These 3 Roger Miller Songs Are Ready for a Remake Today

Roger Miller is one of the most prolific songwriters of all time. It’s Miller who is the writer behind some of country music’s biggest hits. Just 56 when he passed away in 1992, Miller still left his mark on country music, especially with these three songs, which might sound even better if they were remade today.

“It Only Hurts When I Cry” by Dwight Yoakam

Miller wrote “It Only Hurts When I Cry” with Dwight Yoakam. Out in 1991 on If There Was A Way, “It Only Hurts When I Cry” became a Top 10 hit for Yoakam.

The sad song says “The only time I feel the pain / Is in the sunshine or the rain / And I don’t feel no hurt at all / Unless you count my teardrops fall / I tell the truth ‘cept when I lie / It only hurts me when I cry.“

Yoakam wrote almost all of the songs on If There Was A Way by himself. The only other song he co-wrote was “Nothing’s Changed Here”, which he wrote with Kostas, another hit single from the record.

“King Of The Road”

Arguably one of Miller’s most popular songs, “King Of The Road” has been recorded multiple times, including by Miller. Miller’s version of “King Of The Road” came out in 1965, and is his second No. 1 single.

In 1997, Randy Travis released a version of “King Of The Road” for his Full Circle record. Travis’s “King Of The Road” is also part of the Traveller film, starring Bill Paxton and Mark Wahlberg.

“King Of The Road” is about a hobo meandering through life. However, it has also become somewhat of an anthem for truck drivers. “King Of The Road” begins with, “Trailer for sale or rent, rooms to let fifty cents. No phone, no pool, no pets, I ain’t got no cigarettes / Ah but, two hours of pushin’ broom buys a / Eight by twelve four-bit room / I’m a man of means by no means, king of the road.”

“Tall, Tall Trees”

An early hit for Alan Jackson, “Tall, Tall Trees” was written by Miller and George Jones. Jones first released a version of “Tall, Tall Trees” in 1956, on Long Live King George. But it’s Jackson’s version that remains the most well-known. Part of Jackson’s The Greatest Hits Collection, Jackson released “Tall, Tall Trees” in 1995.

In the liner notes of The Greatest Hits Collection, Jackson shares why he put his own spin on this fun song.

“This is an old Roger Miller song I stumbled across,” he writes. “It’s a real fun song with a Cajun feel. I’ve always been a big fan of Roger’s, and when it came time to record a couple of new songs for this greatest hits, I couldn’t resist.” 

The uptempo love song says, “If you want to take a trip across the ocean / I’ll travel anywhere you take a notion / I’ll buy you tall, tall trees / On all the waters and the seas / I’m a fool, fool, fool for you.”

Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images

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