Introduction:
To fully appreciate a song like “What Are We Gonna Do About Us” by Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn, one must first understand the towering context from which it emerged. This is not merely a tune recorded by two successful artists; it is a vital chapter in the storied history of country music, a seamless confluence of two singular talents whose combined artistry transcended the boundaries of the genre itself. Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn, by the early 1970s, were already titans in their own right—Twitty, the velvet-voiced balladeer with a knack for deep emotional resonance and a touch of the suave ‘ladies’ man’ persona; Lynn, the “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” a fiercely authentic and pioneering female voice who spoke the unvarnished truth of everyday life, work, and womanhood. Their professional pairing, initially met with resistance from their respective teams, was a masterstroke of intuition, driven by the artists themselves and by Lynn’s astute husband, Oliver “Doolittle” Lynn. The result was a duo whose on-stage chemistry was so palpable, so utterly convincing, that it became the stuff of legend, leading to four consecutive Vocal Duo of the Year awards from the Country Music Association.
The magic of the Twitty-Lynn partnership lay in their ability to embody the dynamics of a committed, complex relationship without ever losing the inherent individuality that made them stars. Their songs were essentially miniature dramas, short-form musical plays that explored the profound emotional terrain of adult life. While many of their best-known duets navigated themes of temptation and clandestine attraction—songs that, in their era, pushed the envelope of country lyricism—they were just as compelling when tackling the very foundation of an enduring partnership. “What Are We Gonna Do About Us” falls squarely into this latter category, representing a moment of poignant, mature reflection within their collaborative catalog.
Released in 1973 on the album Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man, the song showcases the exquisite vocal contrast and blend that defined their sound. Twitty’s smooth, resonant baritone provided the steady anchor, while Lynn’s higher, more piercing Kentucky twang injected an element of raw, direct feeling. This vocal juxtaposition was a mirror for the emotional friction and eventual harmony depicted in their material. In this particular piece, the title itself poses an arresting question, a moment of reckoning that any couple, married or otherwise deeply entwined, eventually faces. It is a song about the quiet, internal crisis that can creep up even in the most established relationships—the moment when the initial sparks of passion settle into something more complicated, something requiring deliberate effort and joint negotiation. The lyrics eschew dramatic melodrama for a more difficult, honest conversation about maintaining connection and commitment over time, addressing the drift that can occur when two lives become overly intertwined yet emotionally distant.
The enduring success of “What Are We Gonna Do About Us”—and indeed, their entire body of work—lies in its universality and its respect for the listener’s own complex experience. Twitty and Lynn never patronized their audience; they simply provided a soundtrack for the profound realities of the human heart, be they moments of grand passion or, as in this piece, quiet, pressing introspection. For the connoisseur, the song remains a testament to the power of a perfectly matched vocal duo, a seamless blend of artistry that managed to feel both larger than life and as intimate as a late-night conversation at the kitchen table. It is a vital document from a golden age of country music storytelling.