I Never Cared For You
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"I Never Cared For You" is a song written by country music singer
Willie Nelson Willie Hugh Nelson (born April 29, 1933) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, actor and activist. He was one of the main figures of the outlaw country subgenre that developed in the late 1960s as a reaction to the conservative restr ...
. Nelson recorded the song during his stint with
Monument Records Monument Records is an American record label co-founded in 1958 by Fred Foster. Originally founded in Washington, D.C., the label moved to Nashville in 1960, and experienced success over the next two decades with a number of artists including ...
, and eventually became his only single released by the label. While the release failed to achieve national success, it was well received in
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
. Nelson re-recorded the song and included it in several album releases.


Background and recording

By early 1964, Nelson left
Liberty Records Liberty Records was a record label founded in the United States by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Alvin Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous rev ...
after the release of his debut album, '' ...And Then I Wrote''. At the time, Nelson was approached by
Chet Atkins Chester Burton Atkins (June 20, 1924 – June 30, 2001), also known as "Mister Guitar" and "the Country Gentleman", was an American musician who, along with Owen Bradley and Bob Ferguson (musician), Bob Ferguson, helped create the Nash ...
of
RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Group Corporation. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside Columbia Records (its former longtime rival), Arista Records and Epic R ...
, who talked to him about the possibility of being signed by the label. Ultimately, Nelson decided instead to join
Monument Records Monument Records is an American record label co-founded in 1958 by Fred Foster. Originally founded in Washington, D.C., the label moved to Nashville in 1960, and experienced success over the next two decades with a number of artists including ...
. The first session with the label, on July 6 produced by
Fred Foster Fred Luther Foster (July 26, 1931 – February 20, 2019) was an American record producer, songwriter, and music business executive who founded Monument Records and Combine Music. As a record producer he was most closely associated with Roy Orbi ...
resulted in a failure. Foster's initial idea for the three-song session included French horns, trumpets and xylophones. For the following session in the third week of July that produced "I Never Cared For You", Foster stripped the band down to a guitar, bass, drums and a saxophone. The musicians included
classical guitar The classical guitar, also known as Spanish guitar, is a member of the guitar family used in classical music and other styles. An acoustic wooden string (music), string instrument with strings made of catgut, gut or nylon, it is a precursor of the ...
player David Parker, bassist
Bob Moore Bob Moore may refer to: * Bob Moore (musician) (1932–2021), American session musician * Bob Moore (executive) (1929–2024), co-founder of Bob's Red Mill * Bob Moore (American football) (born 1949), American football tight end * Bob Moore (Au ...
, drummer Jack Greubel, and saxophonist
Boots Randolph Homer Louis "Boots" Randolph III (June 3, 1927 – July 3, 2007) was an American musician. His 1963 saxophone hit " Yakety Sax" became the signature tune of ''The Benny Hill Show''. Randolph was a prolific session musician and member of the Nas ...
. During the recording, Moore complained that Nelson broke
meter The metre (or meter in US spelling; symbol: m) is the base unit of length in the International System of Units (SI). Since 2019, the metre has been defined as the length of the path travelled by light in vacuum during a time interval of of ...
constantly, and that he was impossible to follow. Foster, meanwhile instructed him to stop playing, and told him that he would later overdub the bass.


Release and reception

Backed with "You Left Me (A long Time Ago)" on the B-side, "I Never Cared For You" was released in October 1964. It became the only single that Nelson released on Monument Records. The complex nature of the lyrics at the time did not favor its reception on the Country and Western market. The single flopped on the national market, while it became a local hit in
Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...
, enjoying major success in
Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...
. Nelson soon after resumed talks with Chet Atkins, and left Monument to join RCA Records. The song became a recurrent track in Nelson's albums. He released new versions of the song with his albums '' Me & Paul'', ''
A Horse Called Music ''A Horse Called Music'' is a studio album by the country singer Willie Nelson, released in 1989. The album includes Nelson's last number 1 single, "Nothing I Can Do About It Now". "There You Are" peaked at No. 8 on the ''Billboard'' country char ...
'', '' Teatro'' and '' December Day''.


Footnotes


References

* * * * * {{authority control 1964 singles Willie Nelson songs Monument Records singles Songs written by Willie Nelson Song recordings produced by Fred Foster 1964 songs