To me, Faded love is the prototypical Bob Wills fiddle tune. It was one of the first Bob Wills style fiddle tunes I learned, and I still love playing it. Hearing those first three chops DA, F#A, and AA puts me into that song immediately.
Do me a favor, and tell me your favorite Bob Wills tune at the bottom of this post. 🙂
Faded Love From Wikipedia
“Faded Love” is a Western swing song written by Bob Wills, his father John Wills,[1] and his brother, Billy Jack Wills. The tune is considered to be an exemplar of the Western swing fiddle component of American fiddle. The melody came from an old fiddle tune Bob learned from his father, John Wills.[2][3] “Faded Love” is a sentimental song about lost love. The name comes from the refrain that follows each verse:
- I remember our faded love.
Leon McAuliffe had two Top 40 hits with “Faded Love”, both reaching #22 (Cimarron 4057, 1962, and MGM 14249, 1971). The former was an instrumental version, and the latter rendition was a collaboration with Tompall & the Glaser Brothers.[5] Also in 1962, it was a modest hit for Jackie DeShannon, reaching #97 on the Billboard Pop chart.
The song had even greater success when Patsy Cline covered the song in 1963. Her version became a hit, reaching #7 on the U.S. Country charts and it reached #96 on the Pop charts. Due to the plane crash that ended Cline’s life, it was never released on an album. Instead, it was released on Patsy Cline’s Greatest Hits, a compilation album in 1967. Cline’s version was originally intended to be the title cut yielded from what turned out to be the last recording sessions before her death.
Faded Love Lyrics
As I read the letters that you wrote to me
Well it’s you, it’s you that I?m thinking of
As I read the lines that to me were so sweet
I remember our faded love
I miss you darlin’ more and more everyday
As heaven would miss the stars above
With every heartbeat, I still think of you
And remember our faded love
As I think of the past, all the pleasures that we had
As I watch the mating of the doves
It was in the springtime that you said goodbye
I remember our faded love
I miss you darlin’ more and more everyday
As heaven would miss the stars above
With every heartbeat, I still think of you
And remember our faded love
The instrumental "Silver Lake Blues" has always been one of my favorites. I do a rendition of Faded Love in D, walk it up to A and play Maidens Prayer.
Hey Junior, I do that same arrangement, it works great, Faded Love in D, then walk-up to E and play Maiden's Prayer in A.
I love “Great big Taters in the sandyland”
I like "Silver Lake Blues".
I like "Silver Lake Blues".
Maiden's Prayer
Faded Love is also my favorite.
Yes, — Love the song.–
I think Faded Love was developed from the older "Lilly Dale". Wills played both.
I grew up in south Texas listing to this music, and my favorite is still Faded Love! Thanks.
There’s Big Rock in the Road. I loved that song and the image of life that it portrayed. I haven’t heard it in years. I still have the old 78 my parents played when I was a kid.
Cool Story, Sharon. Thanks for Sharing. 🙂
You already covered it, San Antonio Rose!
That’s another good Bob Wills tune. I covered a number of Bob Wills Tunes in Fiddle Tune a Day. 🙂
There are so many, I'd have to lean towards "Maidens Prayer". "Faded Love", "Panhandle Rag" and "Cherokee Maiden" rank right up there. I think that one of the most soulful songs that he ever did was "No Disappointment in Heaven". I am the proud owner of a 78 rpm copy of "Faded Love" and that version will forever be ingrained in my mind and how it is supposed to sound.
Faded Love is my favorite, but San Antonio Rose and La Golandrina (spelling?) are close seconds.I enjoy all of Bob Wills.
I have a lot of Bob Wills tunes I enjoy. I think Miss Molly is probably my favorite tune, but I also like Faded Love and many of the others. It’s really interesting to find out what the origins of these tunes is before Bob Wills. 🙂
Cherokee Maiden is a great one. You just reminded me of There'll be no Sagebrush in Heaven – a great tune by the Sons of the Pioneers. I really love so many of those old Cowboy and Western Swing Tunes.
Maiden's Prayer
Hi Burley, Maiden's Prayer is posted here:
https://www.vithefiddler.com/maidens-prayer-fiddle-tune-a-day-day-37/
It's one of my favorites too.
Hi Burley, Maiden's Prayer is posted here:
https://www.vithefiddler.com/maidens-prayer-fiddle-tune-a-day-day-37/
It's one of my favorites too.
I like Time Changes Everything and Misery
I like Time Changes Everything and Misery
Della Pitchard Time Changes Everything is a pretty one for sure. 🙂
Splendid song and excellent musical performance !
Splendid tune and excellent musical performance !
Maiden’s Prayer, San Antonio Rose learned from Randy Elmore.
Itzhak Perlman went to the Cow Palace in preparation for his performance that night. The guard told him he had to go in through the side entrance. With indignation he told the guard he was Itzach Perlman and he would go in the front door. The guard said, “I don’t care if you are Bob Wills, you will use the side door!”
Wow. That is an interesting piece of music lore. Thanks for sharing.
Vi
great version…Blue bonnet lane is a pretty tune
Thanks, Raymond! 😀