Dirty old man alert! Ever notice how many Conway Twitty's songs are about sex?

I like old country music when it was about beer drinking and butt kicking!

 

You'd better not say anything or me and my sister and our kids will give you a whuppin!

 

Rest Your Love On Me is a cover of a song recorded by the Bee Gees in 1979 on their "Spirits Having Flown" album.

 

Now that sounds like a class act! I take back my "combed his hair with a pork-chop" comment.

GD

 

Conway knew where the money was with those songs. I think he had something in the range of "40" No. 1's. I prefer his earliest country (sampled below.) Hardcore country.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OlhYYsKY1Ec

 

I don't know what I'm saying
As my trembling fingers touch forbidden places - pum pum pum
And as I taste your tender kisses
I can tell you've never been this far before - pum pum pum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qad1H6vclzM

But I won't talk of starry skies
or moonlight on the ground
I'll come right out and tell you
I'd just love to lay you down
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7FspsAHqfQ

How many women just like you have
silent schemes.
How many men like me do they sleep
with in their dreams.
I see the want to in your eyes
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YG4127j-UG8

 

You didn't have to. Of course, you would be the very first to bristle if someone had made a comparable comment...even if it was only a sly intimation...about soul, R&B or disco.

You and many others in this thread have once again proven the adage that the last bastion of perfectly acceptable prejudice in the U.S. is against Southerners, country music and associated concepts. I find it interesting that someone who has no doubt been a victim of prejudice himself doesn't see this.


If you've worked in country music, as I did for many years (both in radio and performing it), you grow to understand the culture. Like any other culture, it has its good and its bad aspects.

Not every country song is great...far from it. But you learn to listen to them in context. Not every country music fan or country music artist is great, either. But vanmeterannie's story proves that there's something to be learned from both extremes.


More on point with this thread, Conway Twitty had an amazing career in country music. At one time, he held the record in any genre of music for consecutive #1 hits. (I'm not sure if this has since been surpassed or not.) Again, not all of them are great...but a lot of them are...and even the bad ones obviously spoke in some way to a large audience.

As for The Kendalls, I consider nearly everything they did to be great in some way...among them is a song I consider one of the most moving ones I can think of in the last 40 years.

If someone chooses to make something of the fact that Jeannie Kendall sang with her father (family bands, by the way, have a VERY long tradition in country music), then this says a lot more about that person than it does about The Kendalls.

I'm betting that some of the same people who are doing this are silent on the subject of what a genuine prick John Lennon could be at times. So apparently, we only bring up an artist's personal life in relation to their music when it comes to music we don't like.


To sum it up, I can't begin to understand how death metal songs can speak to anyone. However, I don't go around mocking fans of death metal music or the culture that has grown up around it.


/Rant over/

 

One of the finest Twitty moments (Conway performing "When You're Cool" with the Residents dancing behind him).

 

If it makes any difference to you or any of the other sudden prudes in the audience, Conway is very obviously singing this to his wife in the context of this song.

"I See the Want to in Your Eyes" is my favorite Conway Twitty song. It was originally recorded by the great honky-tonker Gary Stewart, whose version is also very good.

Trivia alert: this song was written by Wayne Carson Thompson, who was also the composer of "The Letter," "Soul Deep" and other Box Tops hits.

 

Glad you did.

Yeah, what a goofy concept Conway had...adopting a look that was more or less concurrent with the look favored by the majority of his target audience!

What was he thinking?

 

Thanks for sharing this story.

The majority of country artists, at least in the period I was associated with it, routinely sat for an hour or more after the show to do a close-up meet and greet/autograph/photo session with their fans.

I'd like the rock snobs in this thread to name which of their favorite rock stars do this.

 

Great story Steve! Yeah the reason I know his songs is because I'm a fan! I thought his music was really good and his voice very unique! And let's face it, if you are singing music attractive to disgruntled, sexually frustrated housewives, it can be good work if you can get it!

 

God Bless his black ol' heart! Makes me wanna get out of bed and find sumthin'

 

"Not that there is anything wrong with that......"

 

I thought Conway was singing about working on a sex farm?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNQNF6rKnDk

Sex farm woman, I'm gonna mow you down
Sex farm woman, I'll rake and hoe you down
Sex farm woman, don't you see my silo rising high?

 

It's only make-believe, guys...

 

Man, when I was a kind "Tight Fittin' Jeans" was all over the radio; I must have heard it 2,366 times. And nope...no, sir, I don't like it!

 

Talk about overreacting! I don't think that way!

 

DANG! I guess someone hit a nerve! Listen Mike, I love Conway! How do you think I know those songs? Because I own his records! I was just having a little fun with the FACT that the man loves to sing about "getting busy". That's why I started the thread in the first place, just all in fun. I actually love how bold he was, which is why we are still talking about him almost 2 decades after his death! Rock on Conway! We miss you brother!

 

Cool story

 

I think Lonely Blue Boy did pretty good also.

 

Thanks, Ed. But, as someone pointed out to me, he could also write about trains and buses. Heck, I didn't know trains even carried people anymore. Go figure.

 

His name inspired Conrad Birdie's in the movie Bye Bye Birdie. Considering that It's Only Make Believe sounded like Elvis, and he had gone into the military, there's a whole mess of synchronicity goin' on there

I think he had some early 60s minor rock hits too. "Hey little Lucy (Doncha put no lipstick on)". I have it on a VA cd, tho I don't remember ever hearing it before the cd era.

 

None of my comments were aimed at you. I'm glad you started the thread, even if it predictably brought all the country-haters/general ignoramuses out of the woodwork. It also brought out some favorable notices for Conway, and that's a good thing.

My only point is that if I ranked on a favorite artist or genre of theirs in equal measure with the same tired stereotypes, they would take great offense. But in the other direction, of course, it's OK.