BIG AL's JOVIAL JUKEBOX #4: "Make The World Go Away" by TIMI YURO, 1963

Timi Yuro [born Roberta Timothy Yuro in 1940] was an already-famous 23 year old Italo-American R&B-style pop singer when she decided to do an entire album of Country Songs [pictured above] for Liberty Records back in 1963.   This move was actually not unusual at the time. Ray Charles had just had the biggest album of his career with Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music the year before, and almost every "soulful" singer of note was trying to cash in with a similar experiment.

The title single from Yuro's album-- which a 20-something Albie would joyously find later on vinyl for 2 quarters in a thrift store in the mid-1980's-- was a pretty decent success for Timi, charting at #24 on the Billboard U.S. Top 40 popular music chart and  #11 on the Canadian charts.  What probably kept this bona fide classic from charting higher, I suppose, was that the country original by Ray Price and an even bigger copy-cat record from Eddy Arnold were both crossover pop hits the same year.

Now... I actually like all three versions of Hank Cochran's great composition, but for my money nobody ever cut Miss Yuro's incredible "blue-eyed soul" treatment.   Produced by Liberty's young in-house genius Snuff Garrett, little Timi's version [she is said to have stood 4 feet 11 inches off the ground] is a waterfall crescendo of feeling and emotion.

Here's her inimitable treatment in all its glory:

(words & music by Hank Cochran)

Make the world go away
Get it off my shoulder
Say the things we used to say
And make the world, make it go away

Do you remember when you loved me
Before the world took you away
Well if you do, then forgive me
And make the world, make it go away

Make the world go away
Get it off my shoulder
Say the things we used to say
And make the world, make it go away

Now I’m sorry if I hurt you
Let me make it up to you day by day
And if you will please forgive me
And make the world, make it go away

Make the world go away
Get it off my shoulder
Say the things we used to say
And make the world, make it go away

And in case anyone is interested, here is the track list from the album:

Leavin' on your mind
She's got you
I'd fight the world
Gotta travel on
I just got back from there
I'm movin' on - Parts 1 & 2
Make the world go away
Permanently lonely
Ashamed
I walk the line
Are you sure
A legend in my time

It's an amazing old album. She covers country songs by everyone from Patsy Cline to Johnny Cash and actually makes it work.  I highly recommend buying a copy if you liked the sample featured here.  We lost Timi Yuro back in 2004 but that voice will surely never be completely forgotten!

PEACE.