[edit] Biography
Watson was born in Palestine, Texas, in 1943 and began his music career in the early 1970s, performing in local clubs at night while working in a Houston auto body shop during the day. He only recorded for a few small, regional record labels until 1974, when Capitol Records picked up his album Love in the Hot Afternoon and released it nationally. The title track, a mid-tempo ballad in 3/4 time, was released in June 1975 and it quickly reached Number 3 on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart.
Watson's national success continued throughout the late 1970s and early 1980s, as he recorded several Billboard top-40 hits, including "Where Love Begins," "Paper Rosie," "Should I Go Home (or Should I Go Crazy)," "Nothing Sure Looked Good on You." and "Farewell Party" which was released in 1979 and quickly became Watson's signature song and soon allowed Watson to name his band after the tragic ballad.
In 1982, after switching to the MCA label, he recorded the only number-one hit of his career, "Fourteen Carat Mind." He followed up with several more hits in the early 1980s, including "Speak Softly (You're Talking to My Heart)," "You're Out Doing What I'm Here Doing Without" and "Got No Reason Now for Going Home." By the mid-1980s, he was recording for Epic Records, where his most notable hit was 1985's "Memories to Burn."
Watson never gave up his classical country style, even as he continued to record music throughout the 1980s. He signed with Warner Bros. and released two new albums in 1989 and 1991. He recorded his last album, From the Heart, under the Row Music Group label in 2001.
In 2005, Watson released his latest album, "Then & Now."
In May 2007, Gene Watson signed with the independent Shanachie Records & began work on his first album for the label, which will include new material, along with at least 3 covers of some of Gene's favourite classic country tunes including Merle Haggard's classic "Today I started Loving You Again". The new album, 'In a Perfect World', will be officially released on Tuesday 25 September 2007.
It was also in May 2007 (Saturday 5 May 2007) that the (all new) Gene Watson Site went 'live'. The site, which is owned & maintained by Sean Brady, is based in the Republic of Ireland & receives full support from Sarah Brosmer at Lytle Management in Nashville (Gene Watson's management team) & Gene Watson himself.
In September 2007 "In A Perfect World" was released to the public. The album was received by the country music industry as being one of the best recordings of the year.
[edit] External links
The Official Gene Watson Site
Gene Watson Site Based in Ireland
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Watson"
Categories: 1943 births | American country singers | American male singers | Living people | People from Anderson County, Texas | People from Houston, Texas
Though he can sing honky-tonk, Gene Watson built a reputation for soulful ballads in the classical country tradition. Born one of seven children in Palestine, TX, Watson married early and was working as an auto-body man when he began frequenting the clubs in Houston. He recorded for a few small-time regional labels during the early '70s like Wide World and Stoneway. Watson finally had success in 1974, when a steamy single for Resco "Love in the Hot Afternoon" was picked up for national distribution by Capitol Records, igniting a firestorm of national hits: "Where Love Begins," "Paper Rosie," "Farewell Party," "Should I Come Home (Or Should I Go Crazy)," and "Nothing Sure Looked Good on You." In 1982, shortly after moving to MCA, Watson recorded his only chart-topper, "Fourteen Carat Mind." A parade of Top Ten entries followed during the early '80s, including "Speak Softly (You're Talking to My Heart)" and "You're Out Doing What I'm Here Doing Without." Watson is a vocal stylist of considerable talent, and still owns his own body shop.
Carmen
Gene Watson Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Between you and this Mexican moon I'm gonna fall
El Paso lady, you're driving me crazy
In a language I don't understand, you said it all.
Dusty old Juarez on the old Rio Grande
It's sure is handy when you need a friend
I don't belong here, your dark eyes keep warning
Oh Carmen, I had too much tequila
Between you and this Mexican moon I'm gonna fall
El Paso lady, you're driving me crazy
In a language I don't understand, you said it all.
Crossing over the border, stepping over the line
Drunk on yesterdays wine and still feeling the flame
The guitars keep playing a song that I've never heard
Without saying a word, you keep calling out my name.
Oh Carmen, I had too much tequila
Between you and this Mexican moon I'm gonna fall
El Paso lady, you're driving me crazy
In a language I don't understand, you said it all.
In a language I don't understand, you said it all
The song "Carmen" by Gene Watson is a melancholy ballad about a man's relationship with a woman named Carmen in the midst of a drunken night. The lyrics suggest that the singer has had too much tequila and is under the spell of the Mexican moon. He becomes infatuated with Carmen, a woman he only just met, and struggles to understand her language. He then reflects on the border crossing and how he is still hungover from the previous night's wine, but the guitars keep playing a song that he has never heard. Carmen continues to call out his name, and he is torn between wanting to stay with her and realizing he doesn't belong there. The final line "In a language I don't understand, you said it all" captures the sense of longing, confusion, and unrequited love that pervades the song.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh Carmen, I had too much tequila
I drank a lot of tequila and now I'm feeling overwhelmed by my attraction to Carmen
Between you and this Mexican moon I'm gonna fall
The combination of Carmen's presence and the romantic atmosphere of Mexico is making me swoon
El Paso lady, you're driving me crazy
Carmen's allure is captivating me and I'm losing control
In a language I don't understand, you said it all.
Despite not speaking the same language, Carmen's actions and demeanor speak volumes to me
Dusty old Juarez on the old Rio Grande
Juarez is a dusty, run-down town on the Rio Grande river
It's sure is handy when you need a friend
Despite my feelings of not belonging, Juarez is a good place to find comfort and camaraderie
I don't belong here, your dark eyes keep warning
I don't feel like I fit in and Carmen's dark eyes are signaling a potential danger or warning
I'll leave in the morning but for now please let me in.
I plan on leaving town soon, but for the moment I want to enjoy Carmen's company
Crossing over the border, stepping over the line
Leaving Juarez and crossing the border into the United States
Drunk on yesterdays wine and still feeling the flame
Still feeling the effects of the tequila from the previous night and my passion for Carmen is still strong
The guitars keep playing a song that I've never heard
The music is playing a new tune that I'm unfamiliar with
Without saying a word, you keep calling out my name.
Carmen is silently beckoning me to come back to her
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: STEVE SPURGIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ng Yu Feng
Oh Carmen, I had too much tequila
Between you and this Mexican moon I'm gonna fall
El Paso lady, you're driving me crazy
In a language I don't understand, you said it all.
Dusty old Juarez on the old Rio Grande
It's sure is handy when you need a friend
I don't belong here, your dark eyes keep warning
I'll leave in the morning but for now please let me in.
Oh Carmen, I had too much tequila
Between you and this Mexican moon I'm gonna fall
El Paso lady, you're driving me crazy
In a language I don't understand, you said it all.
Crossing over the border, stepping over the line
Drunk on yesterdays wine and still feeling the flame
The guitars keep playing a song that I've never heard
Without saying a word, you keep calling out my name.
Oh Carmen, I had too much tequila
Between you and this Mexican moon I'm gonna fall
El Paso lady, you're driving me crazy
In a language I don't understand, you said it all.
In a language I don't understand, you said it all
Anne White
Brilliant song by an absolutely BRILLIANT singer, thanks for posting Steve !!!!!
Horsehide
Oh, hell, Anne, it is a daggum beauty.
Dave Wollenberg
Gary Gene hit #32 in Billboard, 4-12-86. God bless! Gene, you sang it perfectly, with no dropped r's at all.
dianne knox
He ought to be in the Country Music Hall of Fame. Don’t know why he’s not. Love to hear him.
Matthew Brandon
They better do it soon. Gene isn't very healthy.
Terry Duncan
Have watched Gene do this song twice and met the man that wrote it. Awesomeness 👌
Gillian Legg
Absolutely lovely. What a voice.❤
David Helm
Most talented man and great singer 🎉
Wileen Byroads
LOVE THIS MAN! CAN'T GET HIM OUT OF MY HEAD! HE IS THE BEST!
Carol Johnston
Love Gene Watson. Greatest country singer of all time!