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.
It's a Freezing in El Paso
Bobby Bare Lyrics
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I can smell her perfume driftin' through my room
If I try to make her stay I'd know she couldn't even hear me
Might as well be on the darkside of the Moon
Cause it's freezin' in El Paso in the summer
All the sweet things here are dyin' on the vine
Wish that woman could have took it when the hard times came around
Wish her winter hadn't spoil my summertime
So when her plane takes off for Memphis I'll be sittin' in some tavern
I'll be washin' out the corners of my mind
When she's in the wild blue yonder I'll be feedin' that old jukebox
Playin' every happy song that I can find
Cause it's freezin' in El Paso...
The lyrics of Bobby Bare's "It's a Freezing in El Paso" paint a picture of a man who is experiencing the heartbreak of losing his partner. He can hear her footsteps as she leaves him, and the scent of her perfume lingers in his room. Although the man wants to try and convince her to stay, he knows that it is futile as she won't even hear him. He feels as if he's been left alone on the dark side of the moon, a metaphor for his overwhelming sense of loneliness.
The chorus of the song emphasizes the bleakness of the man's situation. He compares the freezing temperatures of El Paso in the summertime to the dying of all the sweet things in his life. He wishes that his partner had stayed with him during the hard times, so that he could have had someone to comfort him during the difficult times. He also regrets that her departure has ruined the joy of his summertime.
As the song progresses, the man describes what he plans to do after his partner leaves. He imagines himself sitting in a tavern, drinking his sorrows away and listening to the jukebox. He plans on playing all the happy songs that he can find, in an attempt to lift his spirits. However, even these plans are tinged with sadness because he knows that his partner will be far away, in the wild blue yonder. The song concludes with the chorus, driving home the pain and emptiness that the man is feeling.
Line by Line Meaning
I can hear the footsteps walkin' by my bedside Lord she's leavin'
I am aware of her moving, leaving me behind
I can smell her perfume driftin' through my room
The scent of her lingers on in my room
If I try to make her stay I'd know she couldn't even hear me
Even if I begged her and pleaded with her, she wouldn't change her mind
Might as well be on the darkside of the Moon
I feel completely alone, like I'm on the opposite side of the universe
Cause it's freezin' in El Paso in the summer
I feel the emptiness and coldness of the world even when it should be warm and sunny
All the sweet things here are dyin' on the vine
Everything that used to be beautiful and happy is now withering away
Wish that woman could have took it when the hard times came around
I wish she could have stayed with me through the tough times
Wish her winter hadn't spoil my summertime
I wish her leaving didn't ruin my happiness and hopefulness
So when her plane takes off for Memphis I'll be sittin' in some tavern
I'll be drowning my sorrows in some bar when she leaves on her flight to Memphis
I'll be washin' out the corners of my mind
I'll be trying to forget about her and erase her memories from my mind
When she's in the wild blue yonder I'll be feedin' that old jukebox
While she's flying away, I'll be listening to music and trying to escape my heartache
Playin' every happy song that I can find
I'll search for songs that can make me happy to forget about my sadness
Cause it's freezin' in El Paso...
Even though it's summer, I feel the cold and loneliness of heartbreak
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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