Help Top Ten: Heaven Help the Working Girl (#3)
By Four Walls
@FourWalls (62233)
United States
March 31, 2022 10:37am CST
This pretty much ends the “hard” part of putting these songs with “help” in the title into an order. The top two were easy to arrange. So help yourself to another song on the help countdown (except Linda, this is country 
).
#3: Heaven Help the Working Girl - Norma Jean
You’ve probably never heard of Norma Jean, except maybe as an afterthought when reading about Dolly Parton. Yes, they do have something in common. No, it’s not what you’re thinking.
Before Dolly joined Porter Wagoner’s syndicated TV show as the “girl singer” (every one of those syndicated country shows had a “girl singer,” too….for trivia, the Wilburn Brothers’ “girl singer” was Loretta Lynn!), the featured female was none other than “Pretty Miss Norma Jean.”
That wasn’t all she did, too (unlike Lois Johnson, who didn’t have a very prolific career despite being on Ernest Tubb’s TV show). She had a string of hits in the 60s. This one is a sad-but-funny tale of a waitress in a cafe/bar who has to put up with requests from drunks to “go home to your wife and your kids.”
I got to meet Norma Jean briefly at the Americana festival in 2007. They were set to honor Porter Wagoner; however, his death a week before the festival began turned it into a memorial/celebration. She was still “pretty miss” then!
A talented and sadly forgotten lady.
Heaven Help the Working Girl
Written by Harlan Howard
Recorded by Norma Jean
From Heaven Help the Working Girl, 1968
Good morning, sir:
).
#3: Heaven Help the Working Girl - Norma Jean
You’ve probably never heard of Norma Jean, except maybe as an afterthought when reading about Dolly Parton. Yes, they do have something in common. No, it’s not what you’re thinking.
Before Dolly joined Porter Wagoner’s syndicated TV show as the “girl singer” (every one of those syndicated country shows had a “girl singer,” too….for trivia, the Wilburn Brothers’ “girl singer” was Loretta Lynn!), the featured female was none other than “Pretty Miss Norma Jean.”
That wasn’t all she did, too (unlike Lois Johnson, who didn’t have a very prolific career despite being on Ernest Tubb’s TV show). She had a string of hits in the 60s. This one is a sad-but-funny tale of a waitress in a cafe/bar who has to put up with requests from drunks to “go home to your wife and your kids.”
I got to meet Norma Jean briefly at the Americana festival in 2007. They were set to honor Porter Wagoner; however, his death a week before the festival began turned it into a memorial/celebration. She was still “pretty miss” then!
A talented and sadly forgotten lady.
Heaven Help the Working Girl
Written by Harlan Howard
Recorded by Norma Jean
From Heaven Help the Working Girl, 1968
Good morning, sir:
RewardsNorma Jean - Heaven Help The Working Girl (1968)YouTube · 1,000+ views · 3/8/2020 · by Stone Cold CountrySaveShareView pageNorma Jean - Heaven Help The Working Girl (1968)YouTube · 02:04 · 1,000+ viewsRelated videosUp Next22:56Merle Travis Live 1967
13 people like this
11 responses
@RebeccasFarm (86767)
• United States
31 Mar 22
At first I though it was Marilyn hahaha
3 people like this
@FourWalls (62233)
• United States
31 Mar 22
No, and this isn’t from the young man in the 22nd row, either.
2 people like this
@FourWalls (62233)
• United States
31 Mar 22
Cool! You watched the old black & white Porter Wagoner shows, too!! (And you look like such a young cat in your profile picture. )
)2 people like this
@FourWalls (62233)
• United States
31 Mar 22
@Dena91 — your dad had remarkable taste in music.
2 people like this
@FourWalls (62233)
• United States
1 Apr 22
Harlan Howard was an amazing songwriter. You’d never think, listening to this so well described from a woman’s point of view, that a man wrote it.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62233)
• United States
2 Apr 22
@DWDavis — I don’t know if it was. And thank you so much for remembering that, although that’s a hard song to forget!
1 person likes this
@DWDavis (25812)
• Pikeville, North Carolina
1 Apr 22
@FourWalls I wonder if this song was the inspiration for the disco era song, "She Works Hard for the Money," performed by Donna Summer, and which, I believe, made your top ten money songs.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (79803)
• United States
1 Apr 22
Very interesting info. I learned something new today
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62233)
• United States
1 Apr 22
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you learn something.
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (156590)
• United States
1 Apr 22
This one doesn't ring a bell at all. She does have a nice voice.
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62233)
• United States
1 Apr 22
I think her biggest hit was “Let’s Go All the Way,” and I don’t remember anything of hers ever crossing over to pop. I’m glad it wasn’t too migraine-inducing on you. 
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62233)
• United States
2 Apr 22
@LindaOHio — that’s the way to do it….until the fiddles and steel guitars and twang come in (not that there were any on this song).
1 person likes this
@LindaOHio (156590)
• United States
2 Apr 22
@FourWalls I just listened to a little bit of it.
1 person likes this
@RasmaSandra (73538)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
1 Apr 22
Nope never heard this before, Norma Jean reminds me of Marilyn Monroe due to the name,
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62233)
• United States
1 Apr 22
No relation. And her name really is Norma Jean (Beasler is her last name).
1 person likes this
@FourWalls (62233)
• United States
5 Apr 22
It’ll be here in the morning. It was recorded in 1968, so it can wait one more day. Sleep well, you and Kitty.
@thislittlepennyearns (58152)
• Defuniak Springs, Florida
5 Apr 22
d love this song and this post.Thank you for reminding me of it.
1 person likes this
@annabanana20 (96)
•
1 Apr 22
you're right its the first time that i heard her name and song
1 person likes this
