Yesterday's Wine
Encyclopedia
Yesterday's Wine is a 1971 concept album by country
singer Willie Nelson
. During the beginning of his contract with RCA, Nelson had no significant hits. By 1970, his recordings reached mid-chart positions. Nelson lost the money of his song-writing royalties by financing unsuccessful tours that did not generate significant profits. In addition to the problems with his career, Nelson had problems in his personal life. He had divorced his wife, Shirley Cole, and his ranch in Tennessee burned down.
After moving to a new ranch in Bandera, Texas
, Nelson was called by producer Felton Jarvis
regarding the upcoming scheduled recording sessions. At the time, Nelson had not written new material. Nelson returned to Nashville, where he wrote new songs that mixed with others from his old repertoire. These new concept songs were recorded in two days.
The concept of the album is the story of the "Imperfect Man", from the moment he is born to the day of his death. RCA originally released the singles "Yesterday's Wine" and "Me and Paul", the first one peaked at number 62 in Billboard
s Hot Country Singles. The full release failed to make it into the charts, and Nelson, frustrated by the failure, decided to retire from music without having been released from his contract with RCA. Later with his musical style revitalized, Nelson returned to music in 1972.
, signing a contract for US $10,000 per year. During his first few years at RCA, Nelson had no significant hits, but from November 1966 through March 1969 his singles reached the Top 25 consistently; "One In a Row" (#19, 1966), "The Party's Over" (#24 during a 16-week chart run in 1967), and his cover of Morecambe & Wise's "Bring Me Sunshine" (#13, March 1969).
By 1970, Nelson did not have any major success. The money of his royalties was invested on tours that did not produce significant profits. In addition to the problems in his career, Nelson divorced the same year Shirley Cole. In December, Nelson's ranch in Ridgetop, Tennessee
burned down. Nelson interpreted the incident as a signal for a change. Nelson moved to a ranch near Bandera, Texas
, and married Connie Koepke. In early 1971 his single "I'm a Memory" reached the top 30. Felton Jarvis
contacted Nelson for the recording of his next album. Nelson had not written any material for the sessions by the time he arrived in Nashville in April 1971. In May 1–2, Nelson wrote nine songs, mixing new ones with previous material from his repertoire, such as "Family Bible", and created the concept for the album. He recorded Yesterday's Wine in four sessions, backed by David Zettner and the studio session players, beginning on May 3 with two sessions, and finishing with the last two on May 4.
The story begins with a dialog by two characters. The first one asks the other "Do you know why you're here?", the second character replies: "Yes, there's great confusion on earth, and the power that is has concluded the following: Perfect man has visited earth already and his voice was heard; The voice of imperfect man must now be made manifest and I have been selected as the most likely candidate". The statement is followed by "Where's the Show" and "Let Me Be a Man". In the medley, Nelson depicts the birth of the character, who implores God to become a man. The song is followed by "In God's Eyes", depicting the character learning to act as a good Samaritan. In "Family Bible", the character describes his remembrance and nostalgia of his childhood, the times with his family and the reading of the family Bible. "It's Not for Me to Understand" depicts the character praying, after watching a blind child listening to other children playing. Unable to understand why God allowed that to happen. God replies to the Imperfect Man, "It's not for you to reason why, you too are blind without my eyes, so question not what I command". In the last stanza, the character now evokes his Fear of the Lord
, and his reluctance to question again the unfairness of the world. The medley "These Are Difficult Times"; "Remember the Good Times", describes the bad stretches of the character, and his recovery by the remembrance of the good times.
"Summer of Roses" depicts the character falling in love and the prime of his life, followed by the anticipation of the beginning of the end in "December Day", as the character announces "This looks like a December day. It looks like we've come to the end of the way". "Yesterday's Wine
" finds the character drinking in a bar and talking about his life to the regulars, reflecting about aging. In "Me and Paul", the Imperfect Man remembers the circumstances he lived in past times with a friend. The album ends with "Goin' Home", as the character watches his own funeral.
s Country Singles. The promotion of the album was complicated for RCA's marketing department, due to the changes of Imperfect Man between spirituality and mundane behavior
. The album did not appear on any chart, failing to satisfy RCA's expectations. Although his contract was not over, Nelson decided to retire due to the number of failures he had. Nelson later wrote in his autobiography: "I think it's one of my best albums, but Yesterday's Wine was regarded by RCA as way too spooky and far out to waste promotion money on". Nelson later returned to music the next year, as his style was influenced in the Armadillo World Headquarters
.
Music critic Robert Christgau
wrote: "The great Nashville songsmith has never bowled anyone over with his singing, and here he finds the concept to match. Most of these songs—though not the two best, "Yesterday's Wine" and "Me and Paul" are on religious themes, which tends to limit their general relevance".
Nathan Bush wrote for Allmusic: "'Summer of Roses,' 'December Day,' and the title track – songs that detail a sense of longing and loss with the changing seasons mirroring the narrator's own life... many of the numbers stand on their own, outside the album context. 'Family Bible,' 'Me and Paul,' and the title track are all particularly fine examples of Nelson's songcraft. As a whole, Yesterday's Wine provides further insight into the development of his art during this prolific period."
The New York Times
later described Yesterday's Wine as "the last and best of his (Nelson's) Nashville albums": "Organized in the manner of an epic poem, each cut a metaphor in the journey through life [...] it was Nashville's first fully conceived concept album, and nobody knew what to make of it. It soon disappeared quietly and utterly." Rolling Stone
wrote: "(Yesterdays Wine) is the first of his bold, conceptual departures from country's hits-plus-filler norm. Rather than tack rock guitar riffs onto modern honky-tonk sagas, Nelson absorbed the innovations of Bob Dylan and the singer-songwriters into his own distinct style. Even if the narrative concepts don't always hold together, Willie hangs his most ambitious albums on some of his catchiest tunes."
Robert Oermann and Douglas B. Green
compared, in their book The Listener's Guide to Country Music, the album with Nelson's later recordings for Columbia Records
: "All of those are beautiful records. They're all on Columbia and are made just the way Willie wanted them. It was not always so at his previous record label, RCA. Nevertheless, he made a few landmark recordings while he was with that company [...] Few of the songs on Yesterday's Wine are well- known Nelson compositions, but all are minor masterpieces".
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer Willie Nelson
Willie Nelson
Willie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
. During the beginning of his contract with RCA, Nelson had no significant hits. By 1970, his recordings reached mid-chart positions. Nelson lost the money of his song-writing royalties by financing unsuccessful tours that did not generate significant profits. In addition to the problems with his career, Nelson had problems in his personal life. He had divorced his wife, Shirley Cole, and his ranch in Tennessee burned down.
After moving to a new ranch in Bandera, Texas
Bandera, Texas
Bandera is the county seat of Bandera County, Texas, United States,in the Texas Hill Country, which is part of the Edwards Plateau. The population was 957 at the 2000 census, and according to a 2009 estimate, the population had jumped up to 1,216 people...
, Nelson was called by producer Felton Jarvis
Felton Jarvis
Felton Jarvis, , produced most of Elvis Presley's recordings from 1966-1977.He also released several singles in the late 1950s and early 1960s...
regarding the upcoming scheduled recording sessions. At the time, Nelson had not written new material. Nelson returned to Nashville, where he wrote new songs that mixed with others from his old repertoire. These new concept songs were recorded in two days.
The concept of the album is the story of the "Imperfect Man", from the moment he is born to the day of his death. RCA originally released the singles "Yesterday's Wine" and "Me and Paul", the first one peaked at number 62 in Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Hot Country Singles. The full release failed to make it into the charts, and Nelson, frustrated by the failure, decided to retire from music without having been released from his contract with RCA. Later with his musical style revitalized, Nelson returned to music in 1972.
Background and Recording
By the fall of 1964, Nelson had moved from RCA to Victor Records, managed by Chet AtkinsChet Atkins
Chester Burton Atkins , known as Chet Atkins, was an American guitarist and record producer who, along with Owen Bradley, created the smoother country music style known as the Nashville sound, which expanded country's appeal to adult pop music fans as well.Atkins's picking style, inspired by Merle...
, signing a contract for US $10,000 per year. During his first few years at RCA, Nelson had no significant hits, but from November 1966 through March 1969 his singles reached the Top 25 consistently; "One In a Row" (#19, 1966), "The Party's Over" (#24 during a 16-week chart run in 1967), and his cover of Morecambe & Wise's "Bring Me Sunshine" (#13, March 1969).
By 1970, Nelson did not have any major success. The money of his royalties was invested on tours that did not produce significant profits. In addition to the problems in his career, Nelson divorced the same year Shirley Cole. In December, Nelson's ranch in Ridgetop, Tennessee
Ridgetop, Tennessee
Ridgetop is a city in Davidson and Robertson counties in the U.S. state of Tennessee. The population was 1,083 at the 2000 census. The Ridgetop Police Department uses several speed traps around the area to generate revenue for the city general fund which is also used to pay their 5 sworn...
burned down. Nelson interpreted the incident as a signal for a change. Nelson moved to a ranch near Bandera, Texas
Bandera, Texas
Bandera is the county seat of Bandera County, Texas, United States,in the Texas Hill Country, which is part of the Edwards Plateau. The population was 957 at the 2000 census, and according to a 2009 estimate, the population had jumped up to 1,216 people...
, and married Connie Koepke. In early 1971 his single "I'm a Memory" reached the top 30. Felton Jarvis
Felton Jarvis
Felton Jarvis, , produced most of Elvis Presley's recordings from 1966-1977.He also released several singles in the late 1950s and early 1960s...
contacted Nelson for the recording of his next album. Nelson had not written any material for the sessions by the time he arrived in Nashville in April 1971. In May 1–2, Nelson wrote nine songs, mixing new ones with previous material from his repertoire, such as "Family Bible", and created the concept for the album. He recorded Yesterday's Wine in four sessions, backed by David Zettner and the studio session players, beginning on May 3 with two sessions, and finishing with the last two on May 4.
Concept
The album describes the life of a man, called "The Imperfect Man", from the beginning to the day of his death.The story begins with a dialog by two characters. The first one asks the other "Do you know why you're here?", the second character replies: "Yes, there's great confusion on earth, and the power that is has concluded the following: Perfect man has visited earth already and his voice was heard; The voice of imperfect man must now be made manifest and I have been selected as the most likely candidate". The statement is followed by "Where's the Show" and "Let Me Be a Man". In the medley, Nelson depicts the birth of the character, who implores God to become a man. The song is followed by "In God's Eyes", depicting the character learning to act as a good Samaritan. In "Family Bible", the character describes his remembrance and nostalgia of his childhood, the times with his family and the reading of the family Bible. "It's Not for Me to Understand" depicts the character praying, after watching a blind child listening to other children playing. Unable to understand why God allowed that to happen. God replies to the Imperfect Man, "It's not for you to reason why, you too are blind without my eyes, so question not what I command". In the last stanza, the character now evokes his Fear of the Lord
Fear of God (religion)
The fear of God or fear of the is an attitude to religious practice advocated primarily in the Abrahamic religions. Since the term "of God" is singular, rather than plural "of the gods," the term implies monotheism.-Judaism:...
, and his reluctance to question again the unfairness of the world. The medley "These Are Difficult Times"; "Remember the Good Times", describes the bad stretches of the character, and his recovery by the remembrance of the good times.
"Summer of Roses" depicts the character falling in love and the prime of his life, followed by the anticipation of the beginning of the end in "December Day", as the character announces "This looks like a December day. It looks like we've come to the end of the way". "Yesterday's Wine
Yesterday's Wine (song)
"Yesterday's Wine" is the title track of the 1971 album of the same name by Willie Nelson. The track was also written by Willie Nelson. In 1982, Merle Haggard and George Jones recorded a duet of "Yesterday's Wine" which became a number one single on the country chart. The single went to number...
" finds the character drinking in a bar and talking about his life to the regulars, reflecting about aging. In "Me and Paul", the Imperfect Man remembers the circumstances he lived in past times with a friend. The album ends with "Goin' Home", as the character watches his own funeral.
Release and reception
RCA released the songs "Yesterday's Wine" and "Me and Paul" as a single. The song "Yesterday's Wine" peaked at number 62 in BillboardBillboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
s Country Singles. The promotion of the album was complicated for RCA's marketing department, due to the changes of Imperfect Man between spirituality and mundane behavior
Mundane reason
The basic premise of the concept of mundane reason is that the standard assumptions about reality that people typically make as they go about day to day, including the very fact that they experience their reality as perfectly natural, are actually the result of social, cultural, and historical...
. The album did not appear on any chart, failing to satisfy RCA's expectations. Although his contract was not over, Nelson decided to retire due to the number of failures he had. Nelson later wrote in his autobiography: "I think it's one of my best albums, but Yesterday's Wine was regarded by RCA as way too spooky and far out to waste promotion money on". Nelson later returned to music the next year, as his style was influenced in the Armadillo World Headquarters
Armadillo World Headquarters
The Armadillo World Headquarters was the premier music hall and entertainment center in Austin, Texas, United States from 1970 to 1980.-History:...
.
Music critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
wrote: "The great Nashville songsmith has never bowled anyone over with his singing, and here he finds the concept to match. Most of these songs—though not the two best, "Yesterday's Wine" and "Me and Paul" are on religious themes, which tends to limit their general relevance".
Nathan Bush wrote for Allmusic: "'Summer of Roses,' 'December Day,' and the title track – songs that detail a sense of longing and loss with the changing seasons mirroring the narrator's own life... many of the numbers stand on their own, outside the album context. 'Family Bible,' 'Me and Paul,' and the title track are all particularly fine examples of Nelson's songcraft. As a whole, Yesterday's Wine provides further insight into the development of his art during this prolific period."
The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
later described Yesterday's Wine as "the last and best of his (Nelson's) Nashville albums": "Organized in the manner of an epic poem, each cut a metaphor in the journey through life [...] it was Nashville's first fully conceived concept album, and nobody knew what to make of it. It soon disappeared quietly and utterly." Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
wrote: "(Yesterdays Wine) is the first of his bold, conceptual departures from country's hits-plus-filler norm. Rather than tack rock guitar riffs onto modern honky-tonk sagas, Nelson absorbed the innovations of Bob Dylan and the singer-songwriters into his own distinct style. Even if the narrative concepts don't always hold together, Willie hangs his most ambitious albums on some of his catchiest tunes."
Robert Oermann and Douglas B. Green
Douglas B. Green
Douglas B. Green , better known by his stage name Ranger Doug, is an American musician, arranger and award-winning Western music songwriter, best known for his work with the Western music and comedy group Riders in the Sky in which he plays guitar and sings lead and baritone vocals. He is also an...
compared, in their book The Listener's Guide to Country Music, the album with Nelson's later recordings for Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
: "All of those are beautiful records. They're all on Columbia and are made just the way Willie wanted them. It was not always so at his previous record label, RCA. Nevertheless, he made a few landmark recordings while he was with that company [...] Few of the songs on Yesterday's Wine are well- known Nelson compositions, but all are minor masterpieces".
Side one
| Track | Song Title | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Intro-Willie Nelson and Band/Medley: Where's the Show; Let Me Be a Man | 3:41 |
| 2. | In God's Eyes | 2:23 |
| 3. | Family Bible | 3:12 |
| 4. | It's Not for Me to Understand | 3:06 |
| 5. | Medley: "These Are Difficult Times"; "Remember the Good Times" | 3:17 |
Side two
| Track | Song Title | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Summer of Roses | 2:05 |
| 2. | December Day | 2:19 |
| 3. | Yesterday's Wine Yesterday's Wine (song) "Yesterday's Wine" is the title track of the 1971 album of the same name by Willie Nelson. The track was also written by Willie Nelson. In 1982, Merle Haggard and George Jones recorded a duet of "Yesterday's Wine" which became a number one single on the country chart. The single went to number... |
3:15 |
| 4. | Me and Paul | 3:50 |
| 5. | Goin' Home" | 3:06 |
Musicians
- Willie NelsonWillie NelsonWillie Hugh Nelson is an American country music singer-songwriter, as well as an author, poet, actor, and activist. The critical success of the album Shotgun Willie , combined with the critical and commercial success of Red Headed Stranger and Stardust , made Nelson one of the most recognized...
– Vocals, Guitar - William Paul Ackerman – Drums
- Jerry CarriganJerry CarriganJerry Carrigan is an American drummer and record producer born 13 September 1943 in Florence, Alabama. He first achieved widespread recognition by being part of the first wave of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section and later as a session musician in Nashville, Tennessee for over 3 decades...
– Drums - Roy M. "Junior" HuskeyRoy Huskey, Jr.Roy Milton Huskey was a prominent American upright bass player in country music from Nashville, Tennessee. Huskey performed alongside musicians such as Chet Atkins, Garth Brooks, Johnny Cash, Vince Gill, George Jones, Steve Earle, Doc Watson and many others...
– Bass - Dave Kirby – Guitar
- Charlie McCoyCharlie McCoyCharles "Charlie" Ray McCoy is an American musician noted for his harmonica playing. In his career, McCoy has backed several notable musicians including Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, Tom Astor, Elvis Presley and Ween. He has also recorded thirty-seven studio albums, including fourteen for Monument Records...
– Harmonica - Weldon Myrick – Steel Guitar
- Hargus "Pig" Robbins – Organ, Piano
- Jerry Lee Smith – Piano
- Jerry Smith – Piano
- Buddy SpicherBuddy SpicherBuddy Spicher is an American fiddle player.Spicher started in the late 50s as part of the backing band for Audrey Williams, the widow of Hank Williams, later with Hank Snow, the Charles River Valley Boys....
– Fiddle - Norman Spicher – Fiddle
- Jerry Stembridge – Guitar
- Bobby Thompson – Banjo
- Herman Wade – Guitar
- Chip Young – Guitar
- Dave Zettner – Guitar
Production
- Felton JarvisFelton JarvisFelton Jarvis, , produced most of Elvis Presley's recordings from 1966-1977.He also released several singles in the late 1950s and early 1960s...
– Producer - Vic Anesini – Mastering
- Steven Bernstein – Design
- Gretchen Brennison – Production Assistant
- Jeremy Holiday – Production Assistant
- John Hudson – Product Manager
- Al Pachucki – Engineer
- Mike Shockley – Recording Technician
- Roy Shockley – Recording Technician
Singles
| Song | Chart | Peak |
|---|---|---|
| "Yesterday's Wine" | Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by Billboard magazine in the United States.This 60-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly mostly by airplay and occasionally commercial sales... |
62 |