The only thing that’s kept me from doing a Starter Kit on John Conlee is the scarcity of digitally available material. Thankfully, two of his best songs from one of his best albums can be downloaded, and they’re just the sort of forgotten classics that all country fans should have in their collection.
“Friday Night Blues”
One of those great “scenes from a marriage” songs that paints a sympathetic portrait of both the wife who’s been home alone all week waiting for a night out with her husband, and the husband who is too wiped out from the work week to get up off of the couch: “He’s been working all week, he’s got mental fatigue, and that old couch sure looks fine. All week he’s been gone, she’s been sitting alone, slowly going out of her mind…”
“She Can’t Say That Anymore”
Quite a bit less sympathetic is this classic cheating song, which finds a straying spouse making a series of truthful statements for the very last time, while “she’s breaking in a new routine for the man who walks the floor.”
Both gems. Now if we could only get “I Don’t Remember Loving You” online, we could really have some fun.
Anybody else have a forgotten gem that they’d like to recommend?
There’s a live version of “I Don’t Remember Loving You” on his “Live at Billy Bob’s Texas” album.
I love John Conlee. “Old School” was always one of my favorites.
Yep, “Old School” is my favorite as well.
dont forget “Ms Emily’s picture”