Ever had a moment where the "extra" thing you did ended up being the thing everyone remembers? That’s basically the story of Buck Owens Together Again. Back in 1964, it wasn't even supposed to be the star of the show. Capitol Records tucked it away on the B-side of a catchy, uptempo track called "My Heart Skips a Beat." They thought the peppy stuff was the money maker. They were wrong.
What happened next is one of those weird glitches in music history that makes record executives pull their hair out. The A-side hit number one, as expected. Then, people flipped the vinyl over. They heard that mournful, crying steel guitar. They heard Buck’s voice, which sounded like it was being squeezed out of a heavy heart. Suddenly, "Together Again" started climbing too. It didn’t just climb; it actually knocked Buck's own A-side off the top spot. It was a self-inflicted coup on the Billboard charts.
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The Crying Steel That Changed Everything
You can’t talk about this song without talking about Tom Brumley. Honestly, the pedal steel solo in this track is the gold standard. If you've ever wondered why people say a guitar can "cry," this is the evidence.
Funny enough, the gear was a mess. Brumley was playing a Fender 1000 that was basically falling apart. He was also dealing with a specific tuning Buck insisted on, which meant he was running out of room on the guitar neck while trying to hit those soaring notes. But those limitations—the struggle against the instrument—gave the solo a desperate, fragile quality. It’s so iconic that Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead reportedly heard it and decided right then and there he had to learn the pedal steel.
The song itself is actually happy. Read the lyrics: "My tears have stopped falling / The long lonely nights are now at an end." It’s a reunion song. But the melody is so hauntingly slow that everyone assumes it’s a tragedy. Buck himself used to joke that people totally misunderstood the vibe because of how sad he made the music sound.
The Bakersfield Defiance
Buck Owens wasn't some Nashville puppet. He hated the "Countrypolitan" sound that was popular in the 60s—all those syrupy violins and polite background singers. He wanted grit. He wanted it loud.
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Buck Owens Together Again is a prime example of the Bakersfield Sound. It’s raw. You hear the floorboard creaks and the literal "twang" of the Telecasters. Along with Don Rich, his right-hand man and musical soulmate, Buck built a sound that was more rock-and-roll than most country artists dared to touch. They were outsiders. They were the "Okies" who had made it in California, and they weren't about to let Tennessee tell them how to tune a guitar.
A Song With Infinite Lives
The song didn't stop with Buck. It’s one of those rare tracks that transcends genres because the bones of the songwriting are so sturdy.
- Ray Charles took it to the Top 20 on the Pop charts in 1966. He turned it into a soulful, orchestral masterpiece that proved the song could work outside of a honky-tonk.
- Emmylou Harris basically reclaimed it for a new generation in 1976. Her version is arguably as famous as the original, bringing a crystalline, angelic quality to the heartbreak.
- Dwight Yoakam later carried the torch, keeping that Bakersfield fire alive and often citing this specific era of Buck’s career as his primary blueprint.
Why It Still Works
In a world of overproduced digital tracks, there's something about the "sparse" arrangement of the 1964 recording that just cuts through the noise. There are no vocal harmonies on the original studio version of "Together Again." It’s just Buck. It feels lonely, even when he's singing about being back with his lover.
Most people don't realize that the album titled Together Again/My Heart Skips a Beat was one of the first country records to really focus on the "album" experience rather than just a collection of random singles. It was a statement. It was Buck saying, "This is who we are."
How to Really Listen to the Track
If you want to appreciate the genius here, don't just put it on as background music. Do this:
- Focus on the 1:00 mark. That’s when Brumley’s steel kicks in. Listen for the "slur" of the notes—how they don't just jump from A to B, but slide and ache.
- Listen for the space. Notice how little is actually happening. There's a lot of silence between the notes. That's intentional.
- Compare it to "My Heart Skips a Beat." Listen to the A-side first, then the B-side. It’s a masterclass in emotional whiplash.
To truly understand the legacy of Buck Owens and the Bakersfield movement, you have to look past the rhinestones and the "Hee Haw" grin. You have to look at the guy who wrote a song so powerful it beat himself at his own game. Buck Owens Together Again isn't just a country classic; it’s a blueprint for how to be vulnerable without being weak.
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Next Steps for Your Playlist
Go beyond the hits. If "Together Again" hits you in the gut, your next move is to check out the live recordings from Carnegie Hall (1966). You’ll hear the Buckaroos at their absolute peak—faster, louder, and more "together" than any band had a right to be. Also, look for the Susan Raye duets from the early 70s if you want to see how Buck evolved that "together" theme later in his career.