80's Ladies

Between the late 1970s and the early 1980s, K. T. Oslin wrote songs that brought her to the attention of a performance rights group, SESAC. At the same time, she also sang on Guy Clark's eponymous album. Diana Petty, a Nashville executive for SESAC, advised Oslin to sign a major label contract. By 1979, Oslin was signed with Elektra via a "singles-only" contract, with Petty's support. Only two singles were issued on the label, which were both commercial failures. The song "Clean Your Own Tables" was on the charts for "about a minute and a half... [and] died a fiery death", Oslin recalled. She was dropped by the label in 1982 and returned to New York, which she found her work unsatisfying. She continued to write songs, and was named "Most Promising Country Music Writer" by SESAC that same year. She made an appearance on a live radio broadcast in 1984 to try to connect with more musicians. She recalled that "the next morning, I sat waiting for the phone to ring", but did not succeed in landing a contract. Nashville producer Harold Shedd, who had recently been successful working with Alabama, also attended at the suggestion of Petty. Galante later shared that he had feelings for her in a 2020 interview saying, "I remember thinking when I saw K.T., "Holy shit. This is not an ingenue, this is a woman." Within the first couple of minutes, it was just love. I really did fall in love. That personality was so disarming, probably because of all the time she'd spent on touring companies and Broadway. She'd worked her ass off to get that meeting. This was her last chance and it was fortunate for both of us." At age 43, Oslin was offered a contract and signed to RCA at that year. == Production and composition ==

After signing with the label, Oslin immediately commenced songwriting, creating five new tracks. Recording sessions for ''80's Ladies'' took place at The Music Mill from early to late 1986 in Nashville, Tennessee, where the rhythm tracks and vocal overdubs were done. Harold Shedd served as the album's sole producer. The recording was done digitally using a 32-track X850 Mitsubishi PCM tape recorder. Lyrically, the album's material appears to be largely autobiographical, about Oslin's career in music, but Oslin denied that it was only about her: "It's indeed not my life story – it's everybody's life story". Oslin said that the songs were about experiences of people that she knew: "I do write from a personal point of view. I see what my friends are going through... how they react to relationships." According to Oslin, it took her approximately a year to write the lyrical arrangements, starting it off as a "little [show] piece"; she did not initially envision it as a single, let alone a hit song. In promotional copy for Oslin's 2002 RCA Country Legends compilation, Rich Kienzle wrote that the song "captured the feelings of middle-aged women everywhere". Oslin herself stated that the lyrics were inspired by her best friend's photo showing her ten-year-old daughter looking identical to the friend at the same age. The song describes the long friendship of two people who have known each other since childhood. although Oslin suggested that the relationship on which the song was based actually spanned about thirteen years. The song dates back to 1982, a follow-up to her first single, "Clean Your Own Tables", which failed commercially. It was re-recorded for ''80's Ladies''. "Lonely But Only for You", written by Oslin in collaboration with Rory Bourke and Charlie Black (the song was Black's sole contribution to the album), was originally composed for actress Sissy Spacek and featured on her 1983 album ''Hangin' Up My Heart''. Spacek's version peaked at number 15 on Billboard's Hot Country songs and number 10 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart. "Dr., Dr.", described as "bluesy, brazzy and jazzy" by the Indianapolis Star, describes a songwriter going to see a doctor about a broken heart. The song previously appeared as the B-side of the 1982 version of "Younger Men", initially titled "How Many Loves Have I Got Left". "Two Hearts", written by Oslin and Bourke, has a "self-assertive theme" about a "lonely K. T." offering comfort to a lonely stranger in a bar. A re-recorded version of the song was later featured on Oslin's 1990 album Love in a Small Town. It was released as a single prior to the album's release, reaching number 73 on the U.S. Country chart. "Old Pictures" deals with a woman reminiscing over her photographs of her close relatives and her loved ones. == Release and promotion ==

Promotional single airplay ensued on country radio stations in early 1987. The album was slated to be released in March of that year, but was delayed to June for unspecified reasons. The album was released on June 30, 1987, by RCA Nashville and BMG Music. Tour In September 1987, Oslin began assembling a tour, supported by her backing band, to promote her album across the southern and eastern sections of the United States. The tour began in mid-January 1988 and continued throughout the year as an opening act for Alabama and George Strait. Oslin also co-opened and performed with Restless Heart, Merle Haggard, and Randy Travis. The tour ended in October 1988, two months after the release of her second album. == Commercial performance ==

''80's Ladies debuted at number 145 on the Billboard 200 on December 12, 1987, and at number 15 on the Top Country Albums on August 8, 1987. This was Billboard'''s highest-ever debut for a female country artist in the country chart at the time, with Oslin surpassing Loretta Lynn's debut at number 18 in January 1964 with Loretta Lynn Sings. Thirty weeks later, it topped the Top Country Albums on February 27, 1988. Just sixteen weeks after its debut on the Billboard 200, it peaked at number 68. Altogether, it had spent 32 weeks on the Billboard 200 and 148 weeks in the Top Country Albums chart. It also peaked at number 67 on Cashbox Top 200 and at number one on its subdivision Country Albums chart. ''80's Ladies'' sold about 400,000 copies by February 1988. By March 22, it was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for sales of over 500,000 copies. Fifteen months later, the album was certified platinum, denoting over 1 million shipped within the United States. == Singles ==

"Wall of Tears" was released as the first single on January 9, 1987, and reached number 40 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, staying on the chart for 15 weeks. Her second and most successful single, "80's Ladies", was released on April 24, 1987, and reached number seven on the Billboard Country Singles chart, staying for 21 weeks on that chart, With "80's Ladies", Oslin became first woman to win "Song of the Year" at the Country Music Association Awards (CMAs). The song also earned Oslin a nomination at the Academy of Country Music Awards. The song won Oslin the Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance in 1988. "Do Ya" was released on September 11, 1987, The video for "80's Ladies" won ACM's "Country Music Video of the Year", and "I'll Always Come Back" was nominated for the same award. == Critical reception ==

''80's Ladies was met with positive reviews from country and contemporary music critics. In a promotional record label review publication, Ralph Novak from People'' said the album was "as wryly funny, tuneful and all-around enjoyable as country music gets". He described the songwriting as reflecting "a Kristofferson-like blend of cynical and romantic", giving kudos to Oslin's performance. A review from The Philadelphia Inquirer noted that Oslin's music "addresses marriage, divorce, motherhood and middle-age dating in a way" that had not been seen in the country genre "in a long time", and compared the record's title track to Merle Haggard's "Okie from Muskogee", calling it a "rabble-rouser". Critic Robert Christgau said that on ''80's Ladies'', Oslin "asserts herself only when she writes a song all by her lonesome on tracks". However, he called the second half of the album "dreck", describing its dramatic qualities "down to the last overripe chord change". He approved of Oslin's vocal style and concluded the review with a "B" rating. AllMusic's Rodney Batdorf felt that the songwriting "remained the same" but was "given a new viewpoint"; he said that ''80's Ladies contained "a few weak tracks", but concluded his review by declaring it "an exciting, fresh change". John Wooley from Tulsa World'' declared it "the voice of experience", saying that Oslin's songs "are good ones – tough and poetic, full of heartbreak, tenderness and intelligence". Nashville-based music journalist Robert K. Oermann, writing for Gannett newspapers, described the singer's debut as introducing "a major new recording personality", while praising the title track as "a warm, earthy, good-humored anthem that is 'real' as anything Patsy Cline or Dolly Parton ever sang". A Stereo Review writer said that the performance was "the real stuff" and that the recording for ''80's Ladies'' was "sparkling". The writer said that "Oslin is really more Southern rock-and-blues than country, influenced more by Chuck Berry than Ernest Tubb". The writer described the production as "topnotch", concluding that the album would be "impossible to ignore". Accolades == Track listing ==

All tracks are written by K. T. Oslin, except where noted. == Personnel ==

Credits are adapted from liner notes. Musicians • K. T. Oslin – vocals, keyboards • David Briggs – keyboards • Gary Prim – keyboards • Costo Davis – synthesizer • Bruce Dees – electric guitar • Steve Gibson – electric guitar • Brent Rowan – acoustic guitar, electric guitar • Mike Brignardello – bass guitar • Larry Paxton – bass guitar • Eddie Bayers – drums • Larrie Londin – drums • James Stroud – drums • Sam Levine – saxophone • Terry McMillan – harmonica • Joe Scaife – backing vocals Production • Harold Shedd – producer • Jim Cotton; Joe Scaife – engineers, associate producers • George W. Clinton; Paul Goldberg – assistant engineers • Milan Bogdan – digital editing • Hank Williams – mastering • Mary Hamilton – art design • Beverly Parker – photography • Charlie McCallen – hand tinting • Letha Rodman – make-up == Charts ==

Weekly charts Year-end charts == Certifications ==