1972 Songs: Goodtime Charlie’s Got the Blues

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Where does the time go? I showed the list of songs turning 50 years old this year and he nearly fainted. I don’t know if this still gets airplay today but it was certainly popular in the country-rock scene for a long time, and here it is, today’s flashback to 1972. Goodtime Charlie’s Got the Blues - Danny O’Keefe I mentioned “sanitizing” the lyrics in “Heartbroke,” today’s 40-year-old song. Here’s something that’s sadly hilarious. Elvis covered this song. (Yes, that Elvis.) In his rendition, he omitted the verse containing the line “I’ve got my pills to ease the pain.” How ironic. Anyway, this song reminds me of Otis Redding’s “(Sitting on) The Dock of the Bay,” and not just because of the whistling at the end. They’re both songs that scream loneliness in a beautifully melodic way. This is O’Keefe’s best known song as a singer and songwriter. He has one other song that he wrote of significant notoriety: “The Road,” which ended up on Jackson Browne’s Running on Empty album. O’Keefe, 79 as of this writing, is still performing. Goodtime Charlie’s Got the Blues Written by Danny O’Keefe Recorded by Danny O’Keefe From O’Keefe, 1972 (Today’s 1982 song: “Heartbroke”) I guess they’re’ right, it’s wasting mine: