Which 1968 song made Jeannie C. Riley the first woman to top Billboard’s country and Hot 100 charts?

“Harper Valley PTA” made Jeannie C. Riley the first woman to top Billboard’s country and Hot 100 charts.

Written by Tom T. Hall, the country satire tells of a widowed mother confronting the judgmental members of a local parent-teacher association. Columbia Records released Riley’s recording in 1968, and it quickly crossed from country radio into mainstream pop.

The song topped both Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart and the Billboard Hot 100. Riley’s follow-up recordings were successful in country music but did not match this crossover impact, which is why she is commonly identified as a one-hit wonder in pop-chart discussions.

The title refers to the fictional Harper Valley PTA rather than a real organization. The song also inspired a 1978 film and a later television series, both using its central setting and characters.