Escape (The Parenthetical Country Song Title Countdown #6): If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin')

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It's time for the weekend, and it's time to celebrate with another one of my favorite country songs with a parenthetical title. And, at the halfway point, I'll explain the title of the series again: it's based on that Rupert Holmes song "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)." You won't find that song anywhere on this countdown...or any other countdown of mine, for that matter. Meanwhile, here's the next country song on the list. #6: If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin') - Faron Young I've said this before when I've used a Faron Young song, but man, he was a piece of work. In an era of country music when so many of the performers were "people persons," grateful to their fans and for their careers (remember, we're talking about an era of country music when even the biggest stars toured in their own cars, with the bass fiddle strapped to the luggage rack! [And, as Bill Anderson said in his first autobiography, if it rained, the bass came inside and a band member went on the luggage rack! ]), Young was an arrogant jerk. If you think the rockers invented the groupies, you're wrong: I knew Faron Young was a womanizer before I was old enough to even know what the word womanizer meant. An award-winning writer told me he couldn't stomach Young's biography -- not because it wasn't well-written (the woman who wrote it subsequently won "book of the year" honors for her Marty Robbins book), but because Faron was such a disgusting sleaze ball. Unlike others who worked hard to hide their flaws back then (there were always excuses made for the nastiest of drunks, such as Hank Williams or Ira Louvin), Young didn't really care if anyone knew what he was doing. But for me, as a child, I was more interested in the music, so that's what I focus on. And, oh, what great music he had. One of the great country singers of the golden age of country music, Young had hit after hit after hit. He was able to combine straight country with even rockabilly ("Love Has Finally Come My Way") to stay fresh. He had a massive hit with a Willie Nelson song, "Hello Walls," in the early 60s. His career continued through the mid-70s; and, even after the hits dried up, he still toured. This Tommy Collins song (Tommy Collins was the stage name for Leonard Sipes, the subject of the Merle Haggard song "Leonard") is a happy, upbeat song that seems to be one of Faron's philosophies (along with another one of Faron's hits -- "Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young"). It touts the benefits of love over money. George Strait covered the song in 1988, but his version didn't have the energy that Young put into it...probably because Faron lived it a lot more and harder than the straight-laced (pardon the pun) Strait has. If You Ain't Lovin' (You Ain't Livin') Written by Tommy Collins Recorded by Faron Young From This Is Faron Young!, 1954 (Also covered by George Strait from If You Ain't Lovin', You Ain't Livin,' 1988) You're goin' the wrong way, boy: