Recommendation XVIII: Rodney Crowell & Emmylou Harris

Yes, yes, I know – I’ve been away way too long…two months now since my last entry! I can’t believe it’s been that long and I really do apologize. I went home for winter break and had no internet to work with and since then, I’ve been back in school for January and have been as busy as ever, but now I finally have time to do more online stuff (lucky you). 2007 was quite a year for me and I thought the music was overall pretty good. I was planning on making a ‘07 Best-of list, but now, it just seems too late hahaha. Alright, ‘nough chit-chat, and onto the recommendation…

My eighteenth recommendation is: Rodney Crowell & Emmylou Harris’s “My Baby’s Gone” from the 2003 Livin’, Lovin’, Losin’: Songs of the Louvin Brothers tribute album.  I remember that back in 2003, I had no idea at all who the Louvin Brothers were but I saw online ads for the tribute album on CMT.com and I read that Patty Loveless and Ronnie Dunn and many others were collaborating on there and I just had to check it out. CMT.com had an online Listening Party for the album and back then, you were only able to listen to one song per day, and from what I heard, I really loved it. The sweet pure country sound and vocals coming from it were just intoxicating to the ears and soul, and it was not usual to hear an album like this these days, especially with today’s mainstream country stuff. The Louvin Brothers are my kind of guys because based on the music covered on the album it’s perfect for hardcore traditionalists and for fans of the artists on the project. I love the production by Carl Jackson (he’s got a really good voice too!). I keep saying that if I was ever able to make a country album, I’d want Carl Jackson to produce it…or Marty Stuart, because I’d want that type of sound for my record. Anyway, this is one of the BEST albums that I own and I think more people should know about it.

“My Baby’s Gone” is the track that Emmylou and Rodney do their duet on, and man, their vocals are amazing together. At the time, I don’t think I knew them too well, but their names were familiar and they did such an incredible job with this song, it got me more interested in them. Of course, you know, the steel guitar and fiddle just kills me here, and the mandolin is a nice touch with the slight piano and guitar. Lots of people have experienced what the narrator is going through in this song: just let everything and everybody in everyday life stop because my lover’s gone and now my life is over. This one has a bit more of a selfish tone to it: with someone who wants everybody’s attention focused on them because their pain is just too much to ignore . I guess, everybody feels that way when their hurting real bad, even me. It’s like “what is wrong with you people?!? Why are you going on like nothing happened?!?”… You know, when it’s that bad. This is one of my favorites to listen to from the album and one of my favorite traditional country slow songs.  Great remake/cover of the original by the Louvin Brothers.

I was reading up on who else has covered this song, and lots of people have: Glen Campbell, the Flying Burrito Brothers, George Jones, Ray Price, and many more. I thought that was pretty cool because it helps reinforce that it is a great song if people of that stature recorded it. I don’t remember if I’ve seen Emmylou and Rodney perform this together live on television or not, but I do remember an Opry episode when Ms. Harris performed the song with Elvis Costello, and it was displayed in black-and-white for a “retro-feel”, and it was well done. But, there are some other stellar tracks and highlights on the album as well: “How’s the World Treating You?” by Alison Krauss & James Taylor, “If I Could Only Win Your Love” by Ronnie Dunn & Rebecca Lynn Howard, “Are You Teasing Me?” by Patty Loveless & Jon Randall, “Keep Your Eyes On Jesus” by Pam Tillis, Johnny Cash, and the Jordanaires, and so many more (I really love it all). If you like what you hear, definitely go to the originals by the Louvin Brothers, and of course, you gotta check out other music from Rodney and Emmylou…

Thanks for reading!

Buy the song here on iTunes now!

Here are the full lyrics to “My Baby’s Gone”, written by Hazel Houser:

Both: Hold back the rushing minutes
Make the wind lie still
Don’t let the moonlight shine
Across the lonely hill
Dry all the raindrops
And hold back the sun
My world has ended
My baby’s gone

Rodney: The milkman whistles softly
As he comes up to my door
The mailman brings the letters by
Just like he did before

Emmylou: They seem so busy all day long
As though there’s nothing wrong
Don’t they know the world has ended?
My baby’s gone

Both: Hold back the rushing minutes
Make the wind lie still
Don’t let the moonlight shine
Across the lonely hill
Dry all the raindrops
And hold back the sun
My world has ended
My baby’s gone

Rodney: I wake up sometimes in the night
And realize you’re gone
I toss upon my bed
And wait for day to come

Emmylou: I try to tell my lonely heart
It must go on alone
But it cries the world has ended
My baby’s gone

Both: Hold back the rushing minutes
Make the wind lie still
Don’t let the moonlight shine
Across the lonely hill
Dry all the raindrops
And hold back the sun
My world has ended
My baby’s gone

Don’t they know the world has ended?
My baby’s gone…

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http://www.rodneycrowell.com/
http://www.emmylou.net/