Haggard was born in Oildale, California, during the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled after the death of his father, and he was incarcerated several times in his youth. After being released from San Quentin State Prison in 1960, he managed to turn his life around and launch a successful country music career. He gained popularity with his songs about the working class that occasionally contained themes contrary to the prevailing anti-Vietnam War sentiment of much popular music of the time. Between the 1960s and the 1980s, he had 38 number-one hits on the US country charts, several of which also made the Billboard all-genre singles chart. Haggard continued to release successful albums into the 2000s.
He received many honors and awards for his music, including a Kennedy Center Honor (2010), a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (2006), a BMI Icon Award (2006), and induction into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame (1977), Country Music Hall of Fame (1994) and Oklahoma Music Hall of Fame (1997). He died on April 6, 2016 — his 79th birthday — at his ranch in Shasta County, California, having recently suffered from double pneumonia.
Haggard's last recording, a song called "Kern River Blues", described his departure from Bakersfield in the late 1970s and his displeasure with politicians. The song was recorded February 9, 2016, and features his son Ben on guitar. This record was released on May 12, 2016.
Haggard endorsed Fender guitars and had a Custom Artist signature model Telecaster. The guitar is a modified Telecaster Thinline with laminated top of figured maple, set neck with deep carved heel, birdseye maple fingerboard with 22 jumbo frets, ivoroid pickguard and binding, gold hardware, abalone Tuff Dog Tele peghead inlay, 2-Colour Sunburst finish, and a pair of Fender Texas Special Tele single-coil pickups with custom-wired 4-way pickup switching. He also played six-string acoustic models. In 2001, C. F. Martin & Company introduced a limited edition Merle Haggard Signature Edition 000-28SMH acoustic guitar available with or without factory-installed electronics.
My Favorite Memory
Merle Haggard Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
They say time changes all it pertains to
But your memory is stronger than time
I guess everything does change except what you choose to recall
There's a million good daydreams to dream on
But baby, you are my favorite memory of all
Like the night we made love in the hallway
Like the winter we spent on Lake Shasta alone and closer than ever before
And I remember that London vacation
It was you made the whole thing a ball
There's a million good times I could dwell on
But baby, you are my favorite memory of all
First time we met is a favorite memory of mine
They say time changes all it pertains to
But your memory is stronger than time
I guess everything does change except what you choose to recall
There's a million good daydreams to dream on
But baby, you are my favorite memory of all
In Merle Haggard's song "My Favorite Memory," the singer reflects on the memories of his past, particularly those with his significant other. The opening line, "First time we met is a favorite memory of mine," sets the tone for the rest of the song as he lists off various moments in their relationship that have stuck with him. The lyrics suggest that even though time may change people and circumstances, some memories remain resilient and powerful.
As the song progresses, he highlights some of their fondest moments together. The fact that they made love in a hallway and slept on the floor all night shows the unbreakable bond between the two of them. The winter they spent on Lake Shasta, alone and closer than ever before, was a time they would never forget. He also mentions their trip to London, which was made especially memorable because of her. The lyrics convey a sense of nostalgia and a longing to relive those happy moments.
The line "There's a million good daydreams to dream on, but baby, you are my favorite memory of all" encapsulates the essence of the song. The singer acknowledges that there were many good times in his life, but his favorite memory is the time he spent with his lover. The song hints that even if the two of them are no longer together, he will always cherish the memories they had and the time they spent together.
Line by Line Meaning
First time we met is a favorite memory of mine
The first instance we met is something that I cherish deeply
They say time changes all it pertains to
The common belief is that time has the power to alter everything
But your memory is stronger than time
However, the memories that I possess are more powerful than time
I guess everything does change except what you choose to recall
It seems that everything undergoes alterations over time, except for the memories that you choose to keep alive
There's a million good daydreams to dream on
One can dream of a million good things that happened in the past
But baby, you are my favorite memory of all
But you, my dear, hold the top position as my most cherished memory
Like the night we made love in the hallway
The memory of the night when we made love in the hallway is something that I fondly recall
And slept all night long on the floor
We slept on the floor throughout the night, and that memory is still fresh in my mind
Like the winter we spent on Lake Shasta alone and closer than ever before
The winter period that we spent together on Lake Shasta, where we were alone and closer than we had ever been before, is another memory I hold dear
And I remember that London vacation
I still remember our vacation we had together in London
It was you made the whole thing a ball
It was because of you that the entirety of our London trip was an enjoyable experience
There's a million good times I could dwell on
There are a million great times in my life that I could think about
But baby, you are my favorite memory of all
However, you are the dearest memory that I possess
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MERLE HAGGARD
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Jimmy Ray
on Carryin' Fire
I'm a co-writer on this song and the lyrics are not quite right here. Instead of the word high it should be higher. The last verse is A moth slowly circles the flickering candle, the fire is all it can see...