Most of the time, I seek music out, follow it around, hunt it down. But sometimes, on those rare occasions, it seems to seek me out; a particular song will follow me. It could be a song I had never heard, or one I hadn't heard in a while, or just one that I had quite appreciated before. It strikes you at a very deliberate moment, at least, seemingly so. And when emotion is tied to music, it is elevated to a place of veneration in my soul, and is then inextricably linked forever. For whatever reason, the song, "You Can Have Her," of which I had two versions already in my collection, that I never really thought much of, or even put the two of them together; but it was upon hearing Roy Hamilton's gospel-inspired version that the song clicked for me. What follows is a considerably less morose listening project than my past attempts, but the subject matter is not exactly jubilant, albeit the tunes are markedly more sanguine, there is a slight incongruence between the lyrics and music. The celebratory aspects of the song, I suspect, come from the realization of their partner's true nature, and the subsequent washing-of-hands that follow those kind of revelations. There is a certain burst of adrenaline that only comes from that kind of mental freedom. Succinctly put, "Good riddance," or coarsely put, "Fuck off, you lousy, low-down, two-bit dick-face." It's one hell of a release. So, throw your hands up to the heavens and let your soul be released of its demons; if only for a mere moment.
You can't really go wrong with ol' Satchmo.
Jerry Lee Louis- The yodels and ad-libs (Old Blue Eyes' swingin' 60's, lounge-y ad-libs immediately come to mind) Jerry injects along with a bit of that white-washed gospel feel makes this version a worthwhile listen.
I hate to keep using poor Johnny Rivers as my prime example of watered-down black music for white people, I mean he's no Pat Boone or anything, but I have a strange compulsion to. Plus, he seems to have covered every God-damned standard and not-so-standard ever recorded, so it kind of opens the door for that. His sound is distinct though, and I keep coming back, even though I find it for the most part, unremarkable. There must be something to that, some innate appeal...
The Righteous Brothers attempt at "You Can Have Her." No real surprises here; typical Righteous Brothers arrangement and sound. If you only heard this version, you would most likely be moved by the soulful voices, but my subjectivity is tainted on this one.
A kitschy 60's-pop version with a faint rock-a-billy tinge, by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates
I was looking for a full-on rock-a-billy version of this song of the era, to no avail. I did, however, come across a neo-rock-a-billy, punk-ish, honkey-tonkin' version by the Frantic Flintstones, which will leave you to want for naught.
This is a sort of over-produced, cheese-tastic 70's-era Elvis impersonator by the name of Orion doing the song. My preference is the Vegas, lounge-y Elvis anyway, and supposedly he did actually record an acoustic version of this song in the 70's but it only exists on hard-to-find bootlegs, and in memories. There is something about the kitsch factor of Elvis impersonators still in existence, that I just kind of dig, too.
A country version by Charlie Rich, with what I might classify as a slight Elvis undertone, actually. A good segue, in any event. And that picture is fucking priceless...What is always over to the left?
A campy recording by George Jones and Johnny Paycheck. If I close my eyes I do feel like I am in a dive honky-tonk somewhere deep in Texas, though. You can almost hear the rowdy crowd, "Woo-hoo-ing" and a-whistlin' along with the sound of beer bottles smashing in the background.
In my opinion, the definitive country version is done by Waylon Jennings. But I am partial to him anyway. This was one of the versions that sat neglected in my library before the epiphany. And may I just say, Sweet Jesus, I may be a fan of beards in general, but Waylon is damned handsome under all that scraggle.
One of a few bluegrass versions I discovered by the Canucky Bluegrass Boys.
This is a 60's Swedish cover and the only female version I could find, that I just stumbled upon. It is pretty f-ing cherry.
Dickey Bett's and Great Sourthern's concert version from the late 70's. I like it's smooth southern rock groove, and obviously his guitar-playing is enviable. The studio recording of this was the other half of the over-looked song in my archives. It is a solid rock version.
Roy Hamiliton's "You Can Have Her" is the most soulful and definitive of the lot. Not only due to the gospel arrangement, but his voice has so much power and raw emotion. It's slightly reminiscent of Jackie Wilson. Plus I am a sucker for a sexy, deep, bass voice. I just can't help it.
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