"Time Changes Everything" is a

Western swing Western swing music is a subgenre of American country music that originated in the late 1920s in the West and South among the region's Western string bands. It is dance music, often with an up-tempo beat, which attracted huge crowds to dance ...

standard with words and music written by

Tommy Duncan Thomas Elmer Duncan (January 11, 1911 – July 25, 1967), was an American Western swing vocalist and songwriter who gained fame in the 1930s as a founding member of The Texas Playboys. He recorded and toured with bandleader Bob Wills on and o ...

, the long-time vocalist with

Bob Wills James Robert Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American Western swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although ...

and

the Texas Playboys James Robert Wills (March 6, 1905 – May 13, 1975) was an American Western swing musician, songwriter, and bandleader. Considered by music authorities as the founder of Western swing, he was known widely as the King of Western Swing (although ...

. Written as a ballad, the lyrics tell of a failed romance and of the hurt that has healed. Each verse ends with: :Time changes everything.

Recording and legacy

The Texas Playboys recorded "Time Changes Everything" during an April 15, 1940, recording session in Saginaw, Texas. It was first released on the OKeh label, and has been reissued many times. (05753). It became one of the top singles that year. Artists ranging from

Roy Rogers Roy Rogers (born Leonard Franklin Slye; November 5, 1911 – July 6, 1998) was an American singer, actor, and television host. Following early work under his given name, first as co-founder of the Sons of the Pioneers and then acting, the rebra ...

(Decca 5908, 1940, with

Spade Cooley Donnell Clyde "Spade" Cooley (December 17, 1910 – November 23, 1969) was an American convicted murderer and former Western swing musician, big band leader, actor, and television personality. In 1961 he was arrested and convicted for the ...

on fiddle) to

Woody Herman and His Orchestra Woodrow Charles Herman (May 16, 1913 – October 29, 1987) was an American jazz clarinetist, saxophonist, singer, and big band leader. Leading groups called "The Herd", Herman came to prominence in the late 1930s and was active until his dea ...

(Decca 3751, 1941) soon brought out competing records. The Roy Rogers version reached number four on Billboard's "Hillbilly...Hits" chart in October, 1941 The Playboys recorded another version on July 1, 1960, in Hollywood, California. This version was also released on many labels. In 1968 yet another version was recorded in Nashville with J. Preston doing the vocal.''San Antonio Rose: The Life And Music Of Bob Wills''. Charles R. Townsend. 1976. University of Illinois. p. 367. . It has been recorded numerous times since, including on tribute albums by

George Jones George Glenn Jones (September 12, 1931 – April 26, 2013) was an American country musician, singer, and songwriter. He achieved international fame for his long list of hit records, including his best-known song " He Stopped Loving Her Today", ...

(''

George Jones Sings Bob Wills ''George Jones Sings Bob Wills'' is an album by American country music artist George Jones. It was released in 1962 on the United Artists Records. Background ''George Jones Sings Bob Wills'' was Jones first album with United Artists after leaving ...

''), Ray Price (''Ray Price Sings San Antonio Rose''), and

Merle Haggard Merle Ronald Haggard (April 6, 1937 – April 6, 2016) was an American country music singer, songwriter, guitarist, and fiddler. Haggard was born in Oildale, California, toward the end of the Great Depression. His childhood was troubled ...

('' A Tribute to the Best Damn Fiddle Player in the World (or, My Salute to Bob Wills)'').

References

Bibliography

*Kriebel, Robert C. ''Blue Flame: Woody Herman's Life in Music''. Purdue University Press, 1995. *White, Raymond E. ''King of the Cowboys, Queen of the West: Roy Rogers and Dale Evans''. Popular Press, 2006. Western swing songs Songs written by Tommy Duncan 1940 songs Bob Wills songs {{1940s-song-stub