Maybe in 1961 pop music was a little sleepy, as Bob Dylan suggested. Or maybe it was just catching its breath. The Brill Building songwriters were still turning out hits for the likes of Ben E King.

These three country songs all came out in the year 1961, and will always be considered country music classics.

Cline is proof that chart success cannot measure the true quality of an artist’s work. She released 24 singles between 1955 and 1963. Two of those topped the country chart. Four more tracks broke the ...