''The Way I Am'' is the thirtieth studio album by American

country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...

artist Merle Haggard, released in 1980.

Background

In 1979, Haggard joined Charlie Daniels and

Ernest Tubb Ernest Dale Tubb (February 9, 1914 – September 6, 1984), nicknamed the Texas Troubadour, was an American singer and songwriter and one of the pioneers of country music. His biggest career hit song, "Walking the Floor Over You" (1941), m ...

on a remake of Tubb's "

Walking the Floor Over You "Walking the Floor Over You" is a country music song written by Ernest Tubb, recorded on April 26, 1941 in Fort Worth, Texas, and released in the United States that year. Allmusic entry for Walking the Floor Over YouRetrieved 14 May 2012 The ...

," which became a minor hit that fall, and on ''The Way I Am'' Haggard pays further tribute to the Texas legend by covering three more of his songs: "Take Me Back and Try Me One More Time," "I'll Always Be Glad to Take You Back," and "It's Been So Long, Darlin'." It also features a rendition of Floyd Tillman's classic statement of romantic fatalism, "It Makes No Difference Now." The LP's hit single was the Sonny Throckmorton-penned title track, which reached #2 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 singles chart. Haggard, who wrote nearly all of his previous album '' Serving 190 Proof'', provides only four original compositions here, with David Cantwell commenting in his 2013 Haggard biography ''The Running Kind'', "Merle's songwriting ran hot and cold during his

MCA MCA may refer to: Astronomy * Mars-crossing asteroid, an asteroid whose orbit crosses that of Mars Aviation * Minimum crossing altitude, a minimum obstacle crossing altitude for fixes on published airways * Medium Combat Aircraft, a 5th gene ...

tenure, but his vocals were always nuanced and hauntingly melodic..." The album was produced by Haggard's longtime manager Fuzzy Owen, fellow country star

Porter Wagoner Porter Wayne Wagoner (August 12, 1927 – October 28, 2007) was an American country music singer known for his flashy Nudie and Manuel suits and blond pompadour. In 1967, he introduced singer Dolly Parton on his television show, ''The Po ...

, and Don Gant, who had also worked with Haggard's hero

Lefty Frizzell William Orville "Lefty" Frizzell (March 31, 1928 – July 19, 1975) was an American country music singer-songwriter and honky-tonk singer. He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982. Frizzell released many songs that charted ...

. After recording this album, Haggard would score his first #1 hit since 1976's "Cherokee Maiden" with "

Bar Room Buddies "Bar Room Buddies" is a song written by Milton Brown, Cliff Crofford, Steve Dorff and Snuff Garrett, and recorded by American country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern ...

," a duet he recorded with actor

Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...

for the soundtrack to the film ''Any Which Way You Can''.

Critical reception

The LP was released in April 1980 and peaked at number 16 on the ''Billboard'' country album charts.

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 Stephen Thomas Erlewine describes ''The Way I Am'' as "pretty much a straight-ahead honky tonk album that pays little mind to the contemporary trends of the day. Where it differs from ''Serving 190 Proof'' or ''

Back to the Barrooms ''Back to the Barrooms'' is the thirty-first studio album by American country music singer Merle Haggard, released in October 1980. He is backed by Norm Hamlet and Don Markham of The Strangers. Background As the title suggests, ''Back to the Barr ...

'' is that the performances are a little inconsistent, as is the material." Music critic

Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most well-known and influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and ...

wrote "... Haggard's chief value has been vocal ever since "Okie From Muskogee" saddled him with an image, and here his resonant, reflective baritone transforms three Ernest Tubb tunes from standards into timeless pieces of Americana."

Track listing

All tracks composed by Merle Haggard; except where indicated # " The Way I Am" ( Sonny Throckmorton) – 2:56 # "Sky-Bo" – 3:32 # "No One to Sing For (But the Band)" – 3:34 # "

(Remember Me) I'm the One Who Loves You "(Remember Me) I'm The One Who Loves You" is a song written and originally sung by Stuart Hamblen, which he released in 1950. The song was a hit for Ernest Tubb the same year, and Dean Martin in 1965. Johnny Cash also covered it on his 1957 debu ...

" (Stuart Hamblen) – 3:00 # "Life's Just Not the Way It Used to Be" – 2:53 # "Wake Up" – 4:06 # "Where Have You Been" (

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 ...

) – 2:50 # "Take Me Back and Try Me One More Time" (

) – 2:51 # "I'll Always Be Glad to Take You Back" (Tubb) – 3:19 # "It Makes No Difference Now" (

Jimmie Davis James Houston Davis (September 11, 1899 – November 5, 2000) was an American politician, singer and songwriter of both sacred and popular songs. Davis was elected for two nonconsecutive terms from 1944 to 1948 and from 1960 to 1964 as the ...

, Floyd Tillman) – 3:08 # " It's Been So Long, Darlin'" (Tubb) – 3:01

Personnel

*Merle Haggard – vocals, guitar

Production notes

*Produced by Porter Wagoner, Don Gant, Fuzzy Owen *Engineered by Russ Bracher

Chart performance

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Way I Am, The 1980 albums Merle Haggard albums Albums produced by Don Gant MCA Records albums