Words And Music By Roger Miller

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What do you do when you’ve come out of nowhere to become an enormous pop sensation? If you’re Roger Miller in 1966, you release a gritty, off-the-wall list song called “My Uncle Used to Love Me But She Died”—and get it on the charts in spite of yourself. That’s just how in vogue Miller was in the mid-’60s: Whether he was crooning classic-sounding country tunes that reflected his Nashville origins or adding an almost rockish gravelly tone to his voice while he sang about things that probably made sense after you’d taken quaaludes, his songs were hugely popular. This album captures him at the tail end of his massive 1965 run, but it is still chock-full of some of his catalog’s most memorable gems. The melancholy “Husbands and Wives” was Miller’s attempt to escape the novelty song trap that he found himself in after the success of “Dang Me” and “King of the Road.” It more or less worked, less for Miller himself than for the legions of people who would cover the song, which became a country standard. “Home” also has very conventional country contours, but is presented without most of the era’s heavy-handed Music Row production. The album isn’t lacking in the humor that made Miller famous in the first place, though: “Dad Blame Anything a Man Can’t Quit,” about trying to quit smoking, uses a little bit of nonsense to sell a relatable story about trying to kick addiction. “I’ve Been a Long Time Leavin’ (But I’ll Be a Long Time Gone)” wasn’t released as a single, but it remains one of this album’s most impressive entries: Not funny and not fully serious, more folksy than country, the song is starkly modern and nearly uncoverable (who can handle all those runs and vocal percussion?). The song is a perfect example of what makes Miller so singular, with a combination of effortless musical skill, fierce weirdness, and pop fluency that makes him unforgettable.

via Apple Music