The album opens with its title track, “I Wouldn’t Live In New York City (If They Gave Me The Whole Dang Town),” which was originally going to be titled “I Wouldn’t Live In New York City (If They Gave Me The Whole Damn Town)” until Capitol Records said it would not get any airplay with that title. Different times, eh? I’m not a big fan of New York either, and have no interest in residing there, so I suppose I was predisposed to love this song. It opens with the sounds of the city. Buck Owens recorded his vocal part on a sidewalk of West 46th (the liner notes include a few photos of him there). “Where everybody’s trying to live beyond their means/Where all the natives hurry and scurry to and fro/But like fleas on a puppy dog, they’ve got no place to go.” Well, I’m not sure if that last line is accurate. There are plenty of places to go in New York. But still, I appreciate this song. Buck Owens then takes us to a casino in Reno at the beginning of “Reno Lament,” full of optimism about his chances, and the music reflecting that. “Now with a smile on my face I walked up to the table/And I threw down a hundred dollar bill/I said, stand back, boys, give me room, let me at ‘em/Prosperity is just over the hill.” The song then slows down to become the lament of its title, a humorous moment, where he tells us the actual results of his gambling. “They took my bankroll, my diamond ring, my Cadillac/My life savings are down the drain and that’s a fact.” I love the mournful harmonica during that section. The song then gets lively again, with more sounds of a casino, because, well, he hasn’t learned his lesson. He is ready to gamble again, but now with someone else’s money, and you get the sense things are not going to turn out well. This track concludes with the sounds of the casino, the real winner here.
The album’s third track is the first to be about a city that I actually love, New Orleans. Though “Down In New Orleans” does also mention New York: “But the prettiest girls in all of the world/Are down in New Orleans/I’ve been north to New York City/I’ve been south to Birmingham/Been west to San Francisco/And east to Boston town.” It’s a fun song, which isn’t surprising. New Orleans tends to inspire fun music. Buck Owens then takes us to Chicago with “The Wind Blows Every Day In Chicago,” Chicago being another city where I loved spending time. This track begins with a wind sound effect, though actually, this song mentions several places, not just the Windy City. “The sun shines every day in Tennessee/And snow falls every day in Alaska/And I’ll hurt ‘til you come back to me.” It is a sad song about missing a woman. “Some folks seem to think I’ve lost my marbles/Others say I’ve gone out of my head/No matter how you say it, it’s for certain/That without your love, I might as well be dead.” And as the song fades out, the winds pick up again.
“The Kansas City Song” begins with sound effects too. What is that, a lot of cows? This one was written by Buck Owens and Red Simpson and is another fun track. It is about him worrying about his honey while she is Kansas City for two weeks. “Now, honey, watch those Kansas City Romeos/And don’t let ‘em fool you with their charms/Have a lot of fun, but remember that I love you/And I’m waiting here with my two open arms.” Is Kansas City known for its lovers? Not sure about that. Well, he soon admits, “Now I ain’t never been to Kansas City,” so perhaps he worries needlessly. The track ends with cattle sounds. Then “(It’s A Long Way To) Londontown” begins with the sound of church bells. Here he’s again longing to be with his love. “There’s a cold, cold rain a-fallin’/I hope to God that I don’t drown/But I’ve got a sweet baby waiting/And it’s a long way to London town.” It ends with the bells.
“Houston-Town” begins with the sound effects of a rocket launch. Houston is a city that he apparently has a lot of affection for, as the track’s first lines are “Houston town, oh, Houston town/How I love you, Houston town/When I get there, I’m gonna kiss the ground.” The track has an easygoing pace and vibe. During the instrumental section in the middle, we hear snippets from the crew of the Apollo 8. “We have a beautiful view of Florida now.” Oh yes, that is the best way to see Florida, from a great distance. At the end of the track, we hear from Apollo 10: “You can tell the world that we have arrived.” That’s followed by “Santo Domingo,” a track that features some good work on guitar. “For I had the notion/That over the ocean/I’d find myself fortune and fame/But my nights grow lonely/And my urge is only/To pack my belongings and go.” Then traffic sounds are heard at the beginning of “No Milk And Honey In Baltimore,” one of my personal favorites. I could do without the sound of construction that interrupts at one point, but this is an excellent song about pursuing a dream and having it turn out all wrong. “The next thing I knew/My wife took the flu/And the doctor bills soon made us poor/And to make ends meet/I started to sweep/Those dirty old streets up in Baltimore.” Well, the album opened with a song about a city where I wouldn’t want to reside, and it ends with a song about my least favorite city, Las Vegas. “Big In Vegas” was written by Buck Owens and Terry Stafford. This track features one of the album’s best vocal performances. “And I guess that I don’t have what it takes for Las Vegas/But my dreams still linger on/Though my faith is almost gone.” It concludes with sounds of gambling.
CD Track List
- I Wouldn’t Live In New York City (If They Gave Me The Whole Dang Town)
- Reno Lament
- Down In New Orleans
- The Wind Blows Every Day In Chicago
- The Kansas City Song
- (It’s A Long Way To) Londontown
- Houston-Town
- Santo Domingo
- No Milk And Honey In Baltimore
- Big In Vegas
This re-issue of I Wouldn’t Live In
New York City was released on August 27, 2021 through Omnivore Recordings.
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