AN EXCELLENT PLAYING COPY OF JEANNE GAYLE'S SARCASTIC AND FEMINIST ANSWER TO THE 1952 CLASSIC COUNTRY 78 FROM HANK THOMPSON "THE WILD SIDE OF LIFE" ON THE UK CAPITOL LABEL

IT WASN'T GOD WHO MADE HONKY TONK ANGELS

b/w   TAKES TWO TO TANGO 

"The Wild Side of Life" is a song made famous by country music singer Hank Thompson. Originally released in 1952, the song became one of the most popular recordings in the genre's history. It spent 15 weeks at No. 1 in the US Billboard country charts solidifying Thompson's status as a country music superstar.

The lyric, "I didn't know God made honky tonk angels," and the tune's overall cynical attitude — Kingsbury noted the song "... just begged for an answer from a woman" — inspired "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels," which was also based on the same melody. Recorded by Kitty Wells  and Jeanne Gayle it was released later in 1952, that song, too, became a big country hit. "It Wasn't God ... ," shifted the blame for the woman's infidelity to the man, countering that for every unfaithful woman there is a man who has led her astray.

There have been many cover versions of "The Wild Side of Life," several of which became hits in their own right. Burl Ives had a top 10 hit with the song concurrent with Thompson's success, while Freddy Fender reached No. 13 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart in early 1976.

A version by the British rock band Status Quo reached the UK top 10 in 1976.

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