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Story Behind The Song

Patty created this thread 8 months ago

http://www.countrymusicclassics.com/CMCStorySong3.htm

According to Buck Owens, his 1965 number one hit, “I’ve Got A Tiger By The Tail,” was written while he was on tour.

Buck commented, “Harlan Howard and his wife Jan Howard, came down to tour with me in Texas. Harlan and I had written some songs together. We were riding along and everywhere you looked, you saw those gasoline signs that said “Put A Tiger In Your Tank.” And I had always heard the expression, “tiger by the tail.” So I kept after Harlan Howard to write a song about “Tiger By The Tail.” We were riding along and writing in the car that day. Jan was driving and Harlan was sitting in the back seat and he pitched a sheet of paper up to me and said “There’s your tiger by the tail.” Put some music to it and there it is.”

“So I put the music to his lyrics and I thought—well this song is alright...just another of those “sound songs”—uptempo with cute little lyrics and a lot of raunchy guitar. I recorded the song for an album and with all of the “tiger business” going on—we decided to release it “Tiger By The Tail” as a single and we did and I’ve been happy about tigers ever since.”

Buck Owens’ “I’ve Got a Tiger By The Tail” entered the country music charts January 23rd, 1965 and made it to number one, where it stuck for five weeks

It was Buck’s 25th charted song and was on the charts for 20 weeks.

The Capitol Records single also scored a # 25 on the pop charts

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Patty Patty commented | 6 months ago

'Hot Dog'

Not wanting to upset his country fans, Buck recorded this "rockabilly" song under the name Corky Jones in 1956. It did not do well, but became a collector's item amonf Buck fans after Buck became famous. Bich re-recorded it in 1988, but he did not like the version. Buck said of this version, "The one today, to me, don't have the authenticity. I seldom like a cover. The one on '88 sounds like I cut it trying to get it on the radio. And the one in '56 sounds like, 'I'm gonna do this the way I feel, like it or not"

Patty Patty commented | 6 months ago

Nobody's Fool But Yours
First recorded in 1959. In 1961 he rect and released it as a single. Buck was always looking for a "cliches" for songs. It reached #11 on the music charts.

Patty Patty commented | 7 months ago

Loose Talk with Rose Maddox

One of Buck's favorite group, Maddox Brothers and Rose, which had just broken up and Rose was signed to Capitol Records. Ken Nelson's idea to have Buck team up with Rose for this duet. The song peaked at #4 on the music charts.

Patty Patty commented | 7 months ago

Above and Beyond

Buck heard Wynn Stewart cover this Harlan Howard song and decided to cover it himself. Harlan was nervous having Buck record his song since Buck was already covering another of his song 'Under Your Spell Again' and also Buck at this time was a newcomer. Buck recorded and is quoted as saying "everthing worked out fine"

This is the first song that Don Rich played with Buck. He played the fiddle. The song reached #3 on the music charts.

Source:The Rhino Buck Owens Box Set(1959-1990)

Patty Patty commented | 7 months ago

Under Your Spell Again

The idea for this song came from a R&B song Buck heard while in his car one day. Buck recalls the song had a line in it "castin' my spell on you or something like that. Went right home, sat down and wrote the song out." Ray Price covered Buck's single and both versions made it into the top ten.

Source:The Rhino Buck Owens Box Set(1959-1990)

Patty Patty commented | 7 months ago

My Heart Skips A Beat

Buck made the drum a intergal part of this song. The song peaked at #1 on Feb 24, 1964, but despite it's success some fans did not like it. Buck is quoted as saying "One guy wrote and told me after My Heart Skips A Beat....he was not buying anymore of my records 'cause I got so much drums."

Source:The Rhino Buck Owens Box Set(1959-1990)

Patty Patty commented | 7 months ago

Streets Of Bakersfield

In 1988 Merle Haggard and Buck were to tape a show about the Bakersfield sound. Buck was asked to find a song representing the ideal Bakersfield sound and Buck chose Streets Of Bakersfield. At the last minute Merle Haggard backed out of the show and Buck suggested Dwight Yoakam to fill in.

The show aired on tv, was well received and a radio disc jockey had recorded the song and asked Buck's permission to play it on air. Impressed Buck asked Dwight to record it, but Dwight had a better idea.....that Buck and he record it...together. The song became a #1 song for the duo.

Source:The Rhino Buck Owens Box Set(1959-1990)

Patty Patty commented | 7 months ago

Close Up The Honky Tonks

Buck wrote this song with Red Simpson....Charlie Walker heard this song off of one of Buck's record, liked it and recorded it. Walker's version hit
#17 on the Billboard Charts. Gram Parson also recorded it with the Flying Burrito Brothers.

Source:The Rhino Buck Owens Box Set(1959-1990)

Dwight Yoakam recorded it on his tribute album to Buck, 'Dwight Sings Buck' in 2007.

Patty Patty commented | 7 months ago

Think Of ME

This was actually a poem that a fan, Estrella Olsen, wrote and sent to Buck. Don Rich shared composer credit with her.

Patty Patty commented | 7 months ago

Open Up Your Heart

Buck said this song was straight forward and it would be well played by any bar band in the country and enjoyed by any country music fan the world over. James Burton played lead guitar for this song, not Don Rich.

Source:The Rhino Buck Owens Box Set(1959-1990)

Patty Patty commented | 7 months ago

Big Game Hunter

A satire on men's obsession with watchng football on tv. As Buck says of the song "It was my type of song. Some of the menfolks like it, but the ladies who buy all the records, didn't care for it." It peaked at #8 on the music charts.
Source:The Rhino Buck Owens Box Set(1959-1990)

Patty Patty commented | 7 months ago

I'll Still Be Waiting For You

Buck allowed gospel singers who took a liking to this hit country song to change his words to He'll Still Be Waiting For You.

Source:The Rhino Buck Owens Box Set(1959-1990)

Patty Patty commented | 7 months ago

It Takes People Like You(To Make People Like Me)

Buck's song thanking his fans. To quote Buck, "It was just kinda of my little tip of the hat to the fans. That meant something to the fans and it most certainly meant something to me."

Source:The Rhino Buck Owens Box Set(1959-1990)

It certainly did mean something to his fans and his fans miss him greatly. Thank you Buck for all your great music.

Patty Patty commented | 7 months ago

Hello Trouble

Buck recorded this in 1964 for on his together Again/My Heart Skips A Beat LP....it was never released as a single, yet such a big part of Buck's music many mistakenly think it was one of Buck's major hits.

Patty Patty commented | 8 months ago

Foolin' Around

Harlan Howard wrote the lyrics and then asked Buck to come up with that tune. Buck recalls Harlan as saying to him "Now, let's see what you put some of that Owens hydromatic to it. He like that driving type music and beat." Cashbox magazibe listed this as a #1 record-Buck's first nationwide #1 record. It was covered by Patsy Cline and Kay Smith.

Source:The Rhino Buck Owens Box Set(1959-1990)

Patty Patty commented | 8 months ago

Love's Gonna Live Here

This is Buck's biggest hit and he told Bonnie Owens he was not sure he was going to record it. In 1963, Bonnie was touring with Buck and Buck played the song for her. Bonnie told Buck if he didn't record the song she would. That got him to thinking about recording it. Later Buck was looking for a 'B' side for Act Naturally and he played this song for a Jack McFadden who looked at Buck and asked...."Buck are you sure?". Jack thought it was not very good. The song spent 16 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Country Charts.

Patty Patty commented | 8 months ago

Together Again

In 1960, Buck had seen in a music publication an ad for Bob Wills and Tommy Duncan that said TOGETHER AGAIN ON LIBERTY RECORDS. Buck thought that would be a good title for a song, so he filed the title away. A few years later the the idea for the song Together Again hit Buck late at night. He got out of bed and wrote the song. He saw it mainly as the B side to My Heart Skips A Beat. Both songs became #1 hits, with each song taken a week to be on top and then reversing again.

Source:The Rhino Buck Owens Box Set(1959-1990)

Patty Patty commented | 8 months ago

Excuse Me (I Think I Got A Heartache)

Harlan and Wynn Stewart was visting a friend and discovered they had walked into their friend's martial dispute. The friend's wife was in the process of moving out, Harlan and Wynn was trying to find a way to get out of the embarrassing situation when the friend said to both of them "you guys have to excuse me, I think I have a heartache" and turned and left the room. Harlan thought that would be a great song title and he shared the story with Buck. From there Buck and Harlan sat down and wrote the song.

Story is recorded in the Buck Owens Collection Box Set(1959-1990)

Patty Patty commented | 8 months ago

Second Fiddle

This was a song that Buck barely remembered writing, according to the book that came with the Act Naturally, The Buck Owens Recordings 1953-1964 by Rich Kienzle. He quotes Buck as saying "I don't know what was in my mind when I wrote that song, except I knew I had to write songs that had a hook to 'em. A lot of people liked that song." It reached #24 on Billboard in the spring of 1959.

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