It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels

It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels was a 1952 hit for country singer Kitty Wells. Written by J.D. Miller, it was an "answer song" to the Hank Thompson hit "The Wild Side of Life" (in which the singer expresses regret that his bride-to-be has left him for another man whom she met in a roadhouse, stating "I didn't know that God made honky tonk angels..."). In Kitty Wells' response (which follows the same melody of the original), she counters that "It wasn't God who made honky tonk angels", but rather for every woman who is led astray, it was a man who led her there, a rather daring statement to make in 1952, particularly in the conservative, male-dominated realm of country music.

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1952 - Kitty Wells - J.D. Miller - Hank Thompson

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Wells' version reached #1 on the US country charts (she was the first woman to do so), outsold the Thompson version, and launched the then little-known Wells to superstar status. The song has since been performed by nearly every female country artist at one time or another, with notable versions having been recorded by Dolly Parton and Patty Loveless.

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Dolly Parton - Patty Loveless

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Wells appeared in a 1993 recording of the song by Parton, Loretta Lynn and Tammy Wynette.

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1993 - Loretta Lynn - Tammy Wynette

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