Easy From Now On
{{Infobox song
| name = Easy From Now On
| cover =
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = Emmylou Harris
| album = Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town
| B-side = You’re Supposed to be Feeling Good
| released = 1978
| format =
| recorded =
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Country
| length = 3:07
| label = Warner Bros. Nashville
| writer = Carlene Carter, Susanna Clark
| producer = Brian Ahern
| prev_title = Two More Bottles of Wine
| prev_year = 1978
| next_title = Too Far Gone
| next_year = 1978
}}
"Easy From Now On" is a song written by Carlene Carter and Susanna Clark, and recorded by American country music artist Emmylou Harris. It was released in 1978 as the second single from the album Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town. The song reached number 12 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart.{{cite book |title= The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition|last=Whitburn |first=Joel |year=2004 |publisher=Record Research |page=152}} and number 5 on the RPM Canadian chart.Item: 51 - Library and Archives Canada (bac-lac.gc.ca)
Background
Susannah Clark called her friend Carter with the line "Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town" from which the song originated.{{cite web|url=http://www.songfacts.com/facts/emmylou-harris/easy-from-now-on|title=Easy From Now On by Emmylou Harris Songfacts |website=Songfacts.com |date=n.d.|access-date=February 27, 2023}} Carter played the finished song for Emmylou Harris, who included it as the first track on the album, Quarter Moon in a Ten Cent Town. A painting by Clark, also an artist, of a crescent moon over a dark road serves as the album's cover. The song launched Carter's career as a songwriter and opened doors for her as a performer.{{cite magazine |first=Stephen |last=Betts |title="Carlene Carter on Return to Tennessee, New Bluebird Café Series" |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-country/carlene-carter-bluebird-cafe-series-june-carter-cash-mother-maybelle-732230 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date = October 2, 2018 |access-date=February 27, 2023}}[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNoj-knlbmY Carlene Carter interview]", The Dale Wiley Show, discussed at 16-minute mark, Jan. 14, 2021. Retrieved 2023-02-17.
The song is included on the album Profile: Best of Emmylou Harris, also released in 1978.
Legacy
Country artist Miranda Lambert covered the song for her second studio album Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Lambert has stated that the line "When the mornin' comes and it's time for me to leave/Don't worry about me, I got a wild card up my sleeve" has resonated with her, and served as inspiration for the title of her 2019 studio album, Wildcard.{{cite web |first=Casey |last=Young |title="Miranda Lambert's Cover Of Emmylou Harris' "Easy From Now On" Is Heartbreak Country At Its Best" |url=https://www.whiskeyriff.com/2021/03/11/miranda-lamberts-cover-of-emmylou-harris-easy-from-now-own-is-heartbreak-country-at-its-best/ |website=Whiskey Riff |date = March 11, 2021 |access-date=February 11, 2023}} Lambert's second single from the album, "Bluebird", prominently features the lyric "I've got a wildcard up my sleeve" in the chorus.{{cite magazine |first=Tom |last=Roland |title="Makin' Tracks, Miranda Lambert's Bluebird Takes Flight" |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/country/mirand-lambert-bluebird-makin-tracks-854802 |magazine=Billboard |date=January 14, 2020 |access-date=February 11, 2023}}
Americana Band Watchhouse (formerly Mandolin Orange) have cited the song as an influence, calling it a “smart and perfect country song.”"[https://music.apple.com/us/playlist/watchhouse-influences/pl.15a9eec9575a42da84c2608c5655a3fa]", Watchhouse: Influences on Apple Music. Retrieved January 29, 2023
In a list of cozy songs for autumn, Rolling Stone magazine called the song "gorgeous" and "great for a midnight drive."{{cite magazine |first=Angie |last=Martoccio |title="Cozy Fall Playlist" |url= https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/cozy-fall-playlist-1079136/ |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=October 27, 2020 |access-date=February 11, 2023}}
Additional cover versions
- Country artist Suzy Bogguss recorded the song in 1981 for her first album Suzy on independent record label Old Shack Recording.
- Co-writer Carlene Carter recorded the song for her 1990 album I Fell in Love. The song also appears on Carter's compilation album Hindsight 20/20.{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/hindsight-20-20-mw0000187994|title=Carlene Carter - Hindsight 20/20|work=Allmusic|access-date=September 23, 2022}}
- Country artist Terri Clark covered the song for her 2000 album Fearless
Charts
| class="wikitable sortable"
! Chart (1978) ! Peak |
| {{singlechart|Billboardcountrysongs|12|artist=Emmylou Harris}} |
| Canadian RPM Country Tracks
|align="center"|5 |