“Eleven Roses”
Hank Williams Jr.
Written by Darrell McCall and Lamar Morris
Billboard
#1 (2 weeks)
July 1 – July 8, 1972
Hank Williams Jr. becomes such a full fledged personality with time that it’s remarkable to listen to him emulating someone else on record.
Usually that’s been his dad, but he goes full Possum on this one. Note by note, string by string, this is pure “Good Year For the Roses” Jones, with Jr. doing a commendable job of mimicking those rich and expressive melodies that Jones did so well on Musicor. The strings swell in all the right places, giving a real sense of scale to a rather simple declaration of love.
That’s really what you notice when you look closer. This is a little love song dressed up as one of George’s melancholy domestic dramas. It’s good for what it is, but Jr. delivering this in his future signature style would pack a stronger punch. He still sounds like he’s playing dress up here.
“Eleven Roses” gets a B.
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Bonus Beats:
Here’s the version of “Eleven Roses” that Trace Adkins recorded for a 2003 Hank Jr. tribute album:
https://youtu.be/fUdVBA-x7Sk
I agree that Junior is still seeking his muse, but this actually was a pretty good recording – in the B+/A- range. Yes, there are overtones of George Jones here but Darrell McCall was primarily writing for himself, hoping to get a hit out of it. While superstardom never really happened for Darrell, it really should have happened. Here’s Darrell’s version
This sounds nothing like the Hank Jr. the world will know but yet I love it. I am actually not a bit fan of the more popular Hank Jr. This makes me just want to listen to old country music all day. “A-“.
I echo Paul and contest Darrell McCall’s version is very good. Still one of my favorite Hank Jr. recordings, even if it is very different than his signature style.
I hear so much Johnny Paycheck in this performance, but whether the influence be Paycheck or Jones, it does sound like he is role-playing both vocally and production-wise. That being said,every time I hear this played on Willie’Roadhouse it stands out. There is just something about this song.