“What I’d Say”
Earl Thomas Conley
Written by Robert Byrne and Will Robinson
Billboard
#1 (1 week)
February 4, 1989
Y’all, we haven’t even gotten to the Class of 1989 yet.
Earl Thomas Conley has been an MVP for the whole decade, and this is one of his very best ballads. It reminds me of his earlier work in its lyrical sophistication, but it’s elevated by the gravitas of an older singer.
He has to communicate so many different emotions as he runs the gamut in his mind of everything he might say to his old flame. Conley is angry, hopeful, desperate, and indifferent, alternating between feelings with every line in the chorus. It’s a difficult tightrope to walk, and he does it flawlessly.
I first heard this song on a Lorrie Morgan album a few years back and I was stunned by how strong it was. I’ve been eager to get to Conley’s hit version and it exceeded my already lofty expectations.
This decade’s No. 1 hits have made an excellent case for Earl Thomas Conley entering the Country Music Hall of Fame.
“What I’d Say” gets an A.
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Besides Holding Her and Loving You, which I mentioned is my second favorite country song of the 1980s, I had forgotten about so much of ETC’s brilliant material. I am also quite fond of Gary Allan’s cover of this song off his Alright Guy album.
Although I like this song, it isn’t among my favorites. I fully concur that ETC belongs in the Country Music Hall of Fame. He has a large canon of thoughtful songs and he is one of the few artists of his time period that I don’t think was too damaged by the sometimes rather lame 1980s production.
Out of curiosity, which 80s artists do you think were most damaged by the production on their records?
This is my second favorite Earl Thomas Conley song. Based on the merits of the songwriting and vocal performance, it probably deserves to top the list, but for me the vibe of “Nobody Falls Like a Fool” just can’t be topped. The lyric is so highly relatable to anybody who’s ever been dumped by a significant other that they were serious with, as those dissonant emotions can fluctuate between fiery rage and groveling nostalgia in a matter of minutes. At various points in my life, in the aftermath of a break-up, this song rolled through my head and I put myself in Earl’s shoes, wondering if the alpha or the beta would show up if I ran into the girl again. For better or for worse, I think I’d have been the squish if not necessarily the doormat.
The vocal performance here really takes the song to the next level as the listener can really buy into the narrator’s anguish and internal struggle. I’d mentioned before that I was too young to appreciate the majority of ETC’s catalogue as an elementary-aged boy, but even in fifth-grade I knew this was a great song. It would have been hard to believe at the time that the end of his hitmaking years was so near, but in the context of his age and the fresh crop of youngsters breathing down his neck on the charts, it’s not so hard in retrospective. I’m glad he scored this outstanding record before his star faded though.
Grade: A
…not wanna taking away anything from etc, who delivers this rather brilliant lament pretty much perfectly, but i can’t help but wonder, whether it was that short contradictory line “you’re looking well or go to hell…” what endeared it the most to so many to take it to the top spot. what a perfectly placed unexpected stab by the deeply wounded.
following cj ellis’ lead – gary allan’s version sounds very good too, indeed.
At one of his concerts he made the comment how surprised he was a song with three “go to hells” in it would be played on the radio let alone make it to #1.
An all time classic! One of my top 10 80s country songs for sure!
His best song! “What She Is” is a fairly distant second
Give the songwriters credit for firmly choosing just one half of the tired heaven-hell device used in so many country songs.
Effective swearing is a skill. To land well, it seemingly has to sound natural in the mouth of the speaker and also be appropriate to the moment it is dropped.
The swearing cannot be overplayed.
Conley’s conflicted vocals throughout a song sung to a mirror brilliantly holds the tension of that dynamic, so the emotional force of the line “Go to hell” lands with maximum impact.
I am surprised the mirror doesn’t shatter in the story.
Ask country fans what the “Go to Hell” song is and I imagine a large majority of listeners would name this one.
He just absolutely sticks the landing when he sings those words. It sounds honest and anguished, the most uncomplicated simple truth.
At best, heaven is a platitude in this guy’s life, it’s not even a possibility. He is telling his lover to go where he clearly has been stuck for some time.
This song could be distilled down to that one emotional truth: Go to hell.
What a thrill to discover a cover of this song in 201 on Gary Allan’s Tony Brown produced album “Alright Guy.”
The classic designations are going to pile up quickly at the end of the decade here.
As of now, this one is at the top of the collection.