'I Don't Know a Thing About Love': Willie's spirited tribute to Harlan Howard:

Mar. 10—A drawing of Willie Nelson adorns the cover of his new album, "I Don't Know a Thing About Love."

In a drawing by his son, Micah Nelson, Willie is depicted as the Man in the Moon — if the Man in the Moon smiled and wore a cowboy hat and bandanna.

The reason for Micah's artistic choice is evident on hearing the album's title track. As he sings, Willie is asking the Man in the Moon questions dealing with romantic love.

"You must see all things with your light," Willie sings — but the Man in the Moon confesses love is a subject of which he knows nothing.

"I can move oceans when I take the notion," the Man in the Moon continues, but adds "I don't know a thing about love."

Those already familiar with Conway Twitty's version of the song already knew that, of course.

Twitty, accompanied on vocals by his daughter, Joni Lee Twitty, took the song all the way to #1 on the country music charts after he released it in July, 1984, titled as "I Don't Know a Thing About Love (The Moon Song)."

Another country music singer, Cody Johnson, released a version of the song as recently as 2021.

Of course when Willie covers another writer's song, he make it his own more often than not, and he does so again with "I Don't Know a thing About Love."

Its clever lyrics are a fitting representation of the song's writer, Harlan Howard, writer of numerous hits songs in fields including country music, rhythm and blues and some crossover pop songs on the Billboard Hot 100.

Willie's new album is a spirited tribute to the revered songwriter. Its complete title is "I Don't Know a Thing About Love: The Songs of Harlan Howard."

Willie's already released an estimated 73 studio albums — with the total growing to around 150 when live albums, compilations and collaborations are included.

He's been on a remarkable run in recent years, delivering a number of outstanding studio albums with collaborator and producer Buddy Cannon, in addition to his recent November 2022 live release of a 1984 concert in Japan, "Willie Nelson: Live at Budokan."

Now, "I Don't Know a Thing About Love" can be added to the ever-growing list.

Willie delivers the title track at a jaunty, yet relaxed pace, backed again by an all-star roster of session musicians. Willie sings the song with a slightly humorous sheen to his voce as he recounts his conversation with the Main in the Moon.

He opens the song with one of Howard's most well-known songs, a cowrite with Buck Owens of "Got a Tiger By the Tail." Buck Owens and the Buckaroos took the song, released as "I've Got a Tiger By the Tail," to #1 on the country music charts and to #25 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1965, making it their biggest hit.

Willie eschews the slow opening Owens used, where Owens drew out the song's intro, sans the band, with the lines "I've... got... a ... tiger by the tail it's plain to see." Instead, Willie jumps right into the song. Cannon has been quoted as saying they wanted to reproduce the sound of a 1960s honky-tonk band on the album, and on "Tiger By the Tail" demonstrates them reaching that goal.

Things get interesting on the second track, "The Chokin' Kind," which demonstrates how a song can transcend genres. Willie's buddy and sometimes recording partner Waylon Jennings recorded the original version in 1967, taking it to #8 on the country music charts.

Rhythm and blues singer Joe Simon knew a great song when he heard it and recorded his own version of "The Chokin' Kind" two years later. Simon's version rocketed to #1 on the R&B charts, where it stayed for three weeks. It also hit #13 on the pop charts, earning Simon a Grammy in 1970 for Best rhythm and Blues Male Vocal Performance.

Willie's cut on his new album delivers a third memorable version of "The Chokin' Kind."

He also delivers a serviceable version of another Harlan Howard/Buck Owens collaboration, "Excuse Me (I Think I've Got a Heartache)" on the album's third track.

Willie covers "Life turned Her That Way" on his new album, a song previously recorded by Mel Tillis and Ricky Van Shelton, which Shelton took all the way to #1 in 1987.

What follows is my favorite part of the album. Willie delivers a rollicking rendition of "Busted," Howard's song about a man who's flat broke and looking for some help for his family.

It's been a hit for both Johnny Cash and Ray Charles, with Willie's version based on Charles' arrangement. Here Mike Johnson's steel guitar and Mickey Raphael's harmonica join forces to emulate the horn arrangement on the Ray Charles version. It also features a bluesy fadeout on organ from keyboard player Jim "Moose" Brown.

Willie's take on "She Called Me Baby" is faster than most I've heard, almost a Western swing version.

One of my favorite cuts on the album is Willie's version of "Too Many Rivers," originally a hit for Brenda Lee."

The album closes with "Beautiful Annabel Lee." Yep, it's based on the Edgar Allan Poe poem of the same title. Pretty cool of Howard to have a Poe co-writing collaboration.

It's already shaping up to be a big year for Willie.

Willie won a couple of 2023 Grammy Awards in February, including Best Country Album for "It's a Beautiful Life" and "Best Country Solo Performance for "I'm Going to Live Forever" on a Billy Joe Shaver tribute Album.

He followed that with the release of "I Don't Know a Thing About Love" on March 3 — which ironically is the date that Howard passed from this earth in 2001.

In April, he will celebrate his 90th birthday with a two-night all-star celebration at the Hollywood Bowl. So many guest artists have already signed on, it's going to take two nights to include them all.

That's OK, because Willie celebrates his birthday on two different days anyway. He said he was born so close to midnight, that his birth date on his birth registration was listed the following morning.

Of course, if the first birthday celebration continued past midnight, then it technically could be considered part of the second one — but I think Willie's the kind of guy who would think why just have one birthday celebration when he could have two?

Then in May, Willie — who's already been nominated — will find out if he's been selected for inclusion in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I'll be surprised if he doesn't go in on the first ballot, since there's been no one who did more to bring rock and country music fans together than Willie, along with his buddies in The Highwaymen: Johnny Cash, Kris Kristofferson and Waylon Jennings.

All of the aforementioned accomplishments only cover the first five months of the year. I'm sure the ever productive Willie will have more projects in 2023. I bet there's already an album, a video and maybe even a television special being planned around his 90th birthday celebration at the Hollywood Bowl.

On "I Don't Know a Thing About Love," Raphael's harmonica and Willie playing on his Martin guitar, Trigger, are two of the highlights, along with Willie's warm vocals.

It also would have been great to have more than 10 tracks on the album, since Howard wrote more than 100 top 10 hits.

So I'll say it again, "More Trigger." Also, in this case, "More Willie, too."