About The Song
“Ladies Love Outlaws” is a song performed by Waylon Jennings, released in 1972 as a single on RCA Victor, later included on the 1972 album Ladies Love Outlaws. Written by Lee Clayton, the song was first recorded by Clayton in 1971 but became widely known through Jennings’ version. The track peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart on August 12, 1972, and charted for 12 weeks. The 3:33 song celebrates the allure of the outlaw lifestyle, with lyrics like: “Ladies love outlaws, like babies love stray dogs / Ladies touch babies like outlaws touch the law.”
Jennings recorded the song in 1972 at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee, produced by Ron Chancey. The session featured The Waylors, with Ralph Mooney on steel guitar, Jerry Gropp on guitar, and Richie Albright on drums, alongside session musicians including a background vocal group. The arrangement includes a rolling rhythm, Mooney’s steel guitar, and Jennings’ distinctive vocals, embodying the emerging outlaw country sound. The album Ladies Love Outlaws reached No. 7 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and sold over 300,000 copies by 1973, per RIAA records, marking a key moment in the outlaw movement.
The song’s selection came as Jennings embraced the outlaw persona, aligning with Clayton’s narrative of freedom and rebellion. Recorded during a period of tension with RCA over creative control, it helped define the outlaw country genre alongside Willie Nelson and others. In a 1972 interview with Country Music magazine, Jennings said: “It’s about the spirit of living outside the lines.” The track gained exposure through its inclusion in the 1972 television special Country Music USA, aired on ABC, featuring a live performance.
Covers of the song include Clayton’s 1971 original and a 1973 version by Hank Williams Jr. on Why Don’t You Love Me. Jennings’ rendition inspired later covers, such as a 1980 version by The Outlaws on Western Union, per SecondHandSongs. A live performance from a 1973 Grand Ole Opry appearance was released on the 2008 album Waylon Live: The Lost Nashville Sessions. The song appeared in the 1976 film The Outlaw Josey Wales, used in a saloon scene, and in a 2019 episode of Yellowstone, featured during a rugged character moment.
Jennings frequently included “Ladies Love Outlaws” in his live sets, notably at the 1972 Dripping Springs Reunion in Texas, where it resonated with the audience. A 1978 duet with Willie Nelson was released on the album Waylon & Willie. The song was performed at the 1976 Willie Nelson Fourth of July Picnic in Gonzales, Texas, and featured in a 2020 documentary, Waylon Jennings: Outlaw Anthem, aired on PBS, exploring his role in the outlaw movement.
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Lyric
Ladies love outlaws, like babies love stray dogs
Ladies touch babies, like outlaws touch the law
Ladies love outlaws, like it’s all they deserve
‘Til the guns for hire turn to rustin’ in the windOutlaws have always been an early American dream
And the girls all look, and the boys all scream
‘Cause the outlaws live by a different set of rules
Where love is a weapon, and the winners are foolsLadies love outlaws, like babies love stray dogs
Ladies touch babies, like outlaws touch the law
Ladies love outlaws, like it’s all they deserve
‘Til the guns for hire turn to rustin’ in the windThe highway’s alive with the sound of their names
The legends grow tall in the midnight flame
They ride through the night with a song in their soul
And the ladies keep lovin’ what they’ll never controlLadies love outlaws, like babies love stray dogs
Ladies touch babies, like outlaws touch the law
Ladies love outlaws, like it’s all they deserve
‘Til the guns for hire turn to rustin’ in the wind