[edit] Biography
Watson was born in Palestine, Texas, in 1943 and began his music career in the early 1970s, performing in local clubs at night while working in a Houston auto body shop during the day. He only recorded for a few small, regional record labels until 1974, when Capitol Records picked up his album Love in the Hot Afternoon and released it nationally. The title track, a mid-tempo ballad in 3/4 time, was released in June 1975 and it quickly reached Number 3 on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart.
Watson's national success continued throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, as he recorded several Billboard top-40 hits, including "Where Love Begins," "Paper Rosie," "Should I Go Home (or Should I Go Crazy)," "Nothing Sure Looked Good on You." and "Farewell Party" which was released in 1979 and quickly became Watson's signature song and soon allowed Watson to name his band after the tragic ballad.
In 1982, after switching to the MCA label, he recorded the only number-one hit of his career, "Fourteen Carat Mind." He followed up with several more hits in the early 1980s, including "Speak Softly (You're Talking to My Heart)," "You're Out Doing What I'm Here Doing Without" and "Got No Reason Now for Going Home." By the mid-1980s, he was recording for Epic Records, where his most notable hit was 1985's "Memories to Burn."
Watson never gave up his classical country style, even as he continued to record music throughout the 1980s. He signed with Warner Bros. and released two new albums in 1989 and 1991. He recorded his last album, From the Heart, under the Row Music Group label in 2001.
In 2005, Watson released his latest album, "Then & Now."
In May 2007, Gene Watson signed with the independent Shanachie Records & began work on his first album for the label, which will include new material, along with at least 3 covers of some of Gene's favourite classic country tunes including Merle Haggard's classic "Today I started Loving You Again". The new album, 'In a Perfect World', will be officially released on Tuesday 25 September 2007.
It was also in May 2007 (Saturday 5 May 2007) that the (all new) Gene Watson Site went 'live'. The site, which is owned & maintained by Sean Brady, is based in the Republic of Ireland & receives full support from Sarah Brosmer at Lytle Management in Nashville (Gene Watson's management team) & Gene Watson himself.
In September 2007 "In A Perfect World" was released to the public. The album was received by the country music industry as being one of the best recordings of the year.
[edit] External links
The Official Gene Watson Site
Gene Watson Site Based in Ireland
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Watson"
Categories: 1943 births | American country singers | American male singers | Living people | People from Anderson County, Texas | People from Houston, Texas
Though he can sing honky-tonk, Gene Watson built a reputation for soulful ballads in the classical country tradition. Born one of seven children in Palestine, TX, Watson married early and was working as an auto-body man when he began frequenting the clubs in Houston. He recorded for a few small-time regional labels during the early '70s like Wide World and Stoneway. Watson finally had success in 1974, when a steamy single for Resco "Love in the Hot Afternoon" was picked up for national distribution by Capitol Records, igniting a firestorm of national hits: "Where Love Begins," "Paper Rosie," "Farewell Party," "Should I Come Home (Or Should I Go Crazy)," and "Nothing Sure Looked Good on You." In 1982, shortly after moving to MCA, Watson recorded his only chart-topper, "Fourteen Carat Mind." A parade of Top Ten entries followed during the early '80s, including "Speak Softly (You're Talking to My Heart)" and "You're Out Doing What I'm Here Doing Without." Watson is a vocal stylist of considerable talent, and still owns his own body shop.
Fourteen Carat Mind
Gene Watson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Standing out in front of Wilson's five and dime
Staring through the window at the jewelry
Hungry for the things you couldn't buy
Just like a fool I thought that I could please you
I saw you had an eye for things that shine
I paid seven saw mill dollars for a bracelet
Just to satisfy your fourteen carat mind
Layin' by these railroad tracks in Denver
With a hurtin' head and a half a pint of wine
Everything except my soul has been surrendered
Just to satisfy your fourteen carat mind
The cabin that I built in West Virginia
Was not enough to keep you satisfied
'Cause a man that's got a saw mill occupation
Can't afford to feed a rich girls' appetite
I wonder if you're still with Willie Jackson
Sometimes I wonder if he's still alive
Ol' Willie he gave up his wife and children
Just to satisfy your fourteen carat mind
Layin' by these railroad tracks in Denver
With a hurtin' head and a half a pint of wine
Everything except my soul has been surrendered
Just to satisfy your fourteen carat mind
Just to satisfy your fourteen carat mind
In "Fourteen Carat Mind," Gene Watson laments a relationship with a woman who prioritizes material goods over anything else. He recounts the moment they met outside of Wilson's five and dime, where she was looking through the window at the jewelry she couldn't afford. As a fool trying to please her, he bought a bracelet for seven saw mill dollars, which was pricey for him, just to satisfy her cravings.
Later, he describes laying by the railroad tracks in Denver, with a hurting head and half a pint of wine, symbolizing his emotional and physical recklessness. He has sacrificed everything, except his soul, to keep her happy. Even building a cabin in West Virginia was not enough to keep her satisfied because he had a saw mill occupation, and he couldn't afford to feed her appetite. He wonders if she is still with Willie Jackson, and if he is still alive, as Jackson gave up his wife and children for her fourteen carat mind.
The song highlights an all-too-common problem of using material possessions to measure one's worth and the dangers of sacrificing everything, including one's soul, for the sake of appeasing a lover who does not value you for who you are as a person.
Line by Line Meaning
I still recall the morning that I met you
I remember the exact morning that I met you
Standing out in front of Wilson's five and dime
You were standing in front of Wilson's five and dime when I met you
Staring through the window at the jewelry
You were looking at the jewelry through the window
Hungry for the things you couldn't buy
You were craving things that you didn't have enough money to purchase
Just like a fool I thought that I could please you
I was foolish enough to think that I could satisfy your desires
I saw you had an eye for things that shine
You had an interest in things that were shiny and glamorous
I paid seven saw mill dollars for a bracelet
I spent a large amount of money I earned from my sawmill occupation on a bracelet
Just to satisfy your fourteen carat mind
I did this simply to please your lavish tastes
Layin' by these railroad tracks in Denver
I am currently lying beside the railroad tracks in Denver
With a hurtin' head and a half a pint of wine
I have a headache and I am drinking half a pint of wine
Everything except my soul has been surrendered
I have given up everything except my soul to keep you happy
The cabin that I built in West Virginia
I built a cabin for us in West Virginia
Was not enough to keep you satisfied
However, it was not enough to fulfill your extravagant desires
'Cause a man that's got a saw mill occupation
Being a saw mill worker
Can't afford to feed a rich girls' appetite
I cannot afford to satisfy a wealthy woman's desires
I wonder if you're still with Willie Jackson
I often wonder if you are still with Willie Jackson
Sometimes I wonder if he's still alive
I even wonder if Willie Jackson is still alive
Ol' Willie he gave up his wife and children
Willie Jackson left his wife and kids for you
Just to satisfy your fourteen carat mind
He did this simply to please your lavish tastes
Just to satisfy your fourteen carat mind
Overall, everything has been done to fulfill your excessive longings
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: DALLAS FRAZIER, LARRY LEE FAVORITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind