“Burnin’ Old Memories”
Kathy Mattea
Written by Larry Boone, Gene Nelson, and Paul Nelson
Radio & Records
#1 (1 week)
October 20, 1989
Billboard
#1 (1 week)
November 11, 1989
“Burnin’ Old Memories” revives some familiar country music ideas and spins them into a new song.
We covered two old flame songs in this feature, courtesy of Dolly Parton and Alabama, and “Burnin’ Memories” had been a big hit for Ray Price in the sixties and for its writer, Mel Tillis, in the seventies.
Mattea’s hit throws the ideas together, as she’s “burnin’ old memories with a brand new flame.” She has a lot of fun on this one, showing a playfulness and sense of humor that is unique to “Burnin’ Old Memories” among all of her big hits.
It was a good enough idea that Joe Diffie would twist it into “New Way (to Light Up an Old Flame)” two years later, earning a No. 1 song for himself in 1991.
As for Mattea, her final No. 1 single is also culled from Willow in the Wind, and was featured early in our Every No. 1 Single of the Nineties retrospective.
“Burnin’ Old Memories” gets a B+.
Every No. 1 Single of the Eighties
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Does this qualify as “Western swing”? In the same way as the recent George Strait chart-topper? It’s a catchy romp and an interesting direction for Mattea as I’m not familiar with any other song from her that sounded like this. I’m a little surprised it went to #1 but it shows how much momentum she had by this point. Inexplicably, that momentum came crashing to a halt with her next single, one of the greatest country tearjerkers of all-time which barely cracked the top-10. I’ll never understand what drives radio programmers or listeners sometimes. “Where’ve You Been?” would have been an “A+”. “Burnin’ Old Memories” is a….
Grade: B
Good track, not my favorite from her, but I like this better than her previous number one. For some reason, her phrasing on this one reminds me alot of Anne Murray (don’t ask me why). Co-sign the B+.
I like this song. Not as much “Come From the Heart” or “Where You Been” I really enjoyed the “Willow in the Wind ” especially “Love Chooses You”. Wish that one was a single.
This song does swing. Just like I said about Ricky Van Shelton a few posts back, she sounds so sincere and confident in everything she recorded, regardless of style.
This little dance number does it for me.
What a gem.