“It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,” released in 1952, was a groundbreaking and controversial country hit by Kitty Wells, a pioneering woman in a male-dominated genre. Wells, known as the “Queen of Country Music,” wasn’t the first female country star, but she was the first to truly break through with a voice that spoke directly to, and for, women.
This song was an answer song to Hank Thompson’s “The Wild Side of Life,” which blamed a woman’s departure for the lure of the honky-tonk lifestyle. Wells’s retort flipped the script, placing the blame squarely on unfaithful men. The lyrics, “It wasn’t God who made honky tonk angels / As you said in the words of your song / Too many times married men think they’re still single / That has caused many a good girl to go wrong,” were a bold statement for the time.
The song was a massive success, resonating deeply with a female audience who felt unheard and misrepresented in popular music. It shot to the top of the Billboard country charts, making Wells the first solo female artist to achieve this feat. This breakthrough paved the way for generations of female country singers.
The public reaction was significant, and the song became an instant classic. While some radio stations initially hesitated to play it due to its perceived controversial nature, the overwhelming popularity forced their hand. Women, in particular, embraced the song as an anthem of female empowerment, a rare voice of solidarity in a world often defined by male perspectives. It established Kitty Wells not just as a star, but as a cultural force, challenging traditional gender roles and giving voice to a previously marginalized segment of the country music audience. The song helped highlight the double standards that many women faced at that time, and it is still used today as an example of early feminist expression.