The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.

Background and content

The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A. was recorded in both January and April 1972 in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. The January session was recorded at the RCA Victor studio and produced title track, "The Awareness of Nothing", and "How Close You Came (To Being Gone)". The April session was recorded at the Jack Clement studio and produced the rest of the album's tracks such as, "Funny Face", "Daddy Dumplin'", and "Society's Got Us". The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A. contained Fargo's first recordings for the Dot label after previously recording for Challenge Records in 1969. Eight of the album's eleven tracks were written entirely by Fargo, except the second track "Manhattan Kansas" and a cover of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode", which was the closing track. The album was recorded in a traditional country music style whose themes were considered "cute" as well as a "biting satire of contemporary consumerism", according to Kurt Wolff of Country Music: The Rough Guide. Wolff also praised the track, "The Awareness of Nothing" for its "subtle threads of feminism".

The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A. was first released on a LP record, with five tracks on the first side of the record and five tracks on the other side of the record. The album has not been reisussed on a compact disc since its initial release in 1972.

Release

The title track of The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A. was the lead single released from the album in February 1972. The single became Fargo's first charting single and a major Country pop crossover hit in the United States and Canada, peaking at #1 on the Billboard Magazine Hot Country Singles chart, #11 on the Billboard Hot 100, #7 on the Billboard Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, and #16 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart. The fourth track entitled "Funny Face" was the album's second single in July 1972, becoming an even larger Country pop crossover hit. The song reached #1 on the Billboard Magazine Hot Country Singles chart, #5 on the Billboard Hot 100, #5 on the Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks chart, #1 on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks chart, and #17 on the RPM Top Singles chart. The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A was officially released in May 1972 on Dot Records and peaked at #1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, as well as #47 on the Billboard 200. In addition, it also reached #67 on the Canadian Top Albums chart. The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A. was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on January 29, 1973 for selling over 500,000 copies.

Track listing

All songs composed by Donna Fargo, except where noted.

1. "The Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A." – 2:29
2. "Manhattan, Kansas" – (Joe Allen) 2:38
3. "The Awareness of Nothing" – 3:32
4. "Funny Face" – 2:46
5. "A Little Somethin' (To Hang on To)" – 2:25

1. "Daddy Dumplin'" – 2:24
2. "How Close You Came (To Being Gone)" – 3:12
3. "Society's Got Us" – 2:43
4. "It Would Have Been Just Perfect" – 2:55
5. "Johnny B. Goode" – (Chuck Berry) 2:48

Sales chart positions