On Aug. 18, 1973, Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn landed at No. 1 on the Billboard country chart with “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man.” Co-written by Becki Bluefield and Jim Owen, and produced by Owen Bradley, the song is the title track of the duo‘s 1973 LP.
“Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man” describes the irresistible appeal of a romance that feels vaguely forbidden — or is at least hampered by geography and obstacles such as alligators. “Louisiana woman!” Twitty hollers, as if he’s beckoning Lynn to his side of the water. “Mississippi man!” Lynn responds, seemingly happy to see her man.
Together, the pair sings, “We get together every time we can / The Mississippi River can’t keep us apart.” For good measure, Twitty exclaims, “There’s too much love in the Mississippi heart!” and Lynn adds, “Too much love in this Louisiana heart!”
As these lyrics imply, “Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man” is upbeat despite any heartache; in fact, musically, it’s one of the duo’s most striking efforts. Contemporary electric guitar pushes up against genial pedal steel and insistent fiddle, while subtle flourishes — such as ’50s barbershop quartet-esque backing harmonies — add verve.
“Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man” only spent one week atop the charts, but the tune spent 13 weeks overall on the country charts.