By the late 1950s, Willie Nelson was traveling from his home in Pasadena, Texas to perform at the Esquire Ballroom in Houston and used his commute time to write songs for his label D Records. During one of his weeks of commuting, Nelson penned three hit songs, including “Crazy,” which became a hit for Patsy Cline in 1961, and “Night Life.”
At first, “Night Life” was rejected by D Records’ owner Pappy Daily for not being country enough, so Nelson recorded it as “Nite Life” and under another name. “They wouldn’t record it because they said it was too bluesy,” said Nelson in 2019. “It wasn’t country. So I recorded ‘Night Life’ under the name of Hugh Nelson on another label across town just to prove a point. … I think it’s still the best record of it. I did it with Paul Buskirk, Herb Remington, Dean Reynolds—some of the greatest jazz musicians around Houston.”
The third song Nelson wrote during this week would eventually recorded by Elvis Presley a decade later.
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“In one week I wrote ‘Crazy,’ ‘Funny How Time Slips Away’ and ‘Night Life,'” said Nelson. “That’s when I decided maybe to go to Nashville,” Nelson said. “So I took off to Nashville in my ’46 Buick and went immediately to a place called Tootsie’s Orchid Lounge, where I had heard was the spot to be if you want to find some songwriters. And, sure enough, it was the great spot to be.”
Nelson added “I wish I had known then what [the songs] were going to do. Maybe it’s better that I didn’t—made enough mistakes as it was. I had no idea that these songs would be as successful as they have been.”
[RELATED: 6 Songs Willie Nelson Wrote That Were Made Famous by Other Artists]
Billy Walker
Country singer Billy Walker, later known for his hit “Charlie’s Shoes,” was the first to record “Funny How Time Slips Away.” Walker took the song to No. 23 on the Hot Country & Western (Hot Country Songs) chart.
Nelson also recorded his version of the song for his 1962 debut …And Then I Wrote, which also featured his version of “Crazy.”
The Meaning
Nelson’s lyrics run through the sadness of the passing of time—of people, places, things, and memories.
Well, hello there
Why, it’s been a long long time, thank you very much
And how am i doing?
Oh, i guess that I’m doing fine
It’s been so long now
But it seems now
That it was only yesterday
Gee, ain’t it funny?
How time just slips away
And how’s your new love?
Well, I hope that he’s doing fine
And i heard you told him
That you’d love him ’til the end of time
And that’s the same thing
That you told me
‘Elvis Country’
Presley later recorded “Funny How Time Slips Away” for his 13th album Elvis Country (I’m 10,000 Years Old).
Elvis Country, which featured the lead single “I Really Don’t Want to Know” and “There Goes My Everything,” peaked at No. 12 on the Billboard 200.
Al Green
Though “Funny How Time Slips Away” was covered by Presley, along with dozens of artists, including B.B. King, Aretha Franklin, Marvin Gaye, Wanda Jackson, Bryan Ferry, and Reba McEntire, it was Al Green’s 1973 version from his Call Me, that turned Nelson’s lovelorn lyrics into a smoldering ballad: I gotta go now / Guess I’ll see you hanging round / Don’t know when though, oh, no / Never know when I’ll be back in town / But I remember what I told you / That in time you’re gonna pay.
In 1994, Green later released another version of the song with Lyle Lovett on the 1994 compilation album Rhythm, Country and Blues, which earned him a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.
Photo: Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images
