Today’s category is…
A Leaving Song.
Here are the staff picks:
Leeann Ward: “She’s Crazy For Leavin'” – Rodney Crowell
For me, this song plays out like a movie scene in one of those wacky romantic comedies. The guy is over-the-top trying to convince his girl not to go, saying that “she’s crazy for leaving”, while everyone else at the bus stop pretty much knows he’s the crazy one and tells him to just let her go. I especially love the hook, “You can’t stop a woman when she’s out of control.” Few can write tongue in cheek like Crowell and Guy Clark, I tell ya.
Dan Milliken: “She’ll Remember” – Dwight Yoakam
The zany first minute never gets old for me.
Tara Seetharam: “Let Him Fly” – Patty Griffin
To me, one of the most beautiful songs ever written. It so perfectly captures the equally peaceful and equally crushing “beauty of just letting go.”
Kevin Coyne: “Consider Me Gone” – Reba McEntire
Smart, adult, and even-tempered, this record claims the moral high ground while still managing to get in a subtle dig or two.
One of my favorite leaving songs is Pam Tillis, “It’s Lonely Out There.” I love the storytelling – how at first she feigns indifference to her lover’s decision to leave her. It goes from “Go on, walk away, but don’t say I didn’t warn you” to the desperate plea of “We got such a good thing here – Don’t go now baby” as she realizes that she’s going to be just as lonely as he is.
Martina McBride – Cry On The Shoulder Of The Road.
Ah, I love “She’s Crazy for Leaving”, as with the other songs on this list. All great songs.
Speaking of great songs, you could either think of it as a leaving song or the opposite, but Brad Paisley’s “When I Get Where I’m Going (feat. Dolly Parton)” was the first song that came to my head when I saw the topic of this post. We’re all set to leave for a better place sooner or later, but hopefully we all get enough time to sort out what we want to do here first :)
Hands down Kathy Matter “Walking Away a Winner”
a lot of good ones here, but I’m going to give a nod to one song just because it was so different…”Down Came a Blackbird”–Lila McCann. I’ve always like songsthat tell the same story in a different way. A good recent example is “Alyssa Lies.” Child abuse has been done, but the POV is the father of the new friend of the victim..cool.
Travis in VA. mentioning Kathy Mattea’s “Walking Away a Winner” made me think of Trisha Yearwood’s “Wouldn’t Any Woman” since Bob DiPiero was a co-writer on both, with Tom Shapiro on the former and Michele McCord and Mark D. Sanders on the latter.
from “Wouldn’t Any Woman”:
I’ve loved you to the limits
of my self respect,
Now I’m Leaving with what’s left
wouldn’t any woman
“Already Gone,” Kelly Clarkson
Julie Roberts – Break down here
Shelby Lynne _ I’m leaving
Faith Hill – Stronger
“By The Time I Get To Phoenix”, the Jimmy Webb-penned masterpiece that no less an authority than Frank Sinatra called “the greatest torch song ever written.” Of course, there’s Glen Campbell’s definitive version from 1967, but not to be outdone was Isaac Hayes in 1969 (his version stretches out to nearly nineteen minutes!), and, later on, alt-country singer Heather Myles.
There are so many country leaving songs I wouldn’t even know where to begin. One that stands out though is “He Oughta Know That By Now” by Lee Ann Womack. It really captures the sadness and hopefulness of leaving.
Other songs I think are worth mentioning:
“I’m Movin’ On” – Rascal Flatts
“Georgia” – Carolyn Dawn Johnson
“Bye Bye” – Jo Dee Messina
“A Little Past Little Rock” – Lee Ann Womack
“Nothin’ But The Wheel” – Patty Loveless
“Wide Open Spaces” – Dixie Chicks
“Much To Young (To Feel This Damn Old) – Garth Brooks
Lot Of Leavin Left To Do- Dierks Bentley
“Fly”- The Dixie Chicks
I’ve Got a Good Thing Going – Garth Brooks; killer wordplay.
Lonesome Dove – Trisha Yearwood
Walkaway Joe-Trisha Yearwood
Blue Angel-Aaron Tippin
Whole Lotta Love on the Line-Aaron Tipping
Three Chords and the Truth-Sara Evans
You Don’t Even Know Who I Am-Patty Loveless
She Drew a Broken Heart-Patty Loveless
The Grand Tour-George Jones
If You Couldn’t Get the Picture-George Jones
Letting Go-Suzy Bogguss
New Strings-Miranda Lambert
My all-time favorite George Strait song, “Baby’s Gotten Good At Goodbye” comes to mind
I forgot about “Down Came a Black Bird” That is one of my favorite songs of all time!
Walkaway Joe-Trisha Yearwood
Blue Angel-Aaron Tippin
Whole Lotta Love on the Line-Aaron Tipping
Three Chords and the Truth-Sara Evans
You Don’t Even Know Who I Am-Patty Loveless
She Drew a Broken Heart-Patty Loveless
The Grand Tour-George Jones
If You Couldn’t Get the Picture-George Jones
Letting Go-Suzy Bogguss
Dierks Bentley – Settle For a Slowdown
“There Goes My Everything” by Jack Greene (Engelbert Humperdinck also had a good recording).
I ‘m torn between this song and “Sounds of Goodbye” which was recorded and released by three artists at roughly the same time, so it became a regional hit for each act (The Gosdin Brothers, Tommy Cash, George Morgan) without becoming a huge national it for any of them). One of the first songs written by Eddie Rabbitt, it did become a huge hit in the Pacific Rim, especially Australia, for a Malayasian born singer named Kamahl
I would also like to add “Adios”, another Jimmy Webb song, this time done by Linda Ronstadt on her 1989 album Cry Like A Rainstorm. She has had a penchant of doing heartbreaking ballads like this, both pop and C&W, in her time; and this is one of her best (IMHO).
Goodbye- Steve Earle
Goodbye- Patty Griffin (if you include dying)
“Almost A Memory Now” and “Goodbye Says It All” by Blackhawk are both good. Oh yeah, and SHeDAISY’s “Little Goodbyes” puts a nice little spin on the concept.
…chely wright’s – “she went out for cigarettes”
Sunny Sweeney’s “Staying’s Worse Than Leaving”. So good.
Staying’s Worse Than Leaving is my choice as well.