But maybe things were moving a little too fast. "He'll Have to Go" was still lingering about in the bottom of Canada's Top 50 when its feminist response landed at number one. But then you must consider who wrote these two songs: oh right, it was the same people! They probably finished off one and then immediately got to work on the other. Or they saw that the Reeves single was doing well and then dashed this off.
Reply songs always seem like a nice idea but they don't tend to work out. When I was sixteen, I was going through a big Beatles' period (I just couldn't get into Radiohead or Suede) and I figured I had a genius idea by re-writing "Paperback Writer" from the perspective of the publishing company rejecting Paul McCartney's lousy novel. When I first got the idea, I told some friends as well as my Fabs obsessed mum who all thought it sounded funny; then I wrote the damn thing and its reception wasn't nearly as warm. (It's just as well it never got recorded) Still, a gap of a few months is preferable to twenty-seven years.
The idea of "He'll Have to Stay" is a good one. The Jim Reeves original was done strictly from the man's perspective who we were being manipulated into siding with. Was he away on business or had he been drafted into the army and sent to some godforsaken base in the middle of Nebraska? It's easy to forget nowadays how expensive long distance calling used to be so he was probably at a diner on the other side of town. His girl is otherwise occupied by another gentleman caller but what isn't revealed is how he is similarly distracted by female companionship.
This isn't exactly a hardcore feminist statement but there is a commendable push for equality behind "He'll Have to Stay". Too many guys feel that a girl should be waiting for him but she's got just as much of a life to lead as he he does. If he's fooling around with someone else, then who the hell does he think he is demanding that she throw the bastard she's with out of her house? Centuries of men thinking they could expect loyalty from their wives and girlfriends while enjoying a big on the side being booted aside by a young woman who was more than willing to give as good as she got. You go girl!
The only problem is something I suggested above, that it's a little too dashed off. I understand striking while the iron is hot but I'm not sure this reply quite lives up to the original. Just the fact that "He'll Have to Go" has Reeves on it is a clear point in its favour; Jeanne Black does well enough but she isn't remotely in his league — though she may very well have been his superior as a romantic partner, the great big cad. And then there's my slight unease at the whole thing: am I supposed to find this funny? Again, the idea of it is amusing but Black is simply too earnest in her delivery for me to be convinced that there's as humourous aspect to what may well be a couple who are just piss-poor at communication. The Smiths' "Girl Afraid" is about a couple who can't talk to each other who then blame the other for their problems ("I'll never make that mistake again" is a vow they both make) and it's relatable and hilarious. Is it too much to expect something similar here?
Score: 5
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