honky tonk angels,” adding, “I might have known you’d never make a wife.” 

Wells wasn’t willing to let that stand. Written by J.D. Miller and set to the same melody, “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” pushed back against the idea that women should take all the blame for broken relationships. 

“It’s a shame that all the blame is on us women,” Wells sings, arguing that “most every heart that’s ever broken / was because there always was a man to blame.” 

The response was bold enough to spark real backlash. NBC banned the song from its radio network for being too “suggestive,” while the Grand Ole Opry initially refused to let Wells perform it onstage. The Opry eventually gave in after audiences demanded to hear the song. 

“The Wild Side of Life” had already spent 15 weeks at No. 1 before Wells ended its run at the top. On August 23, 1952, “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels” reached No. 1, where it remained for six weeks. The song also topped the country jukebox chart and made the pop Top 40. 

The hit sold more than 800,000 copies during its first year and later became one of the first million-selling singles by a solo female country artist.

But Wells almost didn’t record it. By May 3, 1952, Wells was so discouraged about her career prospects that she was considering retirement. Female singers weren’t getting much support from country music promoters, and the Nashville native was seriously thinking about leaving the business. 

She still needed the money, though, so she headed to Nashville’s Castle Studios to cut what she figured would be a minor addition to her repertoire. “I wasn’t expecting it to make a hit,” Wells said. “I just thought it was another song.”

Instead, the song became the biggest hit of her career and a turning point for women in country music.

Wells’ record made an impression on young girls who dreamed of singing country music, including Jeannie Seely, who was 12 and living in rural Pennsylvania when she first heard it. 

“I was absolutely thrilled, of course, to hear another girl was a big thing, because there weren’t that many at that time,” Seely told Rolling Stone in 2022.

Seely eventually found success herself with the 1966 hit “Don’t Touch Me,” going on to win a Grammy and spend more than 50 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry. But Wells’ record was one of the first things that made a career in country music feel possible to her. 

​​“I didn’t have a lot of mentors back then,” Seely said. “So when [Wells] came along, and that record hit, I was like, ‘Wow, this opens a whole new world to me.’” 

Wells’ success helped open the door for women in country music to push back against male infidelity and the double standards surrounding relationships. Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette would later address many of those themes in their music. 

Related: 1964 Rock Song, Written by Carole King, Launched a 16-Year-Old Singer’s Career