Monday, January 20, 2020

52 years ago today: Merle Haggard - Sing Me Back Home - by Kaye Spencer #westernfictioneers #countrymusic



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



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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

8 comments:

  1. 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.

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    1. I love his music, too. Yes, I've heard Kern River. Beautiful song.

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  2. Merle 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.

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    1. It 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.

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  3. Music does touch the soul, doesn't it? This song goes deeper than most. Doris

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    1. You 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...

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  4. Thanks for a great trip down memory lane.

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  5. "Memory Lane" is my middle name. *wink*

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