Bobby Bare (born Robert Joseph Bare on April 7, 1935 in Ironton, Ohio) is a… Read Full Bio ↴Bobby Bare (born Robert Joseph Bare on April 7, 1935 in Ironton, Ohio) is an American country music singer and songwriter.

In the fifties after many failed attempts to sell his songs, he finally was signed up with Capitol Records and recorded a few rock and roll songs without much chart success. Just before he was drafted into the Army, he wrote a song called 'The All American Boy' and did a demo for his friend, Bill Parsons, to learn and record it. Instead of using the version Bill Parsons did later, the record company, Fraternity Records, decided to use the original demo done by Bobby Bare. The record reached number 2 on the Billboard Top 100, but it was wrongly credited to Bill Parsons.

His real big break came when RCA boss and guitarist Chet Atkins signed him to the RCA label. The first song he released on this label, 'Shame On Me', sold nearly a million copies and pushed Bobby Bare to fame overnight. His second RCA release, 'Detroit City' won him a Grammy for the best song of the year. Then a surge of hits followed, including '500 Miles Away From Home', 'Four Strong Winds' and others. He has also recorded two very successful albums with Skeeter Davis and has also dueted with Lacy J. Dalton and Rosanne Cash and additionally had a major hit as part of a trio with Norma Jean (singer) and Liz Anderson in 1967 titled 'The Game of Triangles'.

He moved to Mercury label in 1970 and had two big hits from early Kris Kristofferson compositions, 'Come Sundown' and 'Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends' before returning to RCA label where he produced his own records. Later Bare moved to CBS label and in 1979, he helped establish Rosanne Cash's career by singing with her on "No Memories Hangin' Round". Bare's singles for Columbia Records included 'The Jogger', 'Tequila Sheila', 'Gotta Get Rid Of This Band', 'When Hippies Get Older' and 'Numbers'. He later recorded for EMI with little success.

Bobby Bare is a versatile singer, and in the 70s started to release novelty songs recorded live with selected audiences. One of such songs, 'Marie Laveau' about a witch, reached the number one position on the country chart. This song was written by his friend, a very talented song writer, poet, author and cartoonist Shel Silverstein. He also penned many other songs for Bobby Bare including a Grammy nominated hit called 'Daddy What If' which he recorded with his five year old son, Bobby Bare Jr, who later became a star on his own. Bobby Bare later recorded a very successful album with his family and penned mainly by Shel called 'Singing in The Kitchen'. It was nominated for best group category in Grammy Awards but was declined by Bobby himself.

He later took chances recording strange, controversial material as 'Dropkick Me Jesus (Through The Goalposts Of Life)' (a 1976 Grammy nominee) and the expletive-driven 'Redneck Hippie Romance' with much success.

Bobby Bare is also the first to come up with a concept album called 'Bird Named Yesterday' which was very successful. His most successful concept album is 'Lullaby Legends and Lies'.

Bobby Bare was also given an opportunity to star in the movies. He did a Western with Troy Donahue called A Distant Trumpet, and a few episodes of a TV series called No Time for Sergeants. He turned his back on Hollywood to pursue his career in Country Music.

In 1998 he formed the band Old Dogs together with his friends Jerry Reed, Mel Tillis and Waylon Jennings.

In addition to the above, Bobby Bare is credited for introducing Waylon Jennings to RCA. He is also one of the first to record from many well known song writers such as Jack Clement, Harlan Howard, Billy Joe Shaver, Mickey Newberry, Tom T. Hall, Kris Kristofferson, and many others. He later had a TV series called 'Bobby Bare & Friends, A Song Writer Showcase'. Recently, he has recorded a new album after over 20 years called 'The Moon Was Blue' produced by his son. His son, Bobby Bare, Jr., is also a musician.

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Am I That Easy To Forget
Bobby Bare Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

(Written by Carl Belew and W. S. Stevenson)

They say you've found somebody new,
But that won't stop my loving you.
I just can't let you walk away,
Forget the love I had for you.

Guess I could find somebody, new,
But I don't wan't no one but you.
How could you leave without regret?
Am I that easy to forget?

Before you leave be sure you find
You want his love much more than mine.
'Cause I'll just say we've never met,
If I'm that easy to forget.

Guess I could find somebody, new,
But I don't wan't no one but you.
How could you leave without regret?
Your not that easy to forget?...

Overall Meaning

Bobby Bare's song "Am I That Easy To Forget" is a lamentation of a man who has been left by his lover who has found someone else. The lyrics are an open conversation with the ex-partner, who is being let go with heavy reluctance. The singer strongly implies that the person who has moved on from him shall soon learn that their new-found love won't match the one they shared before. He exhorts the former partner to reconsider their choices before it is too late, and makes a final plea for her to stay with him. The chorus repeats the question " am I that easy to forget?" and showcases the singer's vulnerability in dealing with the breakup.

The song's minimalist instrumentation, with primarily acoustic strumming and a simple but emotional vocal style, only serves to amplify the emotion behind the lyrics. The choice of organ and steel guitar solos similarly heightens the sadness and frustration felt by the singer. The performance technique is marked with a tendency to draw out the choruses to create a sense of urgency, with the symbolism of different instruments suggesting a sense of each begging the other to stick together.

Line by Line Meaning

They say you've found somebody new,
Rumors are you have found someone else

But that won't stop my loving you.
Even with this news, my love for you stays unaffected

I just can't let you walk away,
I cannot let you go easily

Forget the love I had for you.
Forget the love from me that you received

Guess I could find somebody, new,
I may be able to find someone else

But I don't wan't no one but you.
But, I do not want anyone else except you

How could you leave without regret?
Leaving me without any remorse?

Am I that easy to forget?
Was our love so feeble, that you forgot me this fast?

Before you leave be sure you find
If you are planning to go, make sure you want him more than me

You want his love much more than mine.
You should know he can offer you more love than me

'Cause I'll just say we've never met,
In case you forgot me that easily, I’ll say we never met