The controversy…

Before its skyrocketing response from the country music lovers, before its success, “Stand By Your Man” was actually disparaged, especially Women’s Liberation Movement. This is the reason that the lyrics, according to them, were anti-feminist.  They also emphasized the song is contrary to their cause and beliefs. This is also another reason Wynette has used an example of being a compliant wife.

Sometimes it’s hard to be a woman

Giving all your love to just one man…

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But if you love him, you’ll forgive him

Even though he’s hard to understand

It is the most controversial song that Wynette wrote. But it is indeed one of her best songs of all time. The song, not to mention, elevated her career in 1970. She actually wrote the song in just 15 minutes.  But as people say, Wynette spent her whole life defending the song. At that point in her life, she already had bad marriages.

Her side of the story…

Tammy told Melody Maker Magazine.

“I can sympathize very easily because I have seen it happen in Mississippi where I was raised, and Alabama, growing up as a child, where a woman couldn’t make a third of what a man could make doing an identical job. I can sympathize with that, and I feel it’s very wrong. A woman should be equal to a man for anything she’s capable of doing, but I still feel there’s a lot of things she isn’t capable of doing. Physically.”

Personal Views…

I think the song is impeccable for women. The song essentially describes how women show their affection to their spouse, to their lovers. It shows how strong women at understanding men. Yes, definitely people will agree that women and men have ample of differences. But those differences have the power to create a connection between a man and a woman. That is exactly what the song would like to inject us.

Furthermore, I actually think the song does not oppose women’s beliefs. It is just merely a very good representation of how women can purely love. We know that men can do things, a lot of things that might hurt a woman. But at the end of the day, women just need to support and understand their men. Because when men fight for their women, it’s undeniably different. So stand by your man.

I remembered asking my mom why she loved the song so much. She simply said,

“I love your Dad and it is the song I dedicate to him”.

She also mentioned that the lyrics exactly define her love to my dad.