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Merle Haggard and Clint Eastwood’s Duet “Bar Room Buddies” Was A No. 1 Country Hit

Merle Haggard + Clint Eastwood + Bar Room Buddies
by
  • Riley is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, known for her engaging storytelling and insightful coverage of the genre.
  • Before joining Country Thang Daily, Riley developed her expertise at Billboard and People magazine, focusing on feature stories and music reviews.
  • Riley has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from Belmont University, with a minor in Cultural Studies.

American country music artist Merle Haggard collaborated with actor Clint Eastwood in 1980 for a duet titled “Bar Room Buddies.” The song was written by Milton Brown, Cliff Crofford, Steve Dorff, and Snuff Garrett. It was released as the soundtrack for one of the first Clint Eastwood movies he directed, “Bronco Billy.”

Meaning Behind The Song

“Bronco Billy” didn’t earn a huge success, but Clint Eastwood wasn’t too bothered about it. As he said, it was old-fashioned – and probably too old-fashioned for the audience’s taste since it didn’t do as well as he hoped. But as a director, it had everything that he wanted to say.

Eastwood got his redemption after he snagged a number-one hit on the Billboard country charts with his collaboration duet with legendary country singer Merle Haggard. It stayed for a week at the top and then spent another thirteen weeks on it. 

It was a rather unlikely duo, so what made people want to listen to it? For one, it’s Merle Haggard, and Merle Haggard’s songs are top-tier. Second, Eastwood has the novelty of a Western film star. As for the song itself, the beat is very easy to follow, incorporating speak-singing. That’s probably considering Eastwood’s limited vocal range (which might also be why it was just a little longer than two minutes). 

As its title suggested, it’s about two buddies who loved having fun – beer drinking, “skirt-chasing, tail kicking, guitar picking, pool hustling.” Ultimately, they are two people who have each other’s back.

It’s the kind of music you could mindlessly dance to and just have fun. It’s a bonus if you love beer and have a buddy, too! 

So, what do you say? Are you ready to get on the dance floor? If yes, then go ahead and hit play on Merle Haggard and Clint Eastwood’s “Bar Room Buddies.” You might also wanna check out the version of Texas Country super duo “Dos Barrachos,” Kevin Fowler and Roger Creager. It’s equally fun, and they bring a different flavor of energy into the song. Here’s a link to their music video. Enjoy!

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