40 Years Ago: Ricky Van Shelton Records a New Hit with a Very Old Song

You see it time and time again when looking back through the history of country music. There is a song that was written years ago with a timeless sentiment and an iconic melody that has withstood the test of time, and probably always will with the way it resonates universally, tapping into something inherent about the human experience.

When Willie Nelson recorded “Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain” in 1975 that was written by Fred Rose in the 1940s, the song had already been recorded by a dozen different artists. Willie just happened to be the one to take it to #1 on his magnum opus, Red Headed Stranger. When Chris Stapleton decided to do a more soulful version of “Tennessee Whiskey” by Dean Dillon and Linda Hargrove, it had already been recorded by David Allan Coe as an album’s title track, and been a #2 for George Jones.

When Ricky Van Shelton stepped into the studio to record “Life Turned Her That Way” 40 years ago today (October 14th, 1986), the song had already been covered by scores of performers previously. Written by the “Dean of Nashville Songwriters” Harlan Howard, it was Opry star “Little” Jimmy Dickens who first recorded the song in 1965. Mel Tillis would follow it up with a version in early 1967 that would see the song’s first chart success, making it to #11.

Two of the greatest voices in all of country music—Charley Pride and George Jones—decided to do their own treatment of the track in 1967 after the Mel Tillis success. Ernest Tubb, Willie Nelson, and hitmaker Conway Twitty would also record their own versions. By 1986, you might imagine the song had seen it all, and been given its best shot at hitting #1. But Ricky Van Shelton and producer Steve Buckingham saw it differently.

“Life Turned Her That Way” might be one of the truest specimens of Harlan Howard’s “Three chords and the truth” maxim that has gone on to become the most well-cited definition of country music, even if a G7 and D7 thrown into the G C D chord structure complicate the matter slightly. What makes the song even more interesting is that it was a true country music love and heartbreak story that inspired it.

In 1957, Harlan Howard met country singer Jan Howard in California, who at the time was a single mother with three children. They would eventually marry in Las Vegas. Then in 1967 when Jan and Harlan Howard were getting a divorce, “Life Turned Her That Way” emerged. Listening through the 2nd verse and chorus, it all starts to make sense.

She’s been walked on
And stepped on
So many times
And I hate to admit it
But the last footprint’s mine

She was crying when I met her
She cries harder today
So don’t blame her
Life turned her that way

Fast forward some 30+ years, instead of trying to dramatically modernize the song, or to try and make it rock or swing, Ricky Van Shelton played it pretty much straight. It was his performance, and the timeless story and melody that did the rest. In the mid and late ’80s, country music in some ways was adrift, searching for its next definitive sound, and superstars to carry it forward. That moment was still a couple of years away.

But neotraditionalists like George Strait, Randy Travis, and Keith Whitey were already laying the groundwork for what was to come with the “Class of ’89” and superstars like Garth Brooks and Alan Jackson. Though he doesn’t get nearly as much credit, Ricky Van Shelton was doing the same thing through #1 songs like “Life Turned Her That Way,” and his followup, “Don’t We All Have The Right” that was an old song from Roger Miller.

Whether it was in 1967, or 1987 when “Life Turned Her That Way” officially went #1, or heading into 2027 as we are now, a timeless song can still resonate like it was written and recorded yesterday. That remains the case for “Life Turned Her That Way,” with Ricky Van Shelton’s version arguably being the definitive one.

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