Released February 1968 Genre Country | Format 7" | |
B-side "Today I Started Loving You Again" Recorded January 31, 1968 ("The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde")
February 1, 1968 ("Today I Started Loving You Again")
both Capitol Recording Studio,
Hollywood, California Length 2:06 ("The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde")
2:20 ("Today I Started Loving You Again") | ||
"The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde'" is a song written by American country music artists Merle Haggard and Bonnie Owens and performed by Haggard. It was released in January 1968 as the first single and title track from the album The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde. The song was Haggard's fourth number one on the U.S. country singles chart. The single spent two weeks at number one and a total of 14 weeks on the country chart.
Contents
The song is a condensed biography of the famed outlaw duo Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, starting from the time they met to their violent death in an ambush.
B-side
The B-side of the single was "Today I Started Loving You Again." A ballad composed by Haggard and Bonnie Owens, the song neither charted on its own as a single nor was listed as a flip-side "tag-along" hit. Nonetheless, "Today I Started Loving You Again" became one of Haggard's most popular songs and would be a staple of classic country music radio stations' playlists.
Chart performance
Released in February 1968, The Legend of Bonnie and Clyde was Merle Haggard's fourth No. 1 song on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart in April. The song spent two weeks at No. 1.
Covers
The song was covered by a number of other artists, including Tammy Wynette.