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

Unless you’re a fan of books about schizophrenic teens, you were likely introduced to the phrase “I never promised you a rose garden” by this South composition. It was recorded in 1971 by a then minor country artist and equestrienne named Lynn Anderson who appreciated its “oh, get over it” subject matter. She was rewarded with a worldwide smash that hit No. 1 country and crossed over to No. 3 pop, and the song garnered South a second Song of the Year Grammy nomination. (And residual royalties years later when Canadian prank popsters Kon Kan reworked the chorus into their “I Beg Your Pardon” in 1988.)

Next The Osmonds, “Yo-Yo” (1971)