“I’m Just Me”
Charley Pride
Written by Glenn Martin
Billboard
#1 (4 weeks)
July 31 – August 21, 1971
This song is so personally connected to Charley Pride’s lived experience that it serves as the title of an excellent documentary on his career.
It may be surprising to many that he didn’t write it, because he brings so much emotion to this performance that it feels revelatory, like we’re getting a window into how he maintains his identity and his confidence against the headwinds of racism, none of which he could publicly comment on at the time.
I wonder what it felt like for him to sing this song, as he had access to most of the best things about being a country music superstar but was never allowed to forget he was the other. I think about what it was like to have someone like Willie Nelson call him the n-word and try to spin it as a compliment, or to have someone like George Jones perform a horrifying prank on tour that faked a hate crime for giggles. I even think about how he couldn’t move to Nashville because he knew he couldn’t keep his children safe.
Maybe that’s why his producer finally got everyone out of his way and built this record around what was his best vocal performance yet at the time. The background singers are still there, but they’re pushed back in the mix so Pride’s vocal stays front and center. He pours his heart out, his voice palpable with emotion as he embraces his own identity in a world that won’t let him forget it.
“I’m Just Me” gets an A.
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This feature has convinced me I’m overdue to buy the most expansive Charley Pride hits compilation that I can get my hands on. I’ve heard this song once or twice over the years, but not nearly as much as its quality and the magnitude of its chart success warrants. Other Charley Pride songs from this era have never once been broadcast over my radio dial. I’d heard about the Willie Nelson comment but hadn’t heard about the George Jones “hate crime prank”. That undoubtedly only scratches the surface of what Pride endured as a consequence of his pioneer spirit. His recurrent radio legacy deserves to be at least as comprehensive as that of T.G. Sheppard, but at least on the classic country stations I frequent, it isn’t.
The next album that I add to my collection will be a Charley Pride compilation album, so I guess I’ll be doing whatever small part I can to get his legacy up to where it deserves to be.
This is a wonderful song. I’ve always been a fan of his voice, but I’ve only known his popular hits. It’s sad how many hits he’s had that I don’t know. This featureis helping me rectify that oversight on my part. It’s heartbreaking and disappointing how much racism he endured, even from Willie Nelson, somebody who is known for being one of the more progressive artists in the business.
How have I never heard of this song before? Even in a market with well above average exposure to the classics, Charley Pride always got pushed aside.
This is probably the best I’ve ever heard from him. It’s an evergreen message made all the more powerful by who’s singing it. I was reminded of Brothers Osborne’s “I’m Not for Everyone” and Chapel Hart’s “I Will Follow”, the one-two punch from 2021 of self-worth anthems from 2021 that just knocked me dead the first time I heard either.
I had totally forgot this great little song. Definitely an “A”
Charley had so many great songs that some of them were fated to be pushed aside. This is one of them – this is not one of the songs that readily comes to my mind when Charley Pride is mentioned. It is a great song, but it would rank about twentieth (or lower) on my list of favorite Charley Pride songs. This song is a B+/A- IMHO
By the way, I am not sure Charley really thought Dallas was that much better a place to protect his kids.
https://www.texasmonthly.com/arts-entertainment/incendiary-history-civil-rights-dallas/
Bonus Beats:
Charley Pride’s protégé Neal McCoy recorded a version of “I’m Just Me” as a duet with Raul Malo of the Mavericks for his 2013 Pride tribute album. Here’s that version:
https://youtu.be/5kHec_fPX6c
Charley has so many songs in his catalogue that feel so authentic to his story, it’s surprising that quite a few of them he didn’t write. I am so glad to have done a deep dive into his muisc; what a special talent he was and it thrills me to hear people discover his forgotten hits.
This has been one of my favorites from Charley ever since I heard it on one of the 8-track tapes that my step dad and I dug out of one of our closets in early 1995. It also included “Is Anybody Going To San Antone” and “Kiss An Angel Good Morning,” plus other 70s songs from other country artists.
It’s such a fun, joyful record, and from those first few times I heard it on the 8-track, I always loved that intro featuring the twangy lead guitar. And even into the late 90s and the 2000s, I’d occasionally have that guitar intro going through my head. I also love the fiddle and steel, along with Charley’s enthusiastic performance. I absolutely love the sentiment of the song, as well.
Yet another winner from Mr. Pride on this feature!
I am so happy to read Charley Pride’s lesser hits are being brought to the forefront again and receiving the attention they so rightly deserve.
Reading the comments following Charley Pride’s hits in both the ’80s and ’70s features has made me realize how blind I was to how poorly his wider singles discography has been represented beyond his signature songs. I was such a huge fan of his at a young age that I had numerous greatest hits compilations including Volumes I and II of RCA’s “The Best of Charley Pride” collections. I brutalized the cassette copy I had of his 1981 “Greatest Hits.”. I also had a cassette copy of The “Time Life Music Legendary Country Singers: The Country Music Hall of Fame Presents Charley Pride.” It included a wonderful essay by John Morthland. That short series was pure gold.
I was able to later build up my vinyl collection of his earliest albums by shopping at used record stores.
I share all of this because Pride is a cornerstone of my country music coming of age experience, my constant companion. I never grew tired of listening to his music.
In an older post, I shared writing a research project about him in the seventh grade. My teacher insisted we write about a living person so he could send the finished projects to them. I still have the letter I received back from Charley Pride, or at least his office.
I always regret never seeing him live in concert.
This song is excellent. Pride was consistently excellent even when he pivoted to a more pop production in the ’80s.