My Quirky Valentine

Happy Valentine's Day!

Yes, I've been playing in Photoshop™ again!

Being me, I can't do a Valentine's Day post with just a picture; there needs to be music as well. That's where the "quirky" part kicks in, because I chose two Willie Nelson tunes.

Considering that he made a career out of his songwriting, it's interesting that the song that became Willie's signature love ballad was a song written by somone else entirely. "Always on My Mind" was written by Johnny Christopher, Mark James and Wayne Carson Thompson. It was originally recorded by Brenda Lee and later by Elvis, but it was Willie who made a #1 hit of it in 1983, winning a Grammy for himself (Best Male Country Vocal Performance) and two Grammies for the songwriters (Song of the Year and Best Country Song). Now he sings it at every one of his concerts, and when you mention "Always on My Mind" people don't think of Brenda Lee or Elvis; they think of Willie Nelson.

And then there's my favorite Willie Nelson tune - "Crazy". He always sings it, but even Willie admits that his version isn't the best one. The version that he and everyone else has tagged as the classic is Patsy Cline's. On the evidence and by popular acclaim (including Willie's), this song and singer were a match made in heaven. And I have to admit that not only is "Crazy" one of my favorite songs, but Patsy Cline ranks in my top 10 favorite female vocalists.

As an added attraction, I've also included LeAnn Rimes' version of "Crazy". I'm not exactly a fan of hers, but her treatment of this classic is spot on. She's also respectful of Patsy Cline's version and doesn't go over the top with it, as others have. It may not be in the same league as Patsy, but this is still a version worth listening to.

Well, you can't say I didn't warn you about the quirkiness.

Photo © 2011 by A. Roy Hilbinger