‘Don’t It Make You Want to Go Home’: Joe South, Appreciated

The song for which Joe South is best remembered, “Games People Play” was a searing indictment of people’s hypocrisy and perfidy that presented society as one giant Harper Valley P.T.A. Between it and the tolerance pleas “Walk a Mile in My Shoes” and “Don’t It Make You Want to Go Home,” South established a reputation as a wise, thoughtful and conscious songwriter. “Games” peaked at No. 12 on the charts in early ’69 and the following spring won Grammys for Song of the Year and Best Contemporary Song.

Next Lynn Anderson, “Rose Garden” (1971)