Merle Haggard Swinging Doors

The world lost yet another legend on April 6, 2016 when Merle Haggard passed away. Haggard had been known for producing a different type of country music, often referred to as Bakersfield Sound, for over 50 years. Despite his passing, Haggard is still greatly respected and known for his ability to combine introspective lyrics, such as stories about his previous incarcerations and of friends that have passed, with lyrics that convey both hope and humor. These lyrics, combined with the soulful instrumentalism of his songs, has made for decades of emotional and relatable tracks.

Haggard had grown up in Bakersfield, California during the Depression-era where he had lived with his family in a converted box car. When he was a child, his mother had been left to fend for their entire family after the passing of his father; because of this, he was left to his own devices and ended up growing into somewhat of a rebel. After being released from prison for offenses like truancy, phony checks, and grand theft auto, Haggard had managed to make money by working in the oil fields during the day and by playing guitar in local bars at night. By 1970, when he was just over the age of 30, Haggard had produced a running streak of hit albums and tracks after signing on with Tally Records and then again with Capitol Records. Throughout this period of success, Haggard became notorious for his Honky-Tonk vibes and resonant guitar melodies that built up the genre of Bakersfield Sound and brought rise of competition to the trendy Nashville Sound.

Bakersfield Sound is a strain of country music that was established in the early 1950’s, and began to grow within the following decade. During this time, Nashville Sound had been the genre of music that was dominating the country and western charts and proved to be the ultimate rival of Bakersfield Sound. Unlike Bakersfield Sound, Nashville Sound consisted of dramatic strings, annoyingly pleasant background singers, and a smoothness that is oddly reminiscent of modern day pop music. Bakersfield Sound’s traditional country style in comparison to the slick styles of Nashville Sound made it an obvious rebellion against such new-age music.

In the 1966 album, Swinging Doors, Haggard finds a way to incorporate his traditional country and honky-tonk vibes of Bakersfield Sound with jazz and a slight bit of rock to create an album that sounded completely unlike anything else from the time. Going against what was popular for his time, Haggard had stayed with his traditional approach to songwriting and continued to write about the sorrowful accounts of his life. When listening to the album, his voice hardly ever wavers and achieves maximum sentimentality, and therefore relatability, by doing so. While all of the lyricism is great and important, another element of this album to notice is its simple instrumentation. The main, if not only, instruments used for this album had been the guitar, bass, drums, and piano. These four instruments come together in each track to create an extremely dynamic album.

Moving on, here is a track-by-track analysis of Merle Haggard’s Swinging Doors:

“Swinging Doors”

Listening to this song, it is no wonder how it became Haggard’s first top 5 hit. The stereotypical wailing of the guitar mixed in with an upbeat and cheerful beat from the drums could lure in anybody no matter what their mood is. In addition to this relatable melody, the story of having a simple life with a lover are simply enticing to anyone who just wishes for a happy life.

“If I Could Be Him”

The demure beat laid out by the drums establishes a simple and peaceful melody for this track. This minimalism in instrumentals focuses attention solely on the vocals and lyricism of this song that speak of a love triangle that has been created. With a story as common and hard-hitting as such, this song was one to gain a good amount of attention on the album.

“The Longer You Wait”

Again, the relatability of the lyrics within this song as well as the ease at which you can listen to it make this track a winner. Back with an upbeat and guitar-driven melody, people that are both ecstatic and depressed could easily enjoy this modest track.

 “I’ll Look You Over”

Piano and background vocalists are a major component of this track. The melodic scales of the piano finally introduce listeners to the influences of jazz that Haggard was known for incorporating into his music. Additionally, the background vocalists force Haggard’s voice to become more dynamic and melodic than ever before. Overall, this track expands even further on Haggard’s talents.

“I Can’t Stand Me”

Speaking of showing off his talent, this track exemplifies Haggard’s incorporation of rock and roll within his music. The intense drumming and wailing of the guitar work together to create the familiar beats and tones of the genre while also managing to create a track that anyone could easily jam out to.

“The Girl Turned Ripe”

Doing a total 180^o from the previous track is this song. While the upbeat vibes and light lyrics remain the same, the instrumentalism turns into straight Honkey-Tonk that is emphasized greatly by the large amounts of guitar picking that are done in this track.

“The Bottle Let Me Down”

This track had been yet another great him from this album. Despite how depressing the lyrics are, the truth is that they are extremely relatable to anyone who has ever tried to drink away their problems. As dark as this topic is, this track is still able to attract listeners by featuring the wailing guitar that country music is known for and mixing it with a very passive melody.

“No More You and Me”

Yet another track that displays Haggard’s skill. His vocals are slightly varied in this track to create a more dynamic melody without instrumentation; but then, in the times of silence, guitar flares create a sudden accent in the song that is unlike any other that is heard in the album.

“Somebody Else You’ve Known”

Even though this track isn’t one of the most popular or unique from the album, the energetic guitar flares and simple lyrics create a song that is cheerful and easy on both the ears and hearts of listeners.

“High on a Hilltop”

Even though most songs on this album are relatively upbeat and cheerful, this would have to be the one exception. In no way does this mean it is a bad song; however, the guitar in this track establishes a very slow moving melody that seems almost sorrowful. Along with this, Haggard’s vocals remain sturdy and unwavering throughout the piece which creates an overall somber mood for the track.

“This Town’s Not Big Enough”

When I think of traditional country music, this track is an example of what would come to mind. This track returns the album to a cheerful mood by incorporating an exceptionally bouncy beat from the drums along with the classic guitar scales of old country.

“Shade Tree”

This track is the one to finish out the album on a high note. The jazz influences are back in this track with the heavy piano melodies and vocals that seem to swing back and forth. This track truly leaves listeners off with an example of how dynamic Haggard was in both his musical styles and talents.

While the lasting impacts of Merle Haggard on the music industry and culture surrounding it may not be easily identifiable, they are certainly there. During the 60’s, when Haggard was acquiring all of his fame, his music had been identified as Bakersfield Sound. This genre had been battling the popular Nashville Sound in the music charts at the time and began to prove that the classic Honky-Tonk inspired country music would always be loved and relevant in the music industry. By being able to do as well, if not better, than the slick country-pop music of the time, a new genre was formed and showed that new is not always better. With the genre of Bakersfield Sound that Haggard had worked to create came a new generation of musicians that were becoming inspired. Amongst this generation is none other than George Strait, a famous country musician. Strait claims that the lyricism, catchy tunes, and powerful performances of Haggard are what inspired him to grow up to be just like “Hag”.

With a new generation of musicians that aspire and look up to Haggard, it is safe to say that the principles and styles that made up his music will continue to live on in modern day country music and in the hearts of those who listen to it.

Rest In Peace Merle Haggard