"Old Violin" is a song by American country music singer Johnny Paycheck. It is a single from his 1986 album Modern Times.
| "Old Violin" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Johnny Paycheck | ||||
| from the album Modern Times | ||||
| B-side | "Come to Me"[1] | |||
| Released | 1986 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:42 | |||
| Label | Mercury | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Johnny Paycheck | |||
| Producer(s) | Stan Cornelius | |||
| Johnny Paycheck singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Content
edit"Old Violin" was recorded in the mid-1980s during Paycheck's tenure with Mercury Records. The song was among his first recordings after Paycheck had been imprisoned for aggravated assault at a bar in Hillsboro, Ohio.[2][1][3]
Kurt Wolff, in Country Music: The Rough Guide, describes "Old Violin" as a song in which Paycheck "faces old age with genuine trepidation".[4] The lyric features the narrator comparing himself to an "old violin, soon to be put away and never played again".[5]
Other versions
editIn 2002, Daryle Singletary covered "Old Violin" for his covers album That's Why I Sing This Way. Singletary wanted to include Paycheck on his recording, and had a then-ill Paycheck deliver the song's closing recitation from his hospital bed. This recording was Paycheck's last before his death in early 2003.[5][6] George Strait covered the song on his 2019 album Honky Tonk Time Machine.[7]
Charts
edit| Chart (1986) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada RPM Country Tracks[8] | 36 |
| US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[9] | 21 |
References
edit- ^ a b Whitburn, Joel (2017). Hot Country Songs 1944 to 2017. Record Research, Inc. pp. 293–294. ISBN 978-0-89820-229-8.
- ^ Dan Cooper. "Johnny Paycheck biography". AllMusic. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ^ Rick Schluep (May 23, 1986). "Singer Johnny Paycheck is free on bond". Greenfield Daily Times. p. 1. Retrieved September 8, 2023.
- ^ Kurt Wolff (2000). Country Music: The Rough Guide. Rough Guides. p. 319.
- ^ a b Robert K. Oermann (2008). "Johnny Paycheck". Behind the Grand Ole Opry Curtain: Tales of Romance and Tragedy. Center Street.
- ^ Phyllis Stark (March 1, 2003). "Johnny Paycheck dead at 64". Billboard. p. 6.
- ^ "Everything We Know About George Strait's New Album, 'Honky Tonk Time Machine'". The Boot. Retrieved March 11, 2019.
- ^ "RPM Country Tracks" (PDF). RPM: 12. August 16, 1986.
- ^ "Johnny Paycheck Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.