I've Always Been Crazy - Waylon Jennings

I've Always Been Crazy - Waylon Jennings

4:12

I've Always Been Crazy, 1978

Written by Waylon Jennings

A defiant cri de coeur.  "I've always been different with one foot over the line / Winding up somewhere one step ahead or behind."  Sounds like an anthem of outlaw country, but apparently he was pretty sick of the label at the time he wrote this.  I like the sudden smoothness in his voice at the third verse, where he addresses a "beautiful lady," before going back to his typical smoky drawl.  The vaguely Latin-tinged horns at the end help spice up the extended fade-out.

Omaha - Waylon Jennings

Omaha - Waylon Jennings

2:38

Honky Tonk Heroes, 1973

Written by Billy Joe Shaver & Hillman Hall

O listen!

A sister song to Bobby Bare's "Detroit City," ten years on.  Guy thought he outgrew his little town, so moves to California.  Gonna be big!  Gonna be a star!  Or maybe not.  Maybe in trouble with the law.  No easy road to riches.  He misses Omaha.  "I'm leaving even if I have to crawl."  The song goes down easy, that polished '70s country sound and a universal feeling.