Seasons of My Heart
{{Use mdy dates|date=November 2024}}
{{Infobox song
| name = Seasons of My Heart
| cover = Seasons_of_My_Heart.png
| alt =
| type = single
| artist = George Jones
| album = Grand Ole Opry's New Star
| A-side = Why Baby Why
| released = September 17, 1955
| recorded = August 27, 1955
Gold Star Studios, Houston
| studio =
| venue =
| genre = Country
| length = 2:51
| label = Starday
Starday 202
| writer = George Jones
Darrell Edwards
| producer = Pappy Daily
| prev_title = Hold Everything
| prev_year = 1955
| next_title = What Am I Worth
| next_year = 1956
}}
"Seasons of My Heart" is a song written by George Jones and Darrell Edwards. The song was released as the b-side to the #4 hit "Why Baby Why" in 1955. The song was also recorded by Johnny Cash and, released in 1960, it became a #10 hit.{{cite web |author1=Vintage Rock Staff |title=Top 40 Johnny Cash Songs |url=https://www.vintagerockmag.com/2024/02/top-40-johnny-cash-songs/ |website=Vintage Rock Magazine |date=20 February 2024}}
The song was one of Jones' best early ballads, included on many of his early studio and compilation albums with Starday and Mercury Records in the late 1950s. The song was even included on his debut 1957 album The Grand Ole Opry's New Star, which was Starday's first album release in the label's history.{{cite news |last1=Edwards |first1=David |last2=Callahan |first2=Mike |last3=Eyries |first3=Patrice |title=The Starday Records Story |url=https://www.bsnpubs.com/starday/stardaystory.html |work=Both Sides Now Publications |date=March 2, 2002}}
Background
"Seasons of My Heart" originally appeared as the B-side to George Jones' first chart hit "Why Baby Why" in 1955. The imagery-laden song was an early showcase of Jones' abilities as a balladeer, although he sang in much higher during this period than he would later in his career. Former Starday Records president Don Pierce later explained to Jones biographer Bob Allen, "Pappy realized George's strength as a balladeer long before I did. He felt that 'Seasons Of My Heart' was a big song. I knew that, in those days, it took much longer to sell a ballad, because it had to make it on the radio first...I also knew that an upbeat song like 'Why, Baby Why' would be easier to sell directly to the jukebox distributors for the beer-drinkin' trade."{{cite book | last=Allen | first=Bob | title=George Jones: The Life and Times of a Honky Tonk Legend | publisher=Carol Publishing Group | series=A Birch Lane Press Book | year=1994 | isbn=978-1-55972-253-7 | chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/georgejoneslifea00alle/page/72/mode/2up | page=[https://archive.org/details/georgejoneslifea00alle/page/88/mode/2up 89]|chapter=Houston And Nashville: Up The Lost Highway}}
==Personnel==
(For the 1955 Original recording)
- George Jones – vocals, acoustic guitar
- Herb Remington – steel guitar
- Lew Brisby – bass
- Tony Sepolio – fiddle
- Don Lewis – piano
Other versions
- Johnny Cash recorded the song for his 1960 album Now, There Was a Song!.
- Kitty Wells recorded the song as a title track to her 1960 album.{{cite web |last1=Owens |first1=Thom |title=Seasons of My Heart - Kitty Wells {{!}} Album |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/seasons-of-my-heart-mw0000864383 |website=AllMusic}}
- Jerry Lee Lewis recorded the song for his 1965 album, Country Songs for City Folks.
- Willie Nelson recorded the song for his 1966 album Country Favorites-Willie Nelson Style.
- The Grateful Dead rehearsed the song in September 1969 at Alembic Studios.{{cite AV media|author=Grateful Dead|title=Seasons Of My Heart|date=September 17, 1969|publisher=DeadLists Project|type=Practice Sessions: Live at Alembic Studios|url=https://archive.org/details/gd1969-09-17.136664.sbd.Sirmick.flac16/gd1969-09-17t03.flac}}
- The Grateful Dead performed the song November 2, 1969, at The Family Dog, San Francisco, CA{{cite AV media|author=Grateful Dead|title=Seasons Of My Heart|date=November 2, 1969|publisher=DeadLists Project|type=Live at Family Dog at the Great Highway|url=https://archive.org/details/gd1969-11-02.sbd.miller.32350.sbeok.flac16}}
- The Grateful Dead performed the song January 31, 1970, at The Warehouse, New Orleans, LA.{{cite AV media|author=Grateful Dead|title=Seasons Of My Heart|date=January 31, 1970|publisher=DeadLists Project|type=Live at The Warehouse|url=https://archive.org/details/gd1970-01-31.sbd.cotsman.fixed.24028.sbeok.shnf/gd70-01-31d2t03-fixed.shn#}}
References
{{reflist}}
{{George Jones singles}}
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