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.
Remember The Good
Mickey Newbury Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I think about her
She was once so much a
Part of me
Heaven knows I′ve learned to
Live without her
And hell, it was, at times
But for all it matters now if it does
For all that tried to be but never was
For all the times I've tried
I wouldn′t change it if I could
For all she meant to me
I'll remember the good
I'll forget the bad
All the good times we′ve had
Won′t make me quite so sad
When I'm remembering
And for all the times I′ve tried
I wouldn't change it if I could
For all she meant to me
I′ll remember the good
For all she meant to me
I'll remember the good
In Mickey Newbury's song "Remember The Good", the singer reflects on a past love that was once a significant part of his life. He admits that he still thinks about her, but he has learned to live without her. The memories of their relationship that were once painful have now turned into a bittersweet recollection of the good times they shared. The singer acknowledges that their relationship was imperfect, but he wouldn't change a thing because of what it meant to him.
The lyrics of the song create a sense of nostalgia, portraying the singer's willingness to accept the memories they have shared, both good and bad. The song provides an honest insight, revealing that the singer has come to terms with the end of their relationship and has found a way to move on. The memories of the past are not forgotten, but they are instead accepted with a sense of closure and understanding.
Overall, the message of the song is one of acceptance, as the singer remembers the good times and lets go of the bad. The lyrics offer a comforting reminder that even though we may experience heartache and pain, memories can still bring joy and comfort.
Line by Line Meaning
Yes, I suppose at times
Admitting that there are moments when the thought of her crosses my mind
I think about her
I remember her and what we had
She was once so much a
She was a significant part of my life
Part of me
She was intertwined with my being
Heaven knows I′ve learned to
I have come to terms with living without her
Live without her
I have adapted to life without her presence
And hell, it was, at times
I faced painful memories and struggles at times when I missed her
It was a painful memory
I still remember the pain of losing her
But for all it matters now if it does
It doesn't really matter at this point
For all that tried to be but never was
For all the things that never materialized between us
For all the times I′ve tried
For all the times I attempted to make it work
I wouldn′t change it if I could
I have come to accept the outcome, and I wouldn't change it
For all she meant to me
For all the significance she had in my life
I'll remember the good
I choose to remember the positive memories we share
I'll forget the bad
I'll let go of the negative experiences we encountered
All the good times we′ve had
I cherish all the positive moments we shared
Won′t make me quite so sad
It won't hurt me as much to remember our time together
When I'm remembering
When I look back on our memories
And for all the times I′ve tried
And for all the efforts I put in
I wouldn't change it if I could
I have made peace with the past and accepted it
For all she meant to me
For all the importance she had in my life
I′ll remember the good
I'll choose to cherish the positive memories we shared
For all she meant to me
For all the significance she had in my life
I'll remember the good
I choose to remember the positive memories we share
Writer(s): Mickey Newbury
Contributed by Thomas K. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Glenda Carr
After how many years since I have heard him sing these songs, I'm at work, crying like a baby. The world is a much poorer place without his genius. Damn, the boy could sing and tell a story.
Big Trev Young
Would you believe I first found Mickey Newbury's "I just came to hear the music" album many years ago on a second hand table outside a record store. It was the greatest find I ever made I have never stopped listening to Mickey's music since. it is the pleasure of my life.
John Macleod
Mickey's voice will live on forever ,may he rest in peace
MK
What a song. And now I'm sitting here crying, thinking back on memories that I don't really know if I want to remember. "....remember the good....forget the bad...." I guess that's all I can do.
John Evans
Very few people ever had the ability to create this kind of beautiful music. I feel fortunate to have been able to listen to Mickeys music now, for over 40 years, and it's still timeless, as opposed to most of what they call music today. Thanks for the posting.
John Hagan
First discovered Micky Newberry with How I Love Them Old Songs.( a iong time ago). then found him to be one of the only artists I could listen to all day ...Sings his own songs better than anyone who ever covered them.. especially this one..
one of the greatest
awfulorv
He pokes your heart with this one, So simple and yet so haunting.
Ingrid Maier
What a genius, what a voice....
lonewizzard
A friend of mine discovered Micey and through him I learned of one of the most amazing talents in songwriting that I have ever heard. I just found a copy of Frisco Mabel Joy for a very reasonable price and yes i have been playing the hell out of it.
lonewizzard
....Mickey, sorry bout that.