''Going Where the Lonely Go'' is the thirty-fifth studio album by American recording artist
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.
Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled af ...
backed by
The Strangers, released in 1982.
Recording and composition
Produced by Haggard and his mentors Fuzzy Owen and Lewis Talley, the tracks for ''Going Where The Lonely Go'' were recorded during the same two-day marathon recording session that produced the songs for Haggard's previous 1982 album ''
Big City''. Like its predecessor, it peaked at number 3 on the ''
Billboard
A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...
'' country albums chart. Haggard composed five of the ten songs on the LP, including the chart topping title track. The album's other #1, "
You Take Me For Granted," was written as a personal statement by Haggard's wife
Leona Williams
Leona Belle Helton (born January 7, 1943, in Vienna, Missouri, United States) is an American country music singer known professionally as Leona Williams. Active since 1958, Williams has been a backing musician for Loretta Lynn and Merle Haggard ...
about their foundering marriage, which would end in 1983. According to the liner notes for the 1994 retrospective ''Down Every Road'' written by music journalist Daniel Cooper, she wrote the song while sitting on the bus in
Ohio
Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...
, then played it for Merle in front of several of his friends after Merle had reduced her to tears during a duet session they were recording. "He got big old tears in his eyes," Cooper quotes Leona, "and he said, 'Is that how you feel? And I said, 'Yes, it is.'" Within days, Haggard had cut the song. Part of the problem was Williams' aspirations to be more than a backup singer and her lingering resentment over the perception by many that she had elbowed the highly respected
Bonnie Owens
Bonnie Owens (October 1, 1929 – April 24, 2006), born Bonnie Campbell, was an American country music singer who was married to Buck Owens and later Merle Haggard.
Biography
She was born Bonnie Campbell in Blanchard, Oklahoma, United Stat ...
aside. Haggard was perplexed at his wife's agitation, as he recalls in his 1981 autobiography ''Sing Me Back Home'': "I also resented her struggle to establish her own career. After all, I could offer her a permanent place on the stage with my show. She could even have a segment all her own. What ''more'' could she want?"
Other notable cuts include "If I Had Left It Up To You" (which features the same shuffling rhythm as "Big City") and his rendition of the
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American country musician. The critical success of the album ''Shotgun Willie'' (1973), combined with the critical and commercial success of ''Red Headed Stranger'' (1975) and '' Stardust'' (197 ...
composition "Half a Man," which he would record as a duet with Nelson on the album ''
Pancho and Lefty
"Pancho and Lefty", originally "Poncho and Lefty", is a song written by American country music singer-songwriter Townes Van Zandt. Often considered his "most enduring and well-known song", Van Zandt first recorded it for his 1972 album '' The Late ...
''. The
LP also includes the melancholy "Shopping for Dresses," which Haggard wrote with
Little Jimmy Dickens
James Cecil Dickens (December 19, 1920 – January 2, 2015), better known by his stage name Little Jimmy Dickens, was an American country music singer and songwriter famous for his humorous novelty songs, his small size (4'11" 50 cm, and h ...
, and the honky-tonk nugget "Why Am I Drinkin'." ''Going Where the Lonely Go'' was reissued on
CD by Epic in 1990. It contains a
hidden track
In the field of recorded music, a hidden track (sometimes called a ghost track, secret track or unlisted track) is a song or a piece of audio that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, LP record, or other recorded medium, in such a way as t ...
"Now I Know Why I'm Drinkin," and was reissued along with ''
That's the Way Love Goes'' on
CD by S & P Records in 2005.
[ Allmusic entry for ''Going Where the Lonely Go/That's the Way Love Goes''.Retrieved December 2009.]
Critical reception
AllMusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
critic Thom Jurek stated in his review: "Haggard and
The Strangers were one of the tightest and most sophisticated bands in country music, inspired by the elaborate arrangements of
Bob Wills
James Robert Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American Western swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although S ...
' band, to the point where Haggard's music from this period transcends country music in its appeal and elegance. It's a pity this one didn't get the notice it deserved — it's a masterpiece."
Track listing
All tracks composed by
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.
Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled af ...
; except where indicated:
Personnel
*
Merle Haggard
Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.
Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled af ...
– vocals, guitar
The Strangers:
*
Roy Nichols
Roy Ernest Nichols (October 21, 1932 – July 3, 2001) was an American country music guitarist best known as the lead guitarist for Merle Haggard's band The Strangers for more than two decades. He was known for his guitar technique, a mix o ...
– guitar, harmonica
*
Norm Hamlet
Norm Hamlet is an American steel guitarist and a member of Merle Haggard's The Strangers band for the past 49 years.Terry Downs: ''The Strangers'', http://www.terrydownsmusic.com/Archive/strangers_article.pdf, n.d., downloaded May 6, 2012.The Ste ...
– steel guitar, dobro
*
Tiny Moore
Billie "Tiny" Moore (May 12, 1920 – December 15, 1987) was a Western swing musician who played the electric mandolin and fiddle with Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys in the 1940s. He played with The Strangers and Merle Haggard during the ...
– fiddle, mandolin
* Bobby Wayne – guitar, background vocals
* Mark Yeary – piano
* Jimmy Belkin – fiddle
* Dennis Hromek – bass
* Biff Adam – drums
* Don Markham – trumpet, saxophone
with:
*
Leona Williams
Leona Belle Helton (born January 7, 1943, in Vienna, Missouri, United States) is an American country music singer known professionally as Leona Williams. Active since 1958, Williams has been a backing musician for Loretta Lynn and Merle Haggard ...
– background vocals
Production notes
*Produced by Merle Haggard & Lewis Talley
Chart performance
Weekly Charts
Year End Chart
Charting Singles
References
{{Authority control
1982 albums
Merle Haggard albums
Epic Records albums