| Going Where the Lonely Go | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | October 18, 1982 | |||
| Recorded | June 1982 | |||
| Studio |
| |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 35:17 | |||
| Label | Epic | |||
| Producer | Merle Haggard, Lewis Talley | |||
| Merle Haggard chronology | ||||
| ||||
Going Where the Lonely Go is the thirty-fifth studio album by American recording artist Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers, released in 1982.
Produced by Haggard and his mentors Fuzzy Owen and Lewis Talley, the tracks for Going Where The Lonely Go were recorded during the same two-day marathon recording session that produced the songs for Haggard's previous 1982 album Big City . Like its predecessor, it peaked at number 3 on the Billboard country albums chart. Haggard composed five of the ten songs on the LP, including the chart topping title track. The album's other #1, "You Take Me For Granted," was written as a personal statement by Haggard's wife Leona Williams about their foundering marriage, which would end in 1983. According to the liner notes for the 1994 retrospective Down Every Road written by music journalist Daniel Cooper, she wrote the song while sitting on the bus in Ohio, then played it for Merle in front of several of his friends after Merle had reduced her to tears during a duet session they were recording. "He got big old tears in his eyes," Cooper quotes Leona, "and he said, 'Is that how you feel? And I said, 'Yes, it is.'" Within days, Haggard had cut the song. [1] Part of the problem was Williams' aspirations to be more than a backup singer and her lingering resentment over the perception by many that she had elbowed the highly respected Bonnie Owens aside. Haggard was perplexed at his wife's agitation, as he recalls in his 1981 autobiography Sing Me Back Home: "I also resented her struggle to establish her own career. After all, I could offer her a permanent place on the stage with my show. She could even have a segment all her own. What more could she want?" [2]
Other notable cuts include "If I Had Left It Up To You" (which features the same shuffling rhythm as "Big City") and his rendition of the Willie Nelson composition "Half a Man," which he would record as a duet with Nelson on the album Pancho and Lefty . The LP also includes the melancholy "Shopping for Dresses," which Haggard wrote with Little Jimmy Dickens, and the honky-tonk nugget "Why Am I Drinkin'." Going Where the Lonely Go was reissued on CD by Epic in 1990. It contains a hidden track "Now I Know Why I'm Drinkin," and was reissued along with That's the Way Love Goes on CD by S & P Records in 2005. [3]
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [4] |
| Robert Christgau | C+ [5] |
| Rolling Stone |  [6] |
AllMusic critic Thom Jurek stated in his review: "Haggard and The Strangers were one of the tightest and most sophisticated bands in country music, inspired by the elaborate arrangements of Bob Wills' band, to the point where Haggard's music from this period transcends country music in its appeal and elegance. It's a pity this one didn't get the notice it deserved — it's a masterpiece." [4]
All tracks composed by Merle Haggard; except where indicated:
| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Going Where the Lonely Go" | 4:48 | |
| 2. | "Why Am I Drinkin'" | 2:40 | |
| 3. | "If I Had Left It Up to You" | 2:35 | |
| 4. | "I Won't Give Up My Train" | Mark Yeary | 4:33 |
| 5. | "Someday You're Gonna Need Your Friends" | Leona Williams | 4:02 |
| 6. | "Shopping For Dresses" | Little Jimmy Dickens, Merle Haggard | 2:35 |
| 7. | "You Take Me For Granted" | Williams | 2:40 |
| 8. | "Half a Man" | Willie Nelson | 4:05 |
| 9. | "For All I Know" | Jimmie Davis | 3:56 |
| 10. | "Nobody's Darlin' But Mine" | 3:34 | |
| 11. | "Now I Know Why I'm Drinkin'" | 7:47 | |
| Total length: | 35:17 | ||
with:
| Chart (1982-1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 3 |
| Chart (1983) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 12 |
| Single | Chart | Position |
|---|---|---|
| "Going Where the Lonely Go" | Canada Country Songs (RPM) | 1 |
| U.S.Billboard Hot Country Songs | 1 | |
| "You Take Me For Granted" | Canada Country Songs (RPM) | 9 |
| U.S.Billboard Hot Country Songs | 1 |
Merle Ronald Haggard was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler.
Pancho & Lefty by Townes Van Zandt (1972) became well-known through a honky tonk album by outlaw country musicians Merle Haggard and Willie Nelson, released in 1983. Original vinyl copies from 1983 give the album's title as "Poncho & Lefty" on the cover, as well as on the inner sleeve and the record label; the album's title track is similarly rendered "Poncho & Lefty" on the cover, inner sleeve, and label. Later editions correct the title to the intended "Pancho & Lefty.” They are backed by Don Markham of The Strangers.
Chicago Wind is the fifty-eighth studio album by American country singer and songwriter Merle Haggard, released in 2005. It peaked at number 54 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. A video was made for the track "America First".
Kickin' Out the Footlights...Again is a studio album by American country music artists George Jones and Merle Haggard, released in 2006.
A Taste of Yesterday's Wine is a duet studio album by American country music artists George Jones and Merle Haggard, released in 1982. They are backed by Don Markham and Jimmy Belken of the Strangers. The album includes the song "Silver Eagle", written by Gary Church, also of the Strangers. This was their first album together; their next album together, Kickin' Out the Footlights...Again, did not come until 24 years later in 2006.
Heroes & Friends is the sixth studio album by American country music artist Randy Travis. It was released on August 31, 1990 by Warner Records. Except for the title track, every song on this album is a duet with another recording artist. "A Few Ole Country Boys" and the title track were both released as singles from this album, peaking at numbers 8 and 3, respectively, on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks charts in 1990.
Big City is the thirty-third studio album by American country music artist Merle Haggard backed by the Strangers, released in 1981. It was his debut on the Epic label after ending his association with MCA. Big City peaked at number three on the Billboard Country Album charts and number 161 on the Pop Album charts. It is an RIAA-certified Gold album.
Back to the Barrooms is the thirty-first studio album by American country music singer Merle Haggard, released in October 1980. He is backed by Norm Hamlet and Don Markham of The Strangers.
Someday We'll Look Back is the thirteenth studio album by American recording artist Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1971. It reached number 4 on the Billboard country albums chart.
It's Not Love (But It's Not Bad) is the fifteenth studio album by American country music singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1972. It reached number one on the Billboard country albums chart. The lead off single was "It's Not Love (But it's Not Bad)" which also reached No. 1 on the charts.
If We Make It Through December is the sixteenth studio album by American country music singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1974. It reached number 4 on the Billboard country album charts. The title track was previously released on Haggard's Christmas release of 1973, A Christmas Present. The single spent four weeks at No. 1 on the Billboard magazine Hot Country Singles chart in December 1973 and January 1974, and cracked the Top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100. "If We Make It Through December" was the No. 2 song of the year on Billboard's Hot Country Singles 1974 year-end chart.
My Love Affair with Trains is the twentieth studio album by American country music singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1976. The LP rose to number 7 on the Billboard country albums chart.
The Roots of My Raising is the twenty-first studio album by American country music singer Merle Haggard and The Strangers, released in 1976. It was his third release in 1976 and his last on the Capitol label until his return in 2004. It reached number 8 on the Billboard country albums chart.
Songs for the Mama That Tried is a studio album by the American country music singer Merle Haggard with backing by the Strangers, released in 1981 by MCA Records. A gospel album, it reached No. 46 on the Billboard country albums chart.
That's the Way Love Goes is the thirty-eighth studio album by the American country music singer Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers, released in 1983.
"Going Where the Lonely Go" is a song written and recorded by American country music artist Merle Haggard backed by The Strangers. It was released in October 1982 as the first single and title track from the album Going Where the Lonely Go. The song was his twenty-eighth number one country single. The single went to number one for one week and spent a total of thirteen weeks on the country chart.
Heart to Heart is a duet album by Merle Haggard and Leona Williams with backing by the Strangers, released in June 1983 on Mercury Records. It reached number 44 on the Billboard Country music chart.
A Friend in California is the forty-first studio album by American recording artist Merle Haggard with backing by The Strangers, released in 1986.
Like Never Before is the fifty-fifth studio album by American recording artist Merle Haggard. It was released in 2004 on his own label, Hag Records.
Hag: The Best of Merle Haggard is a compilation album by American country singer Merle Haggard, released in 2006.
