Today’s post was written by Paul.
For our third installment in the story song series, here’s a gospel story song written by the great Ira Louvin. Chatter (aka Corie Pressley of the Pressley Girls) helped me out again.
I apologize about the camera angle cutting off most of my head and part of hers. 🙂 I didn’t bring a tripod with me and just propped the camera up against a pillow.
This song, like the first two, is sad, but I think it has an uplifting ending.
Corie sang some great harmony, especially since she doesn’t know the song very well.
As you can tell from my comment at the beginning, and probably from the sound of the guitars, we both had dead strings, but overall, I think this is a not-too-bad rendition of the song.
The song appeared on the Satan is Real album (1960). In recent years, this album has developed a huge cult following, largely because of the cover art that Charlie and Ira constructed themselves, and many cite the album as the Louvin’s best album. It’s definitely great, but I have never thought it to be their best album.
The album Thank God for My Christian Home (1965), the tribute album to the Delmore Brothers (also 1960), the tribute album to Roy Acuff, as well as other albums actually feature greater vocal perfection than the Satan is Real album.
Since we’re on the subject of story songs with this series, I’ll also mention that the Satan is Real album features other story songs, like the Kneeling Drunkard’s Plea and another, somewhat dark, story song (also written by Ira) called The Drunkard’s Doom (possibly with autobiographical elements) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hvWE… *I have no idea why the image for that video is a photo of a female trio, but I have noticed the same thing with other Louvin songs on YouTube, apparently an upload error from CDBaby or some other online song service.
I hope you enjoyed this third story song. There’ll be just one more for this year, and I’m still trying to decide which one to do. There’s so many story songs to choose from! Thanks for watching.
Paul
Listened last night on youtube and again just now, enjoyed the story especially that rejoicing, I so agree with all others ….beautifully done, lovely harmonizing
Paul and Corie make a great team. This duet with harmony touched me so deeply. The two of you should do an album together. I have always loved good harmony and Corie was dead on with her pretty voice. thanks for this song today.
If that is the product of dead strings I want to buy some! I will repeat myself and say that Corie did better in this song than I have ever heard her sing in all the years I listened to her!
Guess who else did an excellent job singing this same song! Granny! Singing with Pap.
Wonderful reminder of Pap’s tenor. You could actually hear his voice.
As usual I loved the Sunday Song. Corie has grown up to be such a beautiful young woman with lots of talent. Loved the harmony with Paul. Always enjoy a Louvin song.
Never have I heard such a pure voice as Vorie.
My mommy would rock the babies or swing us to sleep singing all kinds of ballads and story songs. She especially liked sad songs…like the song about a drunk man driving his car as he ran over his own children….I believe that was a Ralph Stanley song….makes me sad still to think of mommy’s lullabies.
This song reminded me of the sad songs my Grandmother used to sing. Little Babes In The Woods – a story song about two little children who got lost in the woods and froze to death was one she used to sing a lot. Another about a man who went out one night drinking – his little boy begged him not to go. When the father came home, his little boy had died. She sang a bunch of them that were very old story songs. I often wondered why she sang such sad songs but I guess that’s the music that came out of the culture that people experienced back then. Lots of heartache and tragedy back then.
I have never heard this song, but it was beautiful, especially the harmony.
Oh, my goodness! This was just beautiful! It made my cry. Corie nailed the tenor harmony, and you both did an excellent job. Every time I hear the Louvin Brothers songs, it takes me way back to my childhood and the years growing up hearing these dear, old songs playing in our home and also, Mom and Dad singing them, It is such a blessing that you are keeping this music and these songs alive. We truly appreciate all you do. You all are such a blessing to us. We trust the Lord will richly bless all of you!
My goodness that did start out as a sad song but a beautiful ending. Your voices blended beautifully!!
Just had breakfast and now I’m having a delicious dessert of Corie and Paul’s music. The Louvin Brothers would be proud of them. And I agree with Paul that Corie’s harmony is excellent indeed. Only when you put your heart into a song does it come out so well. They make “dead strings” come alive!
Harmony was very good. Can’t go wrong with a Louvin Bros song?
The guitars sounded fine and you both did a great job on that beautiful old song.
You two did great this Sunday morning. The song reminds me of a family I knew much like that. The wife would tell her husband, “Someday you’ll believe.” And he would say, ” You’ll never live to see it. ” When I knew them, they were singing in church.
Wouldn’t we like to get a look into what goes on in heaven?
Corie
Thank you for this Tipper! Conroe does do a good job here.
That was beautiful your harmony was outstanding. It must be true that harmony is sweeter with blood relatives.