Continuing a countdown of my favorite albums of 1986…
#9 – Lyle Lovett – Lyle Lovett
I was 14 in 1986 and not quite a “music guy” yet. It was a year or two later that I caught the bug and started digging into Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd, and other oldies, and then turning my attention to new artists. So my list of favorite 1986 albums is almost entirely made up of records I heard years later.
That’s certainly the case for Lyle Lovett’s self-titled debut. I wasn’t turned on to Lovett until college, when …And His Large Band had come out recently and Joshua Judges Ruth was on the horizon. Those two albums cemented my fandom and sent me back into his catalog.
This was the first country album I loved before I stopped being too cool to love country music. And it took a little while. At first I found it a bit too traditional, lacking the jazz and blues mashups that made his later work so special. I latched on to ‘An Acceptable Level of Ecstasy (The Wedding Song),’ which did have that sound, and breezed past the rest.
But after awhile I smartened up and discovered the simple beauty of the whole album. ‘This Old Porch’ is a great example, a lovely ode to a quiet life of dignity with enough brilliant similes and metaphors to make an English teacher proud.
You’ll also find Lovett’s signature biting wit, particularly when it comes to matters of the heart. The chorus of ‘If I Were the Man You Wanted’ caps off the title phrase with “I would not be the man that I am.” ‘God Will’ notes that God is willing to forgive dishonesty and infidelity, “but I won’t, and that’s the difference between God and me.”
‘You Can’t Resist It’ wasn’t released as a single in 1986 but became a minor hit 13 years later when a live version was used to promote the Live in Texas album. It’s an addictive bit of country pop that deserved to make Lovett a star right out of the gate.
After the 90s, Lovett’s output became frustratingly infrequent and inconsistent, but the half dozen albums he released starting with this one are true works of art.
This old porch is like a big old red and white Hereford bull
Standing under a mesquite tree out in Agua Dulce
And he just keeps on playing hide and seek with that hot August sun
Just a-sweatin’ and a-pantin’ ’cause his work is never done
[Verse 2]
And this old porch is like a steaming, greasy plate of enchiladas
With lots of cheese and onions and a guacamole salad
And you can get ’em down at the La Salle Hotel in old downtown
With iced tea and a waitress and she will smile every time
[Verse 3]
And this old porch is the Palace walk-in on the main street of Texas
That’s never seen the day of G and R and X’s
With that ’62 poster that’s almost faded down
And a screen without a picture since Giant came to town
[Verse 4]
And this old porch is like a, a weathered, gray-haired seventy years of Texas
Who’s doing all he can not to give in to the city
And he always takes the rent late, so long as I run the cattle
And he picks me up at dinnertime and I listen to him rattle
[Verse 5]
He says the Brazos still runs muddy just like she’s run all along
There ain’t never been no cane to grind, the cotton’s all but gone
And you know this brand new Chevrolet, hell, it was something back in the ’60s
But now there won’t nobody listen to him ’cause they all think he’s crazy
[Verse 6]
And this old porch is just a long time of waiting and forgetting
And remembering the coming back and not crying about the leaving
And remembering the falling down and the laughter of the curse of luck
From all of those passers-by who said we’d never get back up
[Outro]
This old porch is just a long time of waiting and forgetting
And remembering the coming back and not crying about the leaving
And remembering the falling down and the laughter of the curse of luck
From all of those sons of bitches who said we’d never get back up
Meet Me In Montauk 
I never quite smartened up enough to fully embrace the country side of Lyle, and so, given the prevalence of country on the debut album, it received less play than Large Band, Pontiac, Joshua Judges Ruth and Road to Ensenada. That said, Lyle’s country fare is still a cut above the rest.
I’m not sure if you’ve ever done a deep dive into Lyle’s music, but it would be welcomed by your loyal blog readers. 😉
Also, “You Can’t Resist It” was released as a single in 1991, apparently as part of the soundtrack for a movie called Switch. I always viewed that song as Lyle’s most conspicuous attempt at pop commercial success, most likely at the insistence of the record company.
Amen to every word. Love this album and the half dozen other perfect ones. I’ve seen Lyle perform live more than any other performer, and he never disappoints.
Happy to second Dana’s request for a deep dive into his whole brilliant career.