Up next in my personal musical genome project is Mr. Lyle Lovett, in honor of my sister, whose birthday is today. (Happy Birthday, Amy!)
Lovett falls into the ‘COUNTRY PLUS’ category. The “plus” is a designation my nerdy family has used for years to differentiate special movies and songs within certain genres from more generic examples. So Woody Allen’s movies, say, are “comedy plus” while your basic Adam Sandler vehicle is a plain old comedy.
We have had much debate over whether the “plus” simply means the work of art is better than most, or if it means it contains some element (a unique narrative twist, maybe, in the case of a film) that sets it apart.
Lyle Lovett’s “plus” is definitely of the latter variety. While he has recorded his fair share of straight-up country songs, he has spent just as much time exploring jazz, big band, blues and gospel.
His sound doesn’t place him in any of my other musical genome categories, however. Perhaps a bit of ‘MELANCHOLY,’ in songs such as ‘Nobody Knows Me,’ ‘Simple Song’ and ‘The Road to Ensenada,’ but that’s not the spirit I most associate with Lovett. Today’s SOTD, ‘Cryin’ Shame,’ is the sound I originally fell in love with.
That just won’t quit
You got a pretty boy
And he looks pretty hip
You got you one on the sly
But you gave him the slip
And that’s just a cryin’ shame
‘Cause you love the boy
With pretty green eyes
And you love the boy
Who says he’s so clever and wise
And you love the boy
Who’s always telling you lies
And that’s just a cryin’ shame
Sometimes it never quits raining
Sometimes that phone just won’t ring
Sometimes I never miss nothing
And sometimes I miss anything
But you like ’em tall when it’s raining
And you like ’em dark when you’re feeling no pride
But you never felt anything that you wanted to hide
And that’s just a cryin’ shame
So he says you look lovely my dear
You say thank you I’m fine
And you spend all his money
And you spend all his time
And you spend the night
Like you were spending a dime
And that’s just a cryin’ shame
Meet Me In Montauk 
If Lyle would have stuck more to the plus and less to the country, he may well have been my favorite artist of all time. There are few songs I love more than this and the others like it on his albums.
What a nice birthday present for Amy! This is a great song.
Thanks for choosing to feature this song – and this artist – today. And for calling me a nerd 😉
Yes, Lyle is certainly a “plus” artist all the way. And I wonder if his inclusion in your project might hint at other possible categories… maybe musical complexity or vocal harmonies or sharp wordplay or finger snaps ;)…. Regardless, this is a wonderful song and exemplifies what I love about Lyle Lovett.