Roger Miller was of a rare breed of country musician whose music was more fun than forlorn. His silly sounds and subversions of the genre made an undeniable mark on pop music, inspiring parodies and more, but his ballads proved he was equally adept at pulling heart strings as he was the strings on his guitar. He was one of the only country musicians I ever got into, but I consider myself a big fan.
420 to 30: A Music Retrospective
Here's 7 of my favorites from Roger Miller.
Week 40: ROGER MILLER
#274/420 - Roger Miller, “Dang Me”
From Roger Miller’s debut album, this song was a big hit for him, reaching #1 on the country music charts and #7 overall. Right from the start, we are introduced to the signature sounds of Roger Miller, which can really only be heard to understand. It’s a good display of his clever, humorous lyrics as well, with verses like,
Sugar is sweet and so is maple surple.
Well, I'm the seventh out of seven sons.
My pappy's a pistol, I'm a son-of-a-gun.
I am definitely a fan of the use of maple “surple” as a rhyme to purple, and his being a literal son-of-a-gun.
It’s a song about a complete bum who believes he may as well just be executed, quite dark/grim, yet when done by Roger Miller, it is surprisingly light and funny. A classic that kicked off quite a lot of great music to follow.
#275/420 - Roger Miller, “Do-Wacka-Do”
Sometimes I am glad certain songs fell on certain days and today I am glad to have such a do-wacka-do-wacka-do-wacka-do of a song. This song’s title is a transliteration of the main lyric, which is, “I wish I had your good luck charm, and you had it do, like I do,” the second half of which sounds like “do-wacka-do,” when sung by Roger Miller. It has shades of Disney’s 1973 Robin Hood film where Miller performed, “Oo-De-Lally,” and “Whistle Stop,” which later became “The Hamster Dance.”
This is a great song.
#276/420 - Roger Miller, “Chug-a-Lug”
When I was 15, I was commissioned by a boy scout troop to write and produce entertainment in the form of a 15 minute play for their banquet. While most of the characters I wrote for this play were originals, Randy, Butch, Tim, and Scout Master Bradley of whom would reappear in my first film, The Amateur Monster Movie, there was one exception in the cast — Country Legend Roger Miller, who happened to show up in the woods to help the scouts out (despite being deceased) and sang a few campfire songs with Scout Master Bradley. Roger Miller (the character) was a big hit with the scouts, though I am pretty sure they had never heard of him (the musician). For the edited version on video, I chose this song to play over the ending credits and dedicated it to the memory of Roger Miller.
This is an enjoyably humorous song, recounting someone’s first experiences with alcohol. Grape wine in a mason jar, moonshine, and sneaking into the bar for your first drink are all colorfully retold in the verses of this song. Like usual, Roger utilizes his own vocally-produced sound effects to great effect throughout the song and really captures the feelings of these moments oh so very well.
It’s the first track on his debut album and remains one of his very best. I will always have a fondness for this song and the memories it brings back for me.
#277/420 - Roger Miller, “Husbands and Wives”
One of the straightest-played songs from Roger Miller is also one of the gentlest, thoughtful, and greatest as well. Its theme is that forgiveness and love are what should win, but often it is pride, stubbornness, and fear that do instead. It's a great sober reflection on this. The guitar and Miller’s singing are just right here, and the solo is one of my favorites, and so well placed, igniting the butterflies associated with defying the expectation of the lyrics.
#278/420 - Roger Miller, “My Uncle Used to Love Me But She Died”
One of the best nonsense songs out there and a real showcase of Roger Miller’s songwriting ability. The song makes little sense, but the rhymes are prime and it acts as if it is logical, which all comes together beautifully.
I love the forceful tambourine playing with the staccato drumming and the plodding guitar. Miller’s vocals are great here, capturing the lunacy of the lyrics well.
For me, it’s his greatest success of his funny fares he is famous for. And also a horrible song for someone studying English as a second language to use!
#279/420 - Roger Miller, “Little Green Apples”
I was surprised to find this song was not written by Roger Miller, but it was written for him, and it’s easy to see why. It’s a perfect blend of his usual playful lyrics and his thoughtful and reflective side, a touching song in appreciation of a woman who loves and gives unconditionally. The backing is minimalist, soft, even quiet, and Roger’s singing is at its gentlest. He sounds remorseful for every moment he wasn’t as good to her as she was to him, and it’s very genuine and nice. Lines like, “And maybe we could grab a bite to eat,” have such character to them in his delivery which really makes for an impactful song.
It’s quite a different track from ones of his like “Dang Me” and “My Uncle Used to Love Me But She Died”, but I really enjoy it for what it is. The more famous version was done by O.C. Smith the following year as more of a soul song, but while also good, the original version can’t be improved on in my opinion. It’s very peaceful to hear and absolutely one of my favorites from Roger Miller.
#280/420 - Roger Miller, “King of the Road”
A vividly visual song. Great lyrics, great music, great vocals, and my favorite from Roger Miller, as well as his biggest hit. The profile of a vagabond. He hops trains, squats in vacant homes, and takes advantage of anything free. Roger Miller manages to paint a fully realized picture of this man entirely though music and lyrics.
Many great lines, but my personal favorite: “I smoke old stogies I have found—short, but not too big around.”
Each line is almost novelistic in how much it conveys. And the texture of the singing and playing underline it all perfectly. It’s really a peak performance from Miller that was a hit not only among country music, where it reached number one on the charts, but number four on the Hot 100, and number one in the UK. As someone who typically doesn’t get into the country genre, I would attest that this song has a lot of crossover appeal.
It’s very catchy, very distinct, and one that I have enjoyed since childhood.
Revisiting Roger Miller’s music this week has been very enjoyable for me. It takes me back to a lot of great memories and friendships from my younger years and the music holds up really well for me. This song is an all-time classic, but every one of these tracks this week has seen repeated play as well, something they will definitely continue to receive in the future as well.
“King of the Road” also reached number one in Norway, where next week’s duo hails from. They are perhaps my very favorite electronic band with a number of albums that got heavy play over the years with me, both alone and with company. I associate nothing more strongly with Apple’s psychedelic screensaver than these guys’ music, which it often accompanied for me. Two of Norway’s finest, it’s Röyksopp.
420 to 30: A Music Retrospective
Week 2: The Jackson 5/The Jacksons
Week 3: A Tribe Called Quest
Week 4: Weezer
Week 5: Bob Dylan
Week 6: Led Zeppelin
Week 7: 2Pac/Makaveli
Week 8: Billy Joel
Week 9: Electric Light Orchestra
Week 10: Elvis Presley
Week 11: Dr. Buzzard’s Original Savannah Band
Week 12: The Jimi Hendrix Experience
Week 13: Nirvana
Week 14: The Doors
Week 15: The Rolling Stones
Week 16: Gnarls Barkley
Week 17: Gábor Szabó
Week 18: Galaxie 500
Week 19: Simon & Garfunkel
Week 20: Gorillaz
Week 21: Ennio Morricone
Week 22: The Moody Blues
Week 23: Koji Kondo
Week 24: Rob Zombie/White Zombie
Week 25: Paul McCartney/Wings
Week 26: George Harrison
Week 27: Phil Spector
Week 28: John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band
Week 29: Public Enemy
Week 30: The Love Language
Week 31: Barry White
Week 32: Frank Sinatra
Week 33: David Bowie
Week 34: Queen
Week 35: The Offspring
Week 36: Louis Prima
Week 37: The Notorious B.I.G.
Week 38: Nancy Sinatra
Week 39: Stevie Wonder
View the full list of "420 Songs" here: https://tinyurl.com/y8fboudu (Google spreadsheet link)