![]() “Kansas City Star,” The 3rd Time Around (1965)įor all his storytelling, very few Roger Miller singles carried a nonautobiographical narrative from beginning to end. His vivid depiction of kids drinking “grape wine in a Mason jar” on field trips evidently resonated with listeners as much as considerably more generic country drinking songs still do today. “Chug-A-Lug” flaunted Miller’s skill at contorting his voice to humorous and evocative effect in a relatively stripped-down setting. The goofy song about being young and getting drunk became Roger Miller’s second consecutive quasi-novelty track to become a massive hit, following “Dang Me” up Billboard’s country and pop charts before peaking on the Hot 100 at No. Miller co-wrote the matter-of-fact waltz with Bill Anderson, while Chet Atkins produced the understated recording, in which even the background chorus never interferes with the song’s melancholy message. “When Two Worlds Collide,” 1961Įven if it failed to instantly propel him to country superstardom, Roger Miller’s first top 10 single became a standard of the genre, earning covers by everyone from Jerry Lee Lewis to John Prine and Trisha Yearwood. Eddy Arnold made it a hit, but Miller’s version is all heart, as is the Dolly Parton and Alison Krauss rendition from a recent Miller tribute album. You hardly need much else when the title is that good, but Roger Miller pours it on with one of his most evocative vocal performances – cementing the song’s status as a pitch-perfect country tune. “The Last Word in Lonesome Is Me,” The 3rd Time Around (1965)
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |