Pam Tillis released her debut album, Above And Beyond The Doll Of Cutey, in 1983. The record failed to produce any singles, nor did the six singles she released after that, which were not on any records. But by 1991, when Tillis released her sophomore album, Put Yourself In My Place, she had hit her stride.
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These are four of the best songs Pam Tillis released throughout her career. Perhaps surprisingly, they sound just as good, or even better, today.
“Maybe It Was Memphis”
“Maybe It Was Memphis” is one of Tillis’s biggest hits of her career. Written by Michael Anderson, the 1991 single is on Put Yourself In My Place.
A sweet song about love at first sight, “Maybe It Was Memphis” says, “What was I supposed to do / Standin’ there lookin’ at you? / A lonely boy far from home / Maybe it was Memphis / Maybe it was southern summer nights / Maybe it was you, maybe it was me / But it sure felt right.”
Tillis actually had “Maybe It Was Memphis” early on in her career, but held onto it until she had the right record deal and the right album.
“The good thing that happened with that song is I didn’t throw it out,” Tillis tells Songfacts. “Because I actually recorded it on Warner Bros., and it wasn’t a good version. And then I just kept singing it. Lots of times, when an artist records a song and it doesn’t come off, they just move on to the next song. But if I ever did anything right in my career, it’s the fact that I didn’t give up on that song.”
“All The Good Ones Are Gone”
Dean Dillon and Bob McDill are the writers of “All The Good Ones Are Gone”. The song, out in 1997, is on Tillis’s Greatest Hits project.
“All The Good Ones Are Gone” is a lament about being single later in life. The song says, “She’ll turn thirty-four this weekend / She’ll go out with her girlfriends / They’ll drink some margaritas
Cut up and carry on / There’ll be guys and there’ll be come ons / She’ll probably get hit on / But she thinks all the good ones are gone.”
“Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)”
Pam Tillis co-wrote “Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)” with Jess Leary. The song, out in 1994, is on her Sweetheart’s Dance record.
“Mi Vida Loca (My Crazy Life)” says, “Mi vida loca, over and over / Destiny turns on a dime / I go where the wind blows / You can’t tame a wild rose / Welcome to my crazy life.”
Tillis was reportedly inspired to write the song after watching the TV show, Geraldo. Tillis saw someone in the audience with a tattoo that said “My Vida Loca.”
“Don’t Tell Me What To Do”
“Don’t Tell Me What To Do” came out in 1990 as the debut single from Put Yourself In My Place. The song is written by Harlan Howard and Max D. Barnes.
“Don’t Tell Me What To Do” is about a woman making peace with being single after a relationship ends. The song says, “Don’t tell me what to do. / You’ve already said we are through. / I’m a page that you have turned, / I’m no longer your concern / So don’t tell me what to do / I’ll love you forever if I want to.”
“Don’t Tell Me What To Do” is Tillis’s first Top 5 hit of her career. It is also her first No. 1 single.
Photo by CBS via Getty Images
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