The Nostalgia For Old Country Love Songs
Anyone who has ever crooned "Blue Moon of Kentucky" or "Wildwood Flower" may be drawn back to simple life in the country. Old Country Love Songs like "In The Pines" evoke a longing for a lost or unrequited love whether of another or the place where one's heart returns again and again. Country people snuggled close to each other as they danced to "Tennessee Waltz" or sashayed around the floor to "Jole Blon".
Certainly, love is the main topic of these old country songs. Listen carefully though. Many old country songs were borrowed from old English, Scottish and Celtic tunes. Since most old country people entertained themselves with the barest essentials of living, strumming a few chords on a guitar or the words of a long-remembered poem turned "Aura Lee" into the Elvis Presley country tune "Love Me Tender". The heart of old country music comes from a blend of rural life, deprivation and the need to express one's feelings in song.
From Poems To Old Country Love Songs
One of the most beautiful of the old country love songs originated as a poem and has been part of the folk music embedded into the old country songs is "Annabel Lee". The Civil War also played a great role in advancing old country love songs. Longing for a young soldier or one who has died are all part of the lyrics of many of these songs.
Some old country love songs emanated from the cotton and tobacco fields where workers would fill the monotony of their work with tunes that lightened their burdens. "Down In The Valley" is likely one of the oldest country love songs with haunting lyrics and an equally haunting melody. It speaks of the roses and violets and the heart of the imprisoned man imploring his love to send him a letter in "care of Birmingham jail". It's message is unforgettable.
By the end of World War II, old country songs were sung by the poor from Appalachia and those in the heart of the deep south. Often these could be light-hearted like "If You've Got The Money Honey, I've Got The Time" or "Don't Fence Me In". Others, like "Cold, Cold Heart and "When My Blue Moon Turns To Gold Again", made stars of singers like Hank Williams, Montana Slim, Kitty Wells and Patsy Cline. These singers would re-adapt songs that had been part of earlier country love songs of the 1900's.
Old Country Love Songs Live Forever
Only recently, "In The Pines" has been re-released by a well-known rock group. This proves that lyrics and melodies of old country love songs live forever. Whether the original was Gene Autry's "You Are My Sunshine" or the more modern version of "Heartaches" re-released in the 1950's by the late Patsy Cline, the words of the lyrics catch attention if the melody doesn't do that first.
Old country love songs were performed in several styles of music: bluegrass, cajun and downhome. Perhaps, the simple life as experienced by the music makers gave their special effects to the sounds and words their music created. Coal miners, railroad trackmen and those who lived in remote areas of the rural country in the south, west and northwest were inspired to write from within their hearts and souls about those they loved most. It's easy to imagine a cowboy traveling alone in the northwest viewing for the first time those "Blue Canadian Rockies", as sung by Montana Slim. Many railroad songs of the past by Jimmie Rogers were re-recorded by Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson.
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