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.
Try To Remember
Bobby Bare Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Try to remember the kind of September when grass was green and grain was yellow
Try to remember the kind of September when you were a tender and happy fellow
Try to remember and if you remember then follow follow
Try to remember when life was so tender that no one had wept except the willow
Try to remember when life was so tender when dreams were kept beside your pillow
And deep in December it's nice to remember
Try to remember and if you remember then follow follow
The lyrics of Bobby Bare's song, "Try to Remember," evoke a sense of nostalgia and longing for a time gone by. The opening lines, "Try to remember the kind of September when life was slow and oh so mellow," set the tone for the rest of the song. The singer invites the listener to recall a time when life was simpler and more carefree, when the grass was green and the grain was yellow. He encourages the listener to remember a time when they themselves were a "tender and happy fellow" and to follow that memory wherever it may lead.
The second verse continues in the same vein, urging the listener to remember when "dreams were kept beside your pillow" and life was so tender that only the willow had shed tears. The final lines of the song, "And deep in December it's nice to remember/ Too fire of September that made us mellow/ Try to remember and if you remember then follow follow," suggest that remembering the past can bring comfort in difficult times and that the memories of a September long ago can guide us towards a brighter future.
Overall, the lyrics of "Try to Remember" are a poignant reminder of the fleeting nature of time and the power of memory to transport us back to moments of joy and simplicity.
Line by Line Meaning
Try to remember the kind of September when life was slow and oh so mellow
Reflect on the peaceful moments of September when life slowed down and became very relaxing.
Try to remember the kind of September when grass was green and grain was yellow
Try to remember a September where the grass was vibrant and green, and the wheat and fields were a bright and warm yellow.
Try to remember the kind of September when you were a tender and happy fellow
Think back to a time in September where you were young and happy, full of emotions and excitement.
Try to remember and if you remember then follow follow
Reflect on those memories and try to hold onto their essence by following their meaning and purpose.
Try to remember when life was so tender that no one had wept except the willow
Remember a time when life was gentle and delicate, where no one had experienced any sadness, only the weeping willow tree showed any sign of sorrow.
Try to remember when life was so tender when dreams were kept beside your pillow
Think back to a time when life had a soft - and precarious - touch, where you dreamed your hopes and held them close to your heart.
And deep in December it's nice to remember
Even in the midst of December and cold weather, it is enjoyable to look back on the touching times of September.
Too fire of September that made us mellow
The heat and warmth of September created a relaxing and gentle atmosphere for all of us.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, Actual Music, S.L., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: HARVEY SCHMIDT, TOM JONES
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
EJ Strait
This is a great album!
Big Red!
Good stuff!!!