For more than 40 years, Glen Campbell released a wide variety of music. With hits at both pop and country radio, Campbell’s songs covered a broad spectrum, both in lyrics and melody.
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We found three Glen Campbell songs with stunning lyrics, which pack a serious emotional punch.
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You”
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” is the final single of Campbell’s extraordinary career. Written by Campbell and Julian Raymond, the song is a glaring look into Campbell’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease.
The song says, “I’m still here, but yet I’m gone / I don’t play guitar or sing my songs / They never defined who I am / The man that loves you ’til the end / You’re the last person I will love / You’re the last face I will recall / And best of all, I’m not gonna miss you / Not gonna miss you.”
“I’m Not Gonna Miss You” is part of the Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me documentary, showing Campbell’s final tour and his ongoing struggle with his memory loss. “I’m Not Gonna Miss You” won a Grammy Award for Best Country Song.
Campbell passed away in 2017.
“Gentle On My Mind”
Think of a Glen Campbell song, and most people think of “Gentle On My Mind”. Released in 1967 as the title track of Campbell’s sixth studio album, the song was written by John Hartford, who first recorded it.
“Gentle On My Mind” is a poignant song of regret over lost love. The song says, “Though the wheat fields and the clotheslines / And the junkyards and the highways come between us / And some other woman’s cryin’ to her mother / ‘Cause she turned and I was gone / I still might run in silence, tears of joy might stain my face / And the summer sun might burn me ’til I’m blind / But not to where I cannot see you walkin’ on the backroads / By the rivers flowing gentle on my mind.”
Hartford later revealed he had the idea for “Gentle On My Mind” while watching the film Dr. Zhivago.
“While I was writing it, if I had any idea that it was going to be a hit, it probably would have come out differently and it wouldn’t have been a hit,” Hartfor says (via Rolling Stone). “The song came real fast, in about 15 minutes. It was a blaze, a blur.”
Interestingly, although Gentle On My Mind became Campbell’s first No. 1 album, the song only became a Top 30 hit for Campbell.
“Long Black Limousine”
Vern Stovall and Bobby George are the writers of “Long Black Limousine”, a song Campbell released in 1962. One year prior, Stovall released a version, before Campbell included it on his Big Bluegrass Special record.
“Long Black Limousine” tells the story of a man saying goodbye to a woman he loves, for one final time. The song says, “When you left home, you told me someday you’d be returning / In a fancy car for all the town to see / Now everyone is watching, you finally got your dream / You’re riding in a long black limousine.”
In addition to Campbell, several other notable artists released their own version of “Long Black Limousine”, including Elvis Presley, Merle Haggard, and Connie Smith.
Photo by Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images
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