Conway Twitty’s second album of that year, I Wonder What She’ll Think About Me Leaving was released in 1971. It followed How Much More Can She Stand. The liner notes are by Merle Haggard. Haggard had written the title track for Twitty. The album was produced by the great Owen Bradley.
I Wonder What She’ll Think About Me Leaving is a strong song to open with, the like of which any country music fan would expect from the pen of Merle Haggard. Track two is a cover of a big song for Faron Young, Wine Me Up. This takes the tempo up into a fun place. Twitty brings emotion and energy to a song which had plenty of trademark bounce in its first rendition by the great Young.
Three sentimental songs follow which allow Conway to display his touching vocal style amply: I’d Rather Love You, My Heart Won’t Listen to My Mind and an unexpected Patsy Cline cover, I Fall To Pieces. The latter isn’t as strong as I thought it would be when reading the track listing for this album. But it is such a good song that Conway’s delivery can only add to it. I feel the arrangement is either too light or too heavy. With a heavier backing track, Conway’s vocal could have been more powerful which might have been more satisfying. The vocal as it is needed a more stripped-down backing track, allowing Conway’s voice to carry the weight of that mighty song.
Finishing side one, the first Twitty-penned number Heartache Walked Right In reminds us how much of his sound came from his own compositions. His songwriting voice is stronger than might be assumed from his distinctive costume and the gimmicks that rose up around him, like Twitty City and his distinctive and lasting hairstyles.
Side two opens with the delightfully nonsensical and uplifting Hoyt Axton-Three Dog Night hit Joy to the World. Who’ll Turn Out The Lights showcases Twitty’s talent for heartbreak once again. The rest of the side has much the same flavour, with A Letter and A Ring, written by Twitty and Joe Lewis, One More Time and closing with My Love For You is Stronger (Than the Weakness In Me).
For me, the highlights here are the title track, Heartache Just Walked In and Twitty’s covers of two popular contemporary songs, Wine Me Up and Joy to the World. They help to balance out the sombre tone of the other eight tracks.
Track Listing
- I Wonder What She’ll Think About Me Leaving
- Wine Me Up
- I’d Rather Love You
- My Heart Won’t Listen To My Mind
- I Fall To Pieces
- Heartache Just Walked In
- Joy To The World
- Who’ll Turn Out The Lights (In Your World Tonight)
- A Letter And A Ring
- One More Time
- My Love For You Is Stronger (Than The Weakness In Me)
In Conclusion
I Wonder What She’ll Think About Me Leaving is pretty typical of Conway Twitty’s output in the early 1970s. He was establishing a strong and identifiable sound, which this album delivers well. It doesn’t contain any of his most enduring numbers. But it showcases his songwriting and his ability to interpret others’ work and make it his own.
Merle Haggard’s complimentary liner notes are a lovely indication of the quality that can be expected from the 11 tracks here. Although I Wonder… is not likely to be at the top of my favourite albums by Conway Twitty, it contains some great numbers. I would recommend it to any country music fan.
