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Merle Haggard & Tammy Wynette – “Today I Started lovin’ You Again

Today I Started Loving You Again | Real Time Pain Relief

Introduction:

Merle Haggard and Tammy Wynette, two of country music’s most iconic singers, came together to create a timeless duet with “Today I Started Loving You Again”. Released in 1980, the song captured the raw vulnerability and complex emotions of rekindled love, becoming an instant classic and a staple of country radio.

Haggard, known for his Bakersfield sound – a subgenre characterized by its twangy guitars, prominent steel guitar, and working-class themes – had already established himself as a country music legend by the time he collaborated with Wynette. His gruff baritone voice and poignant lyrics resonated with audiences yearning for authenticity in country music. Wynette, the “First Lady of Country Music,” possessed a powerful voice that could deliver both heartache and hope. Her life experiences, which included several tumultuous marriages, fueled her performances with an undeniable honesty that deeply connected with listeners.

“Today I Started Loving You Again” was written by Bobby Braddock and Curly Putman, two Nashville songwriters known for their talent for crafting relatable and emotionally charged country hits. The song’s producer, Billy Sherrill, was a key figure behind the success of many of Wynette’s recordings. Sherrill’s signature “countrypolitan” sound, which incorporated elements of pop music into the country genre, helped propel Wynette to superstardom in the 1960s and 1970s.

The Haggard and Wynette duet put a fresh spin on the “countrypolitan” sound. The song opens with a gentle acoustic guitar melody, quickly joined by a warm backdrop of strings and piano. Haggard sets the scene with his signature vocals, expressing the bittersweet realization of returning love: “Today I started loving you again / I’m right back where I’ve always been.” Wynette’s voice enters with a sigh, harmonizing beautifully with Haggard as she delivers the poignant line: “What a fool I was to think I could get by / With only these few million tears I cried.”

Throughout the song, Haggard and Wynette trade verses, revealing the depth of their characters’ emotions. The lyrics paint a picture of a love that has endured heartbreak and distance, only to find its way back. The chorus, sung together by both artists, is a powerful declaration of rekindled passion: “And the crying time for me had just begun / ‘Cause today I started loving you again.”

“Today I Started Loving You Again” was a critical and commercial success. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and stayed there for three weeks. It won the Grammy Award for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group in 1981, solidifying its place as a country duet classic. The song’s enduring popularity is a testament to the power of Haggard and Wynette’s voices, the relatable storytelling of the lyrics, and the timeless theme of love’s enduring flame.

Video:

https://youtu.be/M9Ivl_JxSfk?si=46fYjwmt1Y5U9cZh

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Merle Haggard’s childhood was becoming increasingly chaotic when something entered his life that would eventually change everything: a guitar. His older brother Lowell gave him one when Merle was around 12. Merle began teaching himself, absorbing the records and styles of country heroes such as Bob Wills, Lefty Frizzell and Hank Williams. There were no expensive lessons preparing him for Nashville. There was simply a troubled California kid listening closely and learning how another man’s sadness could live inside a melody. Merle would still make plenty of mistakes. Music didn’t instantly rescue him from running away, juvenile detention or eventually prison. But the guitar remained. Years later, millions would recognize Merle’s voice within seconds. Perhaps that’s because he wasn’t merely learning how to sing songs as a boy. He was slowly learning how to tell the truth about his own life.

Merle Haggard rarely needed to invent heartbreak. He had known it since childhood. In 1946, when Merle was only nine years old, his father, James Haggard, died following a stroke. For a boy who deeply needed his father’s presence, the loss became a turning point. His mother, Flossie, worked to support the family. Merle, meanwhile, became increasingly restless. He skipped school, ran away, got into trouble, and began a long journey through juvenile institutions that eventually led somewhere far darker. Looking back at his life, it is difficult not to see that nine-year-old boy behind many of the adult Merle Haggard’s songs. People later called him a rebel, an outlaw and a survivor. But before any of those labels existed, there was simply a grieving boy who had lost his dad—and never seemed to completely outrun that loss.

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