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.
I Fall To Pieces
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Well I just can't make my heart find someone new
It's always much too busy loving you
So I don't believe I'll fall in love today cause if I did I'm sure I wouldn't stay
You'd just come between us like you always do
I'm sure she'd never measure up to you
Then I'll wake and I'll hear my poor heart say
Oh no I don't believe I'll fall in love today
Each night I pray I'll wake at dawn and find
Um um I don't believe I'll fall in love today
The lyrics to "I don't care" by Bobby Bare are about the struggles of moving on from a past love. The singer expresses how difficult it is to find love again when memories of his past love constantly consume him. He admits that his heart is always too busy loving his ex-lover, making it impossible to find someone new. He acknowledges that if he were to try to fall in love with someone else, his ex-lover would come between them and he would struggle to find someone who could measure up to her.
The singer expresses the hope and prayer of finding someone new to love, but reflects on the deep realization that he cannot force his heart to move on just yet. The lyrics of the song are powerful in expressing the feeling of being stuck between loving someone who is gone and trying to move on but ultimately not being ready to let go.
Line by Line Meaning
I don't believe I'll fall in love today old memories of you stand in the way
I don't think I'll let myself feel love again today, since I'm still holding onto the memories of you and they're preventing me from moving on.
Well I just can't make my heart find someone new
I'm unable to force myself to have feelings for anyone else.
It's always much too busy loving you
My heart is completely occupied with loving you and can't make room for anyone else.
So I don't believe I'll fall in love today cause if I did I'm sure I wouldn't stay
Even if I did manage to fall in love today, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be able to commit to it since you'd always come between us.
You'd just come between us like you always do
You'd be a constant interference in any relationship I have, just like you always have been.
I'm sure she'd never measure up to you
I don't think I'd ever be able to find someone who could compare to you.
Each night I pray I'll wake at dawn and find another in my heart and on my mind
Every night before bed, I hope that in the morning I'll have moved on and have someone else on my mind.
Then I'll wake and I'll hear my poor heart say
But when I wake up, my heart will remind me that it's still stuck on loving you.
Oh no I don't believe I'll fall in love today
Once again, I don't think I'll let myself fall in love today.
Each night I pray I'll wake at dawn and find
And so the cycle repeats, every night I hope to wake up with someone new in my heart.
Um um I don't believe I'll fall in love today
The repetition of this line shows how strong the singer's feelings are - they just can't seem to shake them no matter how hard they try.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARLAN HOWARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@flamencoprof
How I came to hear (of) Harlan Howard.
In 2008 I had just heard of Wanda Jackson when I saw an old LP in the Clearance bin in a local junk shop with a track by her, so I bought it for NZ$4.00. What I discovered amazed me. It was called Country Hits By Country Stars, by World Record Club (1963).
I thought "this style of Country has the charm of being so uncool it's cool; so corny yet so sincere, commercial but heartfelt."
As you can see below, the record had Harlan Howard doing "She Called Me Baby", which really impressed me. (Check out Candi Staton's more soul version, also excellent.)
To this day I consider this LP one of my best buys ever.
All tracks were so good I realised the Title was entirely truthful.
Country Hits By Country Stars 27:32
A
1 Kentucky Means Paradise Glen Campbell 1:35
2 Look Out Heart (We're Gonna Lose Again) Bobby Austin 2:17
3 In the Middle of a Heartache Wanda Jackson 2:34
4 The Waltz You Saved for Me Ferlin Husky 3:00
5 She Called Me Baby Harlan Howard 2:17
6 Nobody's Fool But Yours Buck Owens 2:13
B
1 That's the Recipe for a Heartache Hank Thompson 2:18
2 Must You Throw Dirt in My Face The Louvin Brothers 2:37
3 Sing a Little Song of Heartache Rose Maddox 2:07
4 What's the Reason Bobby Edwards 2:06
5 Two Voices, Two Shadows, Two Faces Jean Shepard 2:25
6 Backtrack Faron Young 2:03
@dougnewsam6905
Didn't know that he was the songwriter behind so many great songs, and he does a great job on his own songs.
RIP Harlan Howard
@cuppajoe1
Patsy was lucky to have Harlan writing her songs. He certainly mastered the three chords and the truth, as did she.
@egbertsouce3895
cuppajoe1: Did Howard & Cochran write it for her, specifically? Or did her "people" think that the song had potential, was right for her, and that she could have a hit with it?? Sounds like you have some sense of the history involved?
@ericferguson68
I think Willie might have written a song for her, too.
@jkalin196511
@Eric Ferguson Willie wrote Crazy.
@ElnaCopper
His voice is wonderful...Thanks
@gtrjames1
the song was started by Hank Cochran and Harlan helped him finish it.....two of the best writers ever.
@jackspry9736
RIP Harlan Howard (September 8, 1927 – March 3, 2002), aged 74
You will be remembered as a legend.
@kevinn5976
Amazing voice and lyrics.
@lenaandersson7270
WHAT voice LOVE it🎤🎸❤