Today I Started Loving You Again
Background
"Today I Started Loving You Again" is a slow country song which closes the B-side of the first solo LP of John Fogerty. He released it as The Blue Ridge Rangers. The song was recorded at Fantasy Studios in Berkeley and engineered by Skip Shimmin and Russ Gary. The album came out in April 1973. It peaked at #47 in the USA.
The song was originally recorded by Merle Haggard in 1968. Fogerty regards the rendition as Haggard's finest work as a songwriter. Creence Clearwater leader met Haggard when Merle was playing up at Tahoe once and he mentioned at the time that so far there were 72 cover versions of that song. Fogerty told him right on the spot, "well, now you’ve got 73!” At the time he thought Creedence Clearwater was going to do it. But, as things worked out with Creedence and everything, they never got around to it. (John Fogerty promotional interview, 1973)
Live versions
John Fogerty has never played the song in live shows.
Critical reception
"This is one of my mother's all-time favourite country songs, and she loves Fogerty's agonizingly slow rendition. Predictably, I don't. As usual with tedious tunes, Fogerty's superb vocals provide the high point." -Matt Loewen.
Written by Merle Haggard and Bonnie Owen.
Recorded at Studio C, Fantasy Studios, Berkeley, CA, USA, in 1972.
Appears on The Blue Ridge Rangers album.
Released in April 1973.