My 100 Favorite Charted Country Songs: You’re Free to Go

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What an appropriate title! For the past 100 days you’ve endured something unprecedented: a three-and-a-half month, 100-song countdown. TWO of them, actually, because there’s a rock/pop/R&B side to this as well. Congratulations, you made it: my music life distilled into a hundred songs. Here’s the final one. You’re Free to Go - Carl Smith And OF COURSE it’s my dad’s favorite singer. Dad was easy to shop for: when that Carl Smith box set came out guess what he got for his birthday. (And guess who made a copy of it. ) When Merv Shiner died last year, at the age of 102, he was one of the final honky tonk-era singers left. I bring him up because he did this song originally. And, as a die-hard country music fan who does the work for you, let me tell you that his version sucked. Of course, I grew up on this version and the Jim Reeves cover from 1960, so I was used to splendid delivery of this marvelous heartbreak tune. Bottom line is that Merv was never very successful, and listening to him sing this song told me why. Carl Smith recorded it in 1955, about the same time that Shiner did. Thanks to his name recognition (and the fact that he sang it sooooo well), Smith’s version became the definitive version, reaching the top ten of the country charts. Since we’re talking about 70 years ago, I probably have to explain the premise of the song: simply put, there was no such thing as “no-fault divorce” back then. “I’ll break the ties that bind” is referring to consenting to end the marriage. (Remember “Mental Cruelty” earlier in the countdown? Similar storyline.) Despite the dated theme, the voice and the music are timeless. Thank you all so much for coming along on this journey. You’re Free to Go Written by Don Robertson and Lou Herscher Recorded by Carl Smith Released as a single, 1955 Peak chart position: #6 Today’s rock song: “Your Smiling Face” There’s no ring of shining gold: