For the second straight week, my introduction to the featured song came via a cover version, this time a band you may have heard of--the Beatles. I actually thought it was a solo effort from Ringo Starr (who did eventually release a duet version with Buck Owens in 1988), but the Beatles loved the song and recorded it in 1965. And their version led me to seek out the original....
Buck Owens was born in Sherman, Texas in 1929 and took a somewhat roundabout way to stardom. A self taught musician (guitar, mandolin, horns, and drums) Owens worked on his father's farm, as a radio personality, and as a truck driver after he started making music in 1945, before he finally hit the big time in 1959 with his first top forty country hit. In 1963 he had his first number one hit and would record 21 more during his heyday. Sadly, Owens best friend and guitarist, Don Rich, died in a motorcycle accident in 1974, and Owens freely admitted that neither he nor his musical career were ever the same afterward. Nonetheless, Owens would go on to have a major success with the country variety show Hee Haw, and was also inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, as well as the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. For his career, Owens released 39 studio albums, 9 live albums, 16 compilations, and 97 singles. Regular readers (both of you) may remember a shout out to Owens for an earlier Friday Night Jukebox post for Dwight Yoakam's "Streets of Bakersfield." Buck Owens passed away in 2006 from a heart attack in his sleep, just hours after what would become his final performance.
"Act Naturally" was released as a single only in 1963. It would go on to become the first #1 hit on the Hot Country Singles Chart of Owens' career.
Fun Fact: The Beatles version was released in 1965 and rose to #47 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also originally released as a single only, and was paired with "Yesterday." While most folks would have assumed (myself included) that "Yesterday" was the A-side, it was actually "Act Naturally." Another in a long line of instances giving credence to the old maxim, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray...."
In "Act Naturally," Owens sings the plaintive tale of a man who says he could be a movie star if they put him in a movie about a man who's sad and lonely because all he'd have to do is...act naturally. Owens captures the best of what makes a good country single--it's short (2:17), simple (a heartbroken lad), and heartfelt (Owens' vocals nail it). Owens' longtime band, the Buckaroos, provide a nice backdrop, and a nice steel guitar break from Don Rich just adds to the songs nuance. In the end, it's a reminder of how special country music can be when it's at its best--and Buck Owens and the Buckaroos have done the genre proud with this one.
Lyric Sheet: "We'll make a scene about a man that's sad and lonely/And begging down upon his bended knee/I'll play the part but I won't need rehearsing/All I have to do is act naturally..."
Enjoy:
Taxing the Wealthy Is Good Politics for the Democratic Party
Peace,
emaycee
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