Track Listing

1. Happiest Girl in the Whole U.S.A.
2. Funny Face
3. Superman
4. You Were Always There
5. Little Girl Gone
6. I'll Try a Little Bit Harder
7. You Can't Be a Beacon (If Your Light Don't Shine)
8. U. S. of A.
9. It Do Feel Good
10. Whatever I Say
11. Don't Be Angry

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12469 in Music
• Brand: MCA
• Released on: 2002-01-08
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .21 pounds

Customer Reviews

Short collection of a great artist's best hits
After a few false starts on small labels, Donna Fargo arrived on the country charts in 1972 and went straight to the top. She combined the relentless exhuberance of Dolly Parton, the quiver of Tammy Wynette, and especially, the vocal sound of Loretta Lynn. Unlike those country queens, she was also able to cross over to the pop top 10 as well with her first two hits "Happiest Girl In The Whole USA" and "Funny Face." The major pop success was short-lived, but Fargo would become a major fixture on the country charts throughout the '70s. This 11 track set covers Fargo's best work on the ABC/Dot label: 1972-1976 (Varese Sarabonde had an eighteen track collection of this period but it is now out of print).

The ABC/Dot singles here, in chronological order, were the biggest hits. After her initial pair of perky mega-hit singles, Fargo wisely added a little sarcasm with her follow-up "Superman." She also effectively merged country and gospel with "You Can't Be A Beacon (If Your Light Don't Shine)". "U.S. of A." provided a patriotic slant, but her predominant theme was domestic bliss. Fargo also, impressively, wrote most of her hits.

Fargo's late '70s Warner Brothers hits remain out of print. While those singles aren't as strong as what is found here, they have their moments. Hopefully, Warner Brothers (or Rhino) will someday put out a retrospective of those follow-up hits.

Authentic and moving
I am not a connoiseur of country music and most of the bland crossover stuff leaves me cold. But occassionally a unique singer comes along with a song or two that really grabs me because of the authenticity and genuine emotion in the music.

Donna Fargo is such a singer and a gifted composer who enriched the pop charts in the early seventies with her catchy songs The Happiest Girl In The Whole USA and Funny Face. Yes, these songs are about the domestic bliss of everyday people but somehow they're special and unique, able to soften even the most cynical of hearts with their exuberance and engaging melodies. In addition, Fargo's voice and/or accent is quite charming, with just a hint of a lisp, which makes her style even more appealing.

Besides the aforementioned hits, I also love You Were Always There, Su;perman, US of A and Whatever I Say. The other tracks aren't quite in the same league but still very enjoyable. This is country music at its best; nothing beats a brilliant song performed with genuine feeling.

Most overlooked !
Donna Fargo has to be the most overlooked female country singer in the business. Being the first lady in country music to have million selling singles and being one of the few female artist of her time to write most of her songs. She has yet to get the respect that she deserves. This cd is very good but serves only a small part of her catalog. Her fans are still waiting for a complete collection!
Every time CMT has the best 100 song specials i'm amazed there's no Donna songs. Hello!