“Natural High”
Merle Haggard
Written by Freddy Powers
Billboard
#1 (1 week)
June 8, 1985
Merle Haggard has such a rich catalog that it’s easy for a song like “Natural High” to get lost in the shuffle.
But what a beautiful song this is, heightened by an absolutely gorgeous harmony track from Janie Fricke that deserved a billing credit. Her warmth envelops Haggard’s lead vocal, and validates the sentiment of support that the lyric provides.
It’s hard to believe that after three No. 1 singles from It’s All in the Game, we won’t see Haggard again until 1988. The years in between include “Kern River,” one of his all-time greatest singles that we unfortunately won’t get to right about.
Still, forgotten gems like “Natural High” are a real pleasure to discover. It’s every bit as good as his best work of the decade, and it was a damn good decade for him.
“Natural High” gets an A.
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I really enjoy this one. I would say it’s one of Haggard’s most soulful performances. Really enjoy the way Janie’s voice floats around Haggard’s. Merle was master of craft vocally.
I swear this track was on a Janie Fricke album I had back in the day but I can’t remember which. But she certainly does sing on it enough for it to qualify as featuring, if not a duet (not that I’m really sure of the difference there most of the time). It is a beautiful song.
If you were dealing country music poker, playing a hand of Haggard’s ’80’s hits alone would assure you a royal flush.
This song is spectacular, tender, and gorgeous.
I wish Haggard and Fricke had recorded more songs together.