Fifty two years ago today – January 20, 1968
Merle Haggard’s
song Sing Me Back Home reached No. 1 on the Billboard country chart. Merle
wrote the song and recorded it with his band, The Strangers. The song ultimately spent two weeks at No. 1 and a total of 17 weeks on the Hot Country Songs (Billboard) chart.
This site – billboard.com – ranks Sing Me Back Home as
No.1 of Merle’s 20 Best Songs (Critic’s Pics). This website, Tennessean, lists Merle’s 38, No. 1 hits by
year. Sing Me Back Home is Merle's third No.1 hit.
In memory of Merle’s death on April 6, 2016 , which was coincidentally his
birthday (b. 1937), Rolling Stone magazine included Sing Me Back Home in the magazine’s
list of ‘30 essential Merle Haggard Songs’ - HERE
 |
| Merle Haggard - 2010 - citing below |
A few artists who covered Sing Me Back Home are the Everly
Brothers, Joan Baez, Gram Parsons, Grateful Dead, and Don Williams.
In the song, the narrator sings from the perspective of
fellow penitentiary inmate, a singer and guitar player, who performs a final
song for a prisoner making the last walk. The condemned man asks the narrator to sing a song his mama used to sing, because he wants to hear it one more
time before he dies.
Merle Haggard, live – Sing Me Back Home
Until next time,
Kaye Spencer
Stay in contact with Kaye—
Merle
Haggard image
U.S. federal government (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Merle_Haggard_2010.jpg), „Merle Haggard 2010“, marked as public domain, more details on Wikimedia Commons: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Template:PD-US
Resources
Sing Me Back Home song
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sing_Me_Back_Home_(song)
Sing Me Back Home album
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sing_Me_Back_Home
Hubby and I have been a fan of Merle's music forever. He has an incredible catalog of great songs. Have you heard him sing Kern River? It's bittersweet but beautiful. You always post such neat things to read, Kaye.
ReplyDeleteI love his music, too. Yes, I've heard Kern River. Beautiful song.
DeleteMerle Haggard is a huge favorite of mine. Miss him very much (along with some other country greats who are now absent). He had so many wonderful songs it'd be hard for me to pick one.
ReplyDeleteIt is hard to choose just one. Merle's songs 'spoke' to the Regular Joe and Jane. The lyrics were/are so relatable in an Everyman sort of way.
DeleteMusic does touch the soul, doesn't it? This song goes deeper than most. Doris
ReplyDeleteYou are absolutely right. This song touches us at a deep, emotional level -- last walk -- thinking of your mother -- remembering (maybe regretting) the choices that brought you to this end...
DeleteThanks for a great trip down memory lane.
ReplyDelete"Memory Lane" is my middle name. *wink*
ReplyDelete