Willie Nelson tells stories behind his songs in the book Energy Follows Thought

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At my friendly local public library I found and enjoyed reading a 2023 book by Willie Nelson (with David Ritz and Mickey Raphael) titled Energy Follows Thought: The stories behind my songs. It is big: 9.25” wide by 11.25” high by 1.25” thick, has almost 400 pages and weighs 3.83 pounds. On the back cover it says:

 

“I see these lyrics as little postcards from a long life. I see them as expressions of sadness or joy, fear or frustration, heartache and hope that are all part of our daily struggle to stay sane.”

 

Willie was born way back on April 29, 1933, so he is almost 91. He wrote Night Life, recorded it in 1960 and reissued in 1963. You can listen to it here on YouTube. The lyrics are:

 

“When the evening sun goes down

You will find me hanging round

The night life ain’t no good life

But it’s my life

 

Many people just like me

Dreaming of old used-to-be’s

And the night life ain’t no good life

But it’s my life

 

Listen to the blues they’re playing

Listen to what the blues are saying

 

Mine is just another scene

From the world of broken dreams

And the night life ain’t no good life

But it’s my life”

 

In the book Willie says:

 

“When I first met Ray Charles, who became one of my best friends, he said, ‘Willie, I gotta be honest. When I first heard ‘Night Life,’ I was sure it was written by a Black man.’ ‘Thank you,’ was my quick reply. It was one of the nicest compliments I’ve ever received.” 

 

He also wrote the song Crazy, which was recorded by Patsy Cline and released in October 1961. It was a hit and reached #2 on the Billboard charts both for Hot Country and Adult Contemporary. Willie claims he saw Patsy’s husband, Charlie Dick, past midnight at a Nashville bar called the Orchid Lounge (next to the Ryman Auditorium which was home for the Grand Old Opry radio show). He played it for Charlie, who insisted they take it immediately to Patsy and make her listen to it, at about 1:00 AM. On YouTube you can hear both Patsy’s 2:45 hit version and Willie’s slower 4:01 version.     

 

The title song of the book begins with these verses:

 

“Imagine what you want

Then get out of the way

Remember energy follows thought

So be careful what you say

 

Be careful what you ask for

Make sure it’s really what you want

Because your mind is made for thinking

And energy follows thought”

 

My cartoon was modified from two at Openclipart: one of a scheming boy and one of thunder and lightning.