“I’ve always been crazy, but it’s kept me from going insane.”
Ain’t that the damn truth.
On this date in 1978, the one and only Waylon Jennings was topping the country charts with his classic I’ve Always Been Crazy album.
The record was released as Waylon was getting burned out on the country outlaw movement that had spanned for much of the 1970’s, which was a time when he saw much commercial and critical success in his music career.
A career that included three #1 studio albums, a #1 live album, a #1 duet album with his friend Willie Nelson, and ten Top 10 solo singles, including five chart-topping hits in that decade alone.
The only thing is, Waylon had built his career on going against the grain and the Nashville establishment, and that was slowly taking over and trying to commercialize the unique and incredible sound he’d pioneered by doing things exactly the way he wanted to.
And Waylon being Waylon, that was the exact opposite of what he was going for, and this album became a way for him to contrast that with songs that spoke to who he was and what he wanted to be. Though, during this time, his cocaine addiction was at an all-time high as well, and he was busted by federal drug enforcement officers at American Sound Studios in 1977.
That led to him penning an all-time classic in “Don’t You Think This Outlaw Bit’s Done Got Out of Hand,” which is based on an entirely true story and you can read more about HERE, and ultimately included on this exact tracklist.
Three singles from the album got within the top ten on the country charts, with the title track peaking at #1, and “Don’t You Think This Outlaw Bit’s Done Got Out of Hand” and “Girl I Can Tell (You’re Trying to Work It Out)” peaking at #5.
It’s one of those rare and perfect no-skip albums that helped make Waylon the icon that he is.
Do yourself a favor and give these a spin today…
“I’ve Always Been Crazy”
“Don’t You Think This Outlaw Bit’s Done Got Out of Hand”
“Girl I Can Tell (You’re Trying to Work It Out)”
