Thursday, February 12, 2026

Songs I'd Forgotten Existed (Let Alone Loved): Special "If I Was a Carpenter and You Were a....Oh, Wait!!!" Edition

And speaking as were yestrday about folk-rocker/country star Mary Chapin Carpenter, from 1990 please enjoy her powerful and insinuating "Quittin' Time."

That was a strictly country radio hit, i.e., it didn't get any pop/rock crossover to my knowledge, and I'm somewhat perplexed about how it showed up on my bingo card. If I had to guess, I suspect I got hepped to it by my colleague/friend Alanna Nash, who was Stereo Review's country music maven/reviewer for most of my tenure over there.

In any case, a terrific song/record; if the production was just a tad tougher sounding, I would go so far as to say Fleetwood Mac-or-Petty and the Heartbreakers terrific.

7 comments:

  1. "Never Had It So Good" was another excellent track from that album.

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  2. I love this song too and I can't even begin to imagine how it ended up in regular rotation on my apple music account since I was deathly allergic to country music in the 80-90's while I was growing up in Montana.

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  3. Absolutely great!!! Who is the lead guitarist? Sounds like Waddy.
    Jai Guru Dave

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    1. Guy named John Jennings, who was a big shot Nashville multi-instrumentalist and producer back in the day.

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  4. Mary Chapin Carpenter is a true Americana artist.

    I wouldn't give her enough rock cred to be in the Tom Petty or Fleetwood Mac orbit. She would probably agree. That's not a diss.

    But she is a soulful, honest and uncompromising artist with a substantial body of work.

    "Stones in The Road" would be her greatest album in my view. That song in particular speaks to this moment as well as anything being written today. It would be a nice companion to Don Henley's End of the Innocence (I know Henley doesn't get much respect around here and that's too bad).

    Check it out.

    Nice post. You're growing.

    Thanks.

    Vince

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  5. Rob B Mullen2/12/2026 6:24 PM

    Mary C/C is more my sisters taste but...
    I have to say that I have been aware of her for years. She raised her profile a bit on Joni Mitchell's tribute concert
    Did a dive into "Quiting Time" and it featured two of Nashville's best -
    Mike Auldridge - Dobro
    Ricky Simpkins - Fiddle, Mandolin

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