He'll Have To Go - JIM REEVES
1960 HONOURABLE MENTION
End of Year Position: 8
End of Year Position: 8
I think I've always had a problem with this song. Firstly, I simply don't like the so-called "Nashville" sound. This isn't country music, there's nothing anything like country music in this song. Under Chet Atkins' watch, all the distincitvely "country" factors have been stripped away and replaced with things like xylophones (althought I suspect they may be vibraphones....). That's not to say Atkins was no good, in fact I really enjoy what he did with Jerry Reed in the late '60s.
Secondly, I don't care how sweet and smooth the music is, the song is about a bloke trying to talk a girl into shagging him. He's at the pub, he's had a few, and he's getting a bit toey. As a result, he's trying his best to sweet talk the girl over the phone. I've seen this happen in person plenty of times in person, and it's really quite pathetic and desperate.
As influential as this was in really bringing the "Nashville Sound" to the mainstream, I'm having a lot of trouble enjoying it.
Secondly, I don't care how sweet and smooth the music is, the song is about a bloke trying to talk a girl into shagging him. He's at the pub, he's had a few, and he's getting a bit toey. As a result, he's trying his best to sweet talk the girl over the phone. I've seen this happen in person plenty of times in person, and it's really quite pathetic and desperate.
As influential as this was in really bringing the "Nashville Sound" to the mainstream, I'm having a lot of trouble enjoying it.
