RFI: Bobbie Gentry - I'll never fall in love again

All in my mind?

(I know what the real lyric is, of course)

Course she sings 'with a cold' anyway, or
with pneumonia perhaps..

there is not enough love for bobbie on ilm.

currently soaking up a 2cd set that came out a while back, and realising that she mixed soft pop/country/southern soul into perfection.

and yes, i had to listen closely to this cover version to check, but its clearly ' .. phone'

One of my favourite ever vocal performances, this. I just love the subtle rasp in her voice.

I love her multiple rhymes in "Casket Vignette":

Or how about a satin brocade
Guaranteed not to fade
Or maybe you'd prefer another shade
Trimmed in gold or silver braid
Would you like a lemonade
There's no ice, I'm afraid

I also dig the cash register and coffin creak sound effects and gleefully unsympathetic "la la la"s in the outro. her most distinctive lyrics are her narratives about smalltown communities, and it's to her credit that she rarely idealizes their virtues nor moralizes about their sins the way many (admittedly great) country songwriters tend to do. instead she strings together details like "faces beaming goodness and their jaws set hard" (from "Ace Insurance Man") and "she touches her face to see/if the mouth tears she put on with her finger are drying" (from "Recollection") that are lucid and sardonically funny without needing morals or punchlines to make their impact.

I've spent more time listening to her first three albums than her later work, which is sometimes genteel in a way that doesn't suit her funky, swampy strengths. but I won't deny the goodness of "Fancy" and "I'll Never Fall in Love Again" and the best tracks on Patchwork.

I should add that the clapping in "Reunion" is one of my favorite uses of the Bo Diddley beat.

I also dig the cash register and coffin creak sound effects and gleefully unsympathetic "la la la"s in the outro

heard this track for the first time yesterday, and had a little chuckle when i heard the coffin noise (at first i thought it was a door, then the penny dropped).

just wish EMI/Capitol had reissued the albums properly, as they are currently only available via Aus pressed 2-fer-1s.

well i never, peter kay (or someone who works/writes for him) reads ilm.

he has used this misquote as a joke as part of his act

(just been aired on tv tonight)

I've been playing a Bacharach compilation and this track is on it. I started out thinking it was Dusty Springfield. In fact thinking of the vocal I still think it sounds like her. Eventually I checked the box and saw that it was ms Gentry.

I mention it because I think it the best version of the song I've heard. I like the husky, experienced voice, the gentle, mellow delivery of the backing music and, as far as I recall, the rich backing harmonies.

I sometimes feel that this song has been rather over-exposed over the years, compared to the rest of the Bacharach canon, and it hasn't always appealed to me that much. But ms Gentry's version changes my feeling. It has more sweetness and poignancy than any other version I've heard.