Another will be holding my bouquet

When Country fans think of Kitty Wells they usually think of “It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” It endures as one of her best songs but I have always had a morbid fascination with her song “I Gave My Wedding Dress Away.” At first blush it seems like a standard broken-hearted lament but only a verse or two in the ‘what the HECK!?!?’ factor kicks in. The idea of a big sister giving up a boyfriend to a younger sibling isn’t all that odd Wells’ delivery hits so close to home with just enough of a creep factor to make the hair on my arms stand every time I hear it - and not always in a bad way. When I played it for a friend years ago her eyes glazed over for a moment - she said she was instantly taken back to sitting with her grandmother listening to old 78’s. She probably couldn’t have directly remembered the song if asked but a few bars and she instantly recalled the song and the story. More proof that a good song can stay with you for decades, even if you originally forget about it.

PLAY:

DOWNLOAD: Kitty Wells - I gave my wedding dress away