Vicki Lawrence, The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia | 1 Hit WONDERful

In the 11^th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful , we highlight “The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia” performed by Vicki Lawrence.

It only takes ONE hit to solidify a musical legacy ! On 1 Hit WONDERful , we highlight songs that were the SOLE hit by a given musician.  To be fair, it is possible that the artists appearing on this list earned a minor hit or two, BUT for the most part, it’s that ONE hit that earned them recognition. So, in the 11^th edition of 1 Hit WONDERful , we dive into “The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia”,  the one hit wonder by Vicki Lawrence.

“Well, he got mad, and he saw red / And Andy said, ‘Boy, don’t you lose your head / ‘Cause to tell the truth, I’ve been with her myself.’” Wow ! It gets much worse on “The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia”, the opening track from The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia, the 1973 debut album by Vicki Lawrence.  Lawrence is best known for her acting and comedy, particularly on The Carol Burnett Show and Mama’s Family.  That said, Lawrence reached the Billboard Hot 100 thrice. “The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia” was her sole top-40 hit.  How well did that top-40 hit perform? It reached no. 1! Woo-hoo!

“That’s the night that the lights went out in Georgia,

That’s the night that they hung an innocent man, uh-huh

Well, don’t trust your soul to no backwoods, southern lawyer

Cause the judge in the town’s got bloodstains on his hands.”

A murder ballad, “The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia” was written by Grammy winner  Bobby Russell (1940 – 1992), who was her husband for a brief time.  Originally, the song, which Russell was reluctant about himself, was offered to Cher.  Her husband at the time, Sonny Bono, turned down the song because he believed it would upset her southern fans.  Lawrence would record this dark country tune with producer Snuff Garrett and make it a hit.  So, why exactly did the lights go out in Georgia? Well, an innocent man – the man who is cheated on, coincidently – was hung, while the guilty party, his sister (whom Vicki portrays in the song), walks free.  Ain’t that some shit? It’s a case of the wrong place at the wrong time and a suspect trial, etc.

“Well, they hung my brother before I could say

The tracks he saw while on his way

To Andy’s house and back that night were mine

And his cheating wife had never left town

And that one’s body that’ll never be found

See, little sister don’t miss when she aims her gun.”

“The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia” is the perfect example that it takes only one great song to carve out a place in music history.  Vicki Lawrence outdid herself on this one.

Vicki Lawrence • The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia • GME LLC • 1973

Vicki Lawrence, The Night the Lights Went out in Georgia: 1 Hit WONDERful No. 11 (2023) [: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; GME LLC; Julia Larsen, Kurchakto, RDNE Stock project, Victor Terrell from Pexels; Andrew Martin from Pixabay]