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.
Rough On The Living
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
His picture was in all the papers
They said that a legend had passed
The late evenin' news did a special report
And swore that his mem'ry would last
They're playin' his records all weekend
Praisin' the life that he lived
Nashville is rough on the livin'
The wife that they interviewed cried
Is the same one who left him last fall
And the record producer who called him a hero
Is the one who wouldn't answer his calls
The ladies they sit over coffee
Braggin' bout sharin' his bed
They didn't want him around when he's livin'
But he's sure a good friend when he's dead.
They observed twenty seconds of silence
At the Opry on Saturday night
And they're searchin' the bars and the basements
For some souvenir of his life.
They're plannin' a book for September
Showin' his plain country roots
Any they're sellin' the rights to the movie
And the Hall of Fame's gettin' his boots
At the funeral somebody recited a poem
That told how he suffered and bled
Nashville is rough on the livin'
But she really speaks well of the dead.
Yeah, Nashville is rough on the livin'
But she really speaks well of the dead...
In Bobby Bare's song "Rough On The Living," the lyrics describe the aftermath of the death of a famous musician. As news of his passing spreads, the media and the public shower him with praise and adulation despite the fact that he was mistreated and underappreciated during his lifetime. The irony of this situation is emphasized through the juxtaposition of the wife who abandoned him crying on TV and the record producer who ignored him calling him a hero. The song also touches on the idea of people trying to profit from his legacy, from the book and movie deals to selling his boots to the Hall of Fame.
Overall, the song highlights the unfairness and hypocrisy of the music industry, where people are often more concerned with fame and fortune than with the well-being of their fellow artists. Despite the sadness and bitterness conveyed in the lyrics, the song's melody is upbeat and catchy, adding to the sense of irony and contrast.
Line by Line Meaning
I wanna sing this song for a friend of ours
I want to dedicate this song to a friend of ours.
His picture was in all the papers
His photo was featured in multiple newspapers.
They said that a legend had passed
Reports claimed that a legendary figure had died.
The late evenin' news did a special report
A special report was broadcasted in the late evening news.
And swore that his mem'ry would last
The report claimed that his memory will endure for a long time.
They're playin' his records all weekend
His songs are being played all through the weekend.
Praisin' the life that he lived
They are praising the way he lived his life.
Nashville is rough on the livin'
Living in Nashville can be hard.
But she really speaks well of the dead.
However, they speak highly of the deceased.
The wife that they interviewed cried
The interviewed wife was in tears.
Is the same one who left him last fall
She's the same woman who separated from him last autumn.
And the record producer who called him a hero
The producer who hailed him a hero
Is the one who wouldn't answer his calls
Is the same producer who ignored his calls.
The ladies they sit over coffee
Women who sit together for coffee.
Braggin' bout sharin' his bed
They are boasting about sleeping with him.
They didn't want him around when he's livin'
They didn't care for his company when he was alive.
But he's sure a good friend when he's dead.
But they consider him to be a good friend now that he's gone.
They observed twenty seconds of silence
Twenty seconds of silence was observed.
At the Opry on Saturday night
At the Opry on a Saturday night.
And they're searchin' the bars and the basements
The bars and basements are being searched.
For some souvenir of his life.
They're looking for some memento or keepsake of his life.
They're plannin' a book for September
A book for September is being planned.
Showin' his plain country roots
The book will feature his modest rural background.
Any they're sellin' the rights to the movie
Movie rights are up for sale.
And the Hall of Fame's gettin' his boots
His boots would be acquired for the Hall of Fame.
At the funeral somebody recited a poem
A poem was recited at the funeral.
That told how he suffered and bled
The poem narrated how he struggled and bled.
Yeah, Nashville is rough on the livin'
Living in Nashville can be tough.
But she really speaks well of the dead...
However, they speak highly of the deceased.
Contributed by Micah M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.