Monday, July 19, 2010

Is It Raining At Your House: Remembering Hank Cochran


Saturday night, as darkness came on, I heard what I thought was thunder off  in the distance, only to look out and discover that fireworks were bursting just over the treetops to the east. I walked outside to get a better look. From the back yard, I could see the colors light up the night sky out beyond my garden. Not the best seat in the house, but not bad.

My guess is, they were the Hay Lake Fireworks, a summertime gift from the residents of that lake. You can get there by boat, of course, or just park your car in the grass on the roadside near the lake and throw a blanket on the ground. Or, watch through the trees from the back porch of your house. A light rain was falling, as I watched from under the eaves, the fireworks glinting off the tin roof of the old chicken coop.



And as I watched, I thought about Hank Cochran, who passed on last Thursday. He was one of the finest songwriters in country music. You probably know some of them, maybe even grew up listening to them, as I did: "I Fall to Pieces" and "She's Got You," by Patsy Cline. "Make the World Go Away," by Ray Price, and many more he either wrote or co-wrote, including some for George Strait and Vern Gosdin, whose voice still makes me want to weep every time I hear it. Soulful, is the only way to describe it.

Behind every great singer, there's an equally great songwriter helping to make it all happen. Here's Vern, singing my favorite Hank Cochran song (Hank shared songwriting credit with Vern and Dean Dillon on this one): "Is It Raining At Your House?"










6 comments:

  1. Didn't know he wrote one of Patsy's songs. Love her! And I love "I Fall To Pieces".

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  2. Gail: He co-wrote it with Harlan Howard, another great songwriter, but Hank is credited with much of it, particularly the title line, "You walk by...and I fall to pieces." He was never afraid to put it all out there. He truly wore his heart on his sleeve.

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  3. Well, that Vern Gosdin version of, Is It Raining At Your House, had my husband and I both tearing up. How did Vern get by me all these years? Hank Cochran's talent and heart will truly be missed. Thanks for posting the link. It also gave me a chance to watch the long trailer for the bio coming out this fall on his life. : ( Another bright light has fallen from the night sky. Glad to know you saw a few others sailing up there from the porch. Hugs, Chris

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  4. Oh, Chris, thank you so much for your response. It's nice to share these thoughts with others who feel the same...

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  5. Hank Cochran. Didn't know he was the composer of so many fine tunes. Hay Lake fireworks. I do like the local color.

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  6. Jack: "Local color," found everywhere, makes the world go round, doesn't it?

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