Carl Smith: (2) Hey Joe
by Country Music Saved My Life
A famous son of Maynardville,
Tennessee - as well as Roy Acuff - Carl Smith was one of the most popular
and consistent hitmakers in the '50s and '60s, landing 93 songs on the country
singles chart. Five were No. 1 hit, including Hey Joe.
By blending soft and warm vocals with upbeat
arrangements, Carl Smith updated the old-timey gutbucket honky-tonk of his
predecessors, taking inspiration from high-energy rock 'n' roll riffs.
His electric guitar-driven "revival"
(update) of honky-tonk somehow would create sort of a blend style that helped
keep country audiences close, at a time when the genre was being challenged by
the amplified electric guitars and the backbeat of rock 'n' roll, originated
during the late 1940s and early 1950s.
As the popularity of rock 'n' roll grew in the
fifties, the process of hybridization of country music took place, given that
some artists started to incorporate its stylistic elements. From that moment
on, boosted by demographic changes and the emergence of new musical styles, the long-held
traditionalism associated with the genre would come to be questioned by young
audiences, eager for a new identity.
On the flip side, the rootsy and rough
honky-tonk music, which was most popular in the '40s and early to mid-'50s, was
no longer fitting in the audience's taste and was also being replaced both by
rock'n'roll and by the still incipient smooth and polished Nashville Sound.
Hence, Carl Smith's success is deemed responsible for keeping country
music alive in a time where the genre had been replaced in chart dominance by
the rise of rock 'n' roll as a distinct genre that originated from
rockabilly.
His updated honky-tonk music, slightly infused
with rhythm elements of rockabilly and with the dynamics of rock 'n' roll,
revived country sales.
Written by Georgia native songwriter Boudleaux
Bryant, Hey Joe was first recorded by Carl Smith for Columbia
Records on May 19, 1953. The cut was released in a single format, B-sided by
Floyd Wilson's Darlin' Am I The One.
The song was produced by the then head
of Columbia Records' country music division Don Law, and his recurrent collaborator
Frank Jones.
Hey Joe spent eight weeks at #1 on the US Country Music Chart
(published once a week by Billboard magazine since January 8,
1944).
Back in the day, the Billboard's coverage
of country and western music was divided into three branches: jukebox (Most
Played Juke Box Folk Records), records sales (Best Selling Retail Folk
Records), and radio airplay (Country
and Western Records Most Played by Folk Disc Jockeys). These three lists
would later be merged into one, Hot C&W Sides (October 20,
1958).
The lyrics tell about a man who fell in love at
first sight with a longtime friend's girlfriend; so, he wants to
"steal" her from him, while wishing to keep intact their friendship.
The funny thing is that he talks about it openly, directly to his ol' buddy.
The composition uses a strophic song structure
based in the AAA format, with three-line verses in which the song
title is repeated as a refrain at the beginning of the first line. There's also
a slight change in chord progression from the first two verses to the third
one, adding cadence to the song.
Furthermore, most of the lines
end with paired adjectives that rhyme with each other, which, together with
Carl's twangy bite, creates a rhythmic hook that caught my attention from the
very first moment.
The interesting thing about the chosen song
format, and one of the subtle things I love about this song, is that the
refrain's lyric is slightly different sometimes, a strategy that helps to move
the storytelling along.
Despite his crooning vocal style, Mr. Smith
keeps the number vigorous by placing it in the bluesy small-group setting
typical of Texas honky-tonk.
His band, the Tunesmiths, featured steel guitarist Johnny Silbert, who added a brisk element of Western swing to their cuts (during the latter '60s Carl's music would verge deep on Western Swing while retaining his true honky-tonk repertoire until he retreated from the spotlight in 1978).
 |
| 1953's original single |
 |
| 2017's enhanced tracks compilation |
• Writer: Boudleaux Bryant
• Carl Smith - vocals, acoustic and electric guitar
• Sammy Pruett - guitar
• Velma Smith - rhythm guitar
• Johnny Silbert - lap steel guitar
• Hal Smith - upright bass
• Gordon Stocker - piano
• Producers: Don Law and Frank Jones
• Recorded at Castle Studio in the Tulane Hotel, Nashville, TN
• Recording date: May 19, 1953
• Release date: June 1953
Listen here to the original version of Hey Joe:
Listen here to the updated version of the song:
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