Songfacts®:

• The Pointer Sisters are best known for '80s pop hits like "I'm So Excited" and "Neutron Dance," but early in their career the ventured into country music with "Fairytale," a song where Anita Pointer wakes up to the reality that her man is no good - the story she concocted of their happy life together is just a fairytale, and now she's going to leave him. We can picture this guy singing a Hank Williams song after she leaves him.
• The Pointer Sisters at this time were Anita, Bonnie, Ruth and June. Anita and Bonnie wrote this song, which has a real-life inspiration. In the book Writing For The King, she explained that she fell for a San Fransisco disc jockey on the radio station KSAN who turned out to be married. He's the liar in the song who breaks her heart. After she came up with the lyrics, she and Bonnie completed the song.
• The song was recorded in Nashville. Much of the country flavor is thanks to the pedal steel guitar played by Weldon Myrick. Norbert Putnam, known for his work with Jimmy Buffett was the bass player. The other musicians were:
  
  David Briggs – piano
  Bobby Thompson – acoustic guitar
  Buddy Spicher – fiddle
  Ken Buttrey – drums
  
  The song was produced by David Rubinson.
• "Fairytale" went to #13 on both the Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts, but it also made the Country chart, landing at #37. The group took another crack at country with their 1975 single "Live Your Life Before You Die," but that one didn't make the Country chart.
• The Pointer Sisters became the first group of Black women to perform at the Grand Ole Opry when they sang "Fairytale" at the storied venue on October 25, 1974 (Linda Martell was the first Black woman to sing at the Opry, doing so in 1969).
  
  According to Ruth Pointer, there was a party for the group in Nashville the night before, but when they arrived, they were brought around back by someone who thought they were hired help.
• In 1975, "Fairytale" the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group, making them the first Black women to win in a country category. They won two more awards, both in 1985: Best Vocal Arrangement For Two Or More Voices for "Automatic" and Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal for "Jump (For My Love)."
• In 1975, two years before his death, Elvis Presley recorded "Fairytale," including it on his album Today.