While the Buckaroos originally featured a fiddle and retained pedal steel guitar into the 1970s, their sound on records and onstage was always more stripped-down and elemental. The band's signature style was based on simple story lines, infectious choruses, a twangy electric guitar, an insistent rhythm supplied by a prominent drum track, and high, two-part vocal harmonies featuring Owens and his guitarist Don Rich.
From 1969 to 1986, Owens co-hosted the popular CBS television variety show Hee Haw with Roy Clark (syndicated beginning in 1971). According to his son Buddy Alan (Owens), the accidental 1974 death of Rich, his best friend, devastated him for years and impacted his creative efforts until he performed with Dwight Yoakam in 1988.
Owens is a member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Owens was born on a farm in Sherman, Texas, United States, to Alvis Edgar Owens Sr. and Maicie Azel (née Ellington) Owens.
In the biography About Buck., Rich Kienzle writes: "'Buck' was a donkey on the Owens farm." "When Alvis Jr. was three or four years old, he walked into the house and announced that his name also was "Buck." That was fine with the family, and the boy's name became "Buck" from then on."He attended public school for grades 1–3 in Garland, Texas.
Owens' family moved to Mesa, Arizona, in 1937 during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression. While attending school in Arizona, Owens found that while he disliked formal schoolwork, he could often satisfy class requirements by singing or performing in school plays. A self-taught musician and singer, Owens became proficient on guitar, mandolin, horns, and drums. When he obtained his first electric steel guitar, he taught himself to play it after his father adapted an old radio into an amplifier. Owens quit school in the ninth grade in order to help work on his father's farm and pursue a music career.
Owens had three sons: Buddy Alan (who charted several hits as a Capitol recording artist in the early 1970s and appeared with his father numerous times on Hee Haw), Johnny, and Michael Owens.
Owens successfully recovered from oral cancer in the early 1990s, but had additional health problems near the end of the 1990s and the early 2000s, including pneumonia and a minor stroke in 2004. These health problems had forced him to curtail his regular weekly performances with the Buckaroos at his Crystal Palace. Owens died in his sleep of an apparent heart attack at his ranch just north of Bakersfield on March 25, 2006, only hours after performing at his club. He was 76 years old.
Owens was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1996. He was ranked No. 12 in CMT's 40 Greatest Men of Country Music in 2003. In addition, CMT also ranked the Buckaroos No. 2 in the network's 20 Greatest Bands in 2005. He was also inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame.
The stretch of US Highway 82 in Sherman, Texas, is named the Buck Owens Freeway in his honor.
Under the Influence of Love
Buck Owens Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But I just close my eyes and let it be
Now she walks by me like she never met me
I didn't even make a memory
For I was under the influence of love
I wonder now what I was thinking of
Yes I was so in love I let her
Under the influence of love
Why did I let her do me like she done me
Why can't I get that woman off my mind
Although I know she never truly loved me
I wish she break my heart just one time
For I was under the influence of love
I wonder now what I was thinking of
Yes I was so in love I let her
Hurtin' me though I knew better
Under the influence of love
Buck Owens's song "Under the Influence of Love" is a classic country tune that delves into the theme of love and vulnerability. Owens narrates the story of falling for a woman who he knew was out to get him, but he let it be because he was under the influence of love. Despite knowing better, he allowed himself to be hurt and ignored red flags.
The lyrics in the chorus illustrate Owens's emotional state during that time. He wonders what he was thinking of, and how he could love someone who was hurting him despite knowing better. He admits that he was so in love that he let her hurt him.
Line by Line Meaning
She knew I knew that she was out to get me
She was aware that I was aware that she had some malintent towards me
But I just close my eyes and let it be
However, I ignored the warning signs and didn't do anything about it
Now she walks by me like she never met me
As a result, she acts like she doesn't even know me
I didn't even make a memory
Our time together was so unremarkable that I don't even remember it
For I was under the influence of love
My feelings of love blinded me to the reality of the situation
I wonder now what I was thinking of
In retrospect, I question my own judgment
Yes I was so in love I let her
My love for her allowed me to
Hurtin' me though I knew better
Ignore the fact that she was causing me pain even though I knew it wasn't right
Under the influence of love
Once again emphasizing the idea that my love clouded my ability to make rational decisions
Why did I let her do me like she done me
I am questioning why I allowed her to treat me poorly
Why can't I get that woman off my mind
Despite everything, I am still thinking about her constantly
Although I know she never truly loved me
I am aware that she never had genuine feelings for me
I wish she break my heart just one time
However, I still desire to feel the pain of a broken heart because it would make my feelings feel more valid
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: BUCK OWENS, HARLAN HOWARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind