Every No. 1 Single of the Seventies: Hank Williams Jr., “Eleven Roses”

“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.

Every No. 1 Single of the Seventies

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