"I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Merle Haggard and The Strangers. It was released in October 1968 as the only single from his album Pride in What I Am. The song peaked at number three on the U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It reached number-one on the Canadian RPM Country Tracks in January 1969.
Personnel Merle Haggard– vocals, guitar
The Strangers: Roy Nichols – guitar, harmonica Norman Hamlet – steel guitar George French – piano Jerry Ward – bass Eddie Burris – drums Meaning The song is about a poor train-hopping transient, who as the title suggests, celebrates his outcast identity, perseverance and freedom.La Chapelle, Peter. Proud to Be an Okie: Cultural Politics, Country Music, and Migration to Southern California. University of California Press, 2007. p. 196. Google Books preview. Archived at Web Archive.Doe, You Wrote My Life, 2007, p. 56. Google Books preview. Archived at Web Archive. Dean Martin version and background Dean Martin came back to the charts in 1964 with his hit Everybody Loves Somebody, and continued to do well on the charts ever since, with multiple Easy Listening Number ones. By 1969 his comeback cooled down, and that year he recorded "I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am", which did better than his previous single "Gentle On My Mind", reaching No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 15 on the Easy Listening chart. It also did very well in Canada, reaching No. 62 there and No. 3 on Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary. After his next single, "One Cup of Happiness (and One Piece of Mind)" did well on the charts too, he recorded his only album that year, I Take a Lot of Pride in What I Am, which included both songs. Other versions A tape recorder version of this song was played at the funeral of late Lynyrd Skynyrd vocalist, Ronnie Van Zant. Jerry Butler recorded a version too that year, it did modestly in Canada. Chart performance Merle Haggard Chart (1968–1969)PeakpositionCanadian RPM Country Tracks1
Dean Martin Chart (1969)PeakpositionCanadian RPM Top Singles62Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary 3Australian Top Singles88 Jerry Butler Chart (1969)PeakpositionCanadian RPM Top Singles86
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