Born Milton Sims Newbury, Jr. in Houston, Texas. As a teenager, Mickey Newbury sang tenor in a moderately successful vocal group called The Embers. The group opened for several famous performers, such as Sam Cooke and Johnny Cash. Although Mickey tried to make a living off of his music by singing in clubs, he put his musical career on hold at age 19 when he joined the Air Force. After four years in the military, Mickey again set his sights on making a living as a songwriter. Before long, he moved to Nashville and signed to the prestigious publishing company Acuff-Rose Music.
For a time, he was one of the most influential creative minds in Nashville and it's arguable that he was the first real "outlaw" of the outlaw country movement of the 1970s. Ralph Emery referred to him as the first "hippie-cowboy" and along with Johnny Cash and Roger Miller, he was one of the first to rebel against the conventions of the Nashville music society. After being disappointed by the production methods used by Felton Jarvis on his debut album, Mickey got himself released from his contract with RCA and signed the first offer he received to comply with his condition that he could either produce his own albums or hire a producer of his choice.
He went on to record three musically revolutionary albums in Wayne Moss's garage-turned-studio just outside of Nashville. The influence of the production methods can be heard in the albums Waylon Jennings went on to record in the 1970s (with instrumentation highly unconventional for country music) and his poetically sophisticated style of songwriting was highly influential on Kris Kristofferson.[citation needed] It was Newbury who convinced Roger Miller to record Kristofferson's "Me & Bobby McGee", which went on to launch Kristofferson as country music's top songwriter. Newbury is also responsible for getting Townes Van Zandt and Guy Clark to move to Nashville and pursue careers as songwriters. However, he had no desire to cash-in on the Outlaw movement.[citation needed]
In 1974, he moved to a house on the McKenzie River in Oregon with his wife, Susan, and new born son, Chris, where they welcomed three more children over the years. He recorded several albums throughout the 1970s for Elektra and ABC/Hickory, all of them critically praised, but financially unsuccessful. In 1980, he was given the distinction of being the youngest songwriter ever inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame. Although he spent much of the 1980s retired from performing and recording music, he returned both to recording and touring in the late 1980s before he died following a prolonged battle with pulmonary fibrosis on September 29, 2002, aged 62.
Funny Familiar Forgotten Feelings
Mickey Newbury Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Started walkin' all over my mind
Last night, quietly, she walked through my mind
As I lay searching for sleep
Her soft hand reached out, she whispered my name
As she brushed a tear from my cheek
And then those funny, familiar, forgotten feelings
Started walkin' all over my mind
Well, now I must go on, be strong
Though million teardrops may fall
Before those funny, familiar, forgotten feelings
Stop walkin' all over my mind
In Mickey Newbury's song "Funny Familiar Forgotten Feelings," the lyrics begin with the singer experiencing an unexpected wave of memories about an old flame. These feelings "started walkin' all over [the singer's] mind," implying that they are intrusive and difficult to ignore. The second verse describes the singer's dream about the former lover, where she appears to comfort him by reaching out a soft hand to brush a tear from his cheek. This dream causes the old feelings to resurface even more intensely.
Line by Line Meaning
And then those funny, familiar, forgotten feelings
Unexpected emotions from the past that were both warm and bittersweet
Started walkin' all over my mind
Overwhelmed my thoughts and memories, as if taking over my entire being
Last night, quietly, she walked through my mind
The image of a woman, possibly a lost love, appeared in my thoughts without notice
As I lay searching for sleep
As I was lying in bed, trying to find rest and relaxation
Her soft hand reached out, she whispered my name
The imagined woman's comforting touch and voice reminded me of a gentle love
As she brushed a tear from my cheek
She kindly wiped away my sadness and longing
Well, now I must go on, be strong
Despite these intense feelings, I need to carry on without giving in to despair
Though million teardrops may fall
Even if I cry countless tears over this lost love
Before those funny, familiar, forgotten feelings
Until those unexpected yet familiar emotions dissipate
Stop walkin' all over my mind
Cease to dominate my thoughts and my entire existence
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: MICKEY NEWBURY
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind