"Grandma Harp" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Merle Haggard and The Strangers. It was released in March 1972 as the second single from the album Let Me Tell You About a Song. The song was Merle Haggard and The Strangers 12th No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in May 1972, staying atop the chart for two weeks, and spending a total 14 weeks in the top 40.[1]
| "Grandma Harp" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Merle Haggard and The Strangers | ||||
| from the album Let Me Tell You About a Song | ||||
| B-side | "Turning Off a Memory" | |||
| Released | March 20, 1972 | |||
| Recorded | November 18, 1971 Hollywood, California | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:12 (single) 3:10 (album version) | |||
| Label | Capitol 3198 | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Merle Haggard | |||
| Producer(s) | Ken Nelson | |||
| Merle Haggard and The Strangers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Content
editThe song is a reflection of a young man's (Merle Haggard) grandmother, Martha Frances Arizona Belle “Zona” Villines Harp, (aka "Grandma Harp") the family matriarch and title character who was born in Newton County, Arkansas, and lived for 90 years.
The protagonist (who sings the song in first person) says that her life story can be told in only a few short lines, but reflects on how Grandma Harp (along with Grandpa, whom she married in 1901) was a rock that held the family together. The album version includes a spoken word prologue, where Haggard reflects how his grandmother lived through an era of tremendous historical and social change, from the first automobiles to two world wars and the first man to walk on the Moon.
Chart performance
edit| Chart (1972) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[2] | 1 |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 5 |
References
edit- ^ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 147.
- ^ "Merle Haggard Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
