This is my entry for Kevin’s No Theme Thursday for July 3, 2025.
Between June 1973 and May 1975, Willie Nelson released three albums that define his career. Shotgun Willie (1973) heralded the beginning of the Outlaw Country movement, Phases and Stages (1974) is one of the first Country concept albums, and Red Headed Stranger (1975) is one of the greatest albums ever recorded in any genre and is included in the National Recording Registry. I’ve selected three songs from these albums that feature alcohol in the aftermath of losing one’s lover. This is a common theme in Country music, but Nelson presents three very different takes on the concept, each one a step forward from the Country music that came before.
“Whiskey River” is on the album Shotgun Willie and is one of Nelson’s most popular tunes. It presents the common Country music theme of losing your woman and turning to booze, but presents a more modern take on country music than found in the Nashville country sound that was prevalent throughout the 1960s and early 70s.
“Bloody Mary Morning” is from the album Phases and Stages, a concept album about divorce. It focuses on the morning after his wife leaves him and he drinks bloody marys on an early morning flight after leaving town.
“Red Headed Stranger” is the title track from Nelson’s 1975 masterpiece. It presents a defining description of the main character after he has lost his love. After he arrives at a tavern feeling totally distraught, he buys a young woman a drink, and then leaves in sorrow. The woman attempts to take his horse and he shoots her down outside the tavern.
The Radio Faux Show 