A New Job for Hilburn?

I was going to try to explain the passion and intensity behind the Rodney Crowell and Will Jennings song “Please Remember Me”--you know the [Tim McGraw] recording you need a calculator to count the cliches in? (“The Bottom 10,” July 3)

But then I remembered who did the review, Robert “Springsteen is God” Hilburn.

Hey Robert, here is some free advice. If you can’t feel the pain and sorrow in Rodney’s original version, man, you need a new job.

MARY CORREA

Huntington Beach

I recently read your review of the Crowell/Jennings penned “Please Remember Me,” and I must say that I disagree with you. “Please Remember Me” was the first Rodney Crowell song that I had ever heard and it really turned me on to the rest of his repertoire, not to mention the works of such masters as Guy ++Clark, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson and Vince Gill.

For that reason alone, “Please Remember Me” will always hold a special place in my heart. I believe that it is one of his best songs lyrically and that his vocals add quite a bit to the song. I enjoy the song because I feel that I can look right into his heart when I hear it.

Perhaps you meant to say that the vocals seemed dull and lifeless. I feel that way about Tim McGraw’s version, but I think Rodney’s version is about as emotionally filled as one can get without actual tears. As for the work of Mr. Jennings, I consider this a masterpiece for him as well.

My question would not be “How did this song become a massive hit?” but rather, “Why didn’t Rodney’s version become a massive hit long before Tim’s was ever released?”

ANDREA CURRENT

Grand Rapids, Ohio