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Making Believe – Kitty Wells

Kitty Wells - Cowboys and Indians Magazine

About the Song

“Making Believe” by Kitty Wells is a classic country song from 1955 that tells the story of a heartbroken woman. Here’s a breakdown of the song’s themes:

Heartbreak and Denial: The lyrics paint a picture of a woman clinging to the memory of a love that’s gone. She “makes believe” that her lover still loves her, even though she knows it’s not true. This denial is a common coping mechanism for dealing with heartbreak.

Lost Dreams and Unfulfilled Plans: The song talks about “plans for the future” that will never come true. This highlights the sense of loss and disappointment that accompanies a broken relationship.

Yearning and Longing: Despite the heartbreak, the woman can’t stop loving her ex. The lyrics “Spending my lifetime loving you, making believe” express a deep longing and a wish for things to be different.

The Power of Imagination: “Making Believe” shows how imagination can be a double-edged sword. While it offers solace by creating a fantasy world, it can also hinder the healing process by delaying acceptance of reality.

Here are some additional details that might pique your interest:

  • Kitty Wells: Often referred to as the “Queen of Country Music,” Wells was a pioneer for female artists in the genre. “Making Believe” was one of her biggest hits.
  • Musical Style: The song is a classic country ballad with a simple melody and a focus on storytelling. The steel guitar adds a melancholic touch.
  • Cultural Impact: “Making Believe” resonated with many listeners who had experienced heartbreak. It helped solidify country music’s ability to express emotional vulnerability.

Why Kitty Wells Matters - Gwarlingo

Video 

Lyrics: Making Believe 

Making believe that you still love me
It’s leavin’ me alone and so blue
But I’ll always dream still I’ll never own you
Making believe it’s all I can doCan’t hold you close when you’re not with me
You’re somebody’s love you’ll never be mine
Making believe I’ll spend my lifetime
Loving you and making believe

Making believe that I never lost you
But my happy hours I find are so few
My plans for the future will never come true
Making believe what else can I do

Can’t hold you close when you’re not with me
You’re somebody’s love you’ll never be mine
Making believe I’ll spend my lifetime
Loving you and making believe

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A cot waited in a rehearsal hall at RCA Victor’s New York studio while Jimmie Rodgers made his final recordings. Between songs, he lay down to recover enough strength for another take. It was May 1933. Rodgers was 35 and had battled tuberculosis since 1924. As his health deteriorated, his earnings had dwindled. Victor was paying $250 per recorded side, and he wanted to provide for his wife, Carrie, and their daughter, Anita. The sessions started on May 17. Within days, standing to sing became impossible. He worked from an easy chair, supported by pillows that brought him close enough to the microphone, then returned to the cot. On May 24, two musicians accompanied him through three songs. After they left, Rodgers recorded one more with only his guitar: “Years Ago.” He had completed twelve songs in eight days. The following night at the Taft Hotel, severe coughing gave way to hemorrhaging in his lungs. The hotel doctor could not be located. Rodgers fell into a coma and died on May 26, roughly 36 hours after his last recording. Before music made him famous, he had worked as a railroad brakeman. A Southern Railway train carried his body home to Meridian, Mississippi, in a baggage car. According to accounts of the journey, the engineer kept sounding the whistle along the way.

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Lorrie Morgan saved the card Keith Whitley gave her at the Nashville airport for her flight home. When she finally opened it, her husband was dead. It was early May 1989. Lorrie was heading to Alaska to promote her first RCA album, while Keith was enjoying the strongest run of his career. Just weeks earlier, “I’m No Stranger to the Rain” had become his third consecutive No. 1. At home, success had brought little reassurance. Keith had struggled with alcohol for years. A period of sobriety beginning in 1987 lasted about six months. Lorrie later described the fear surrounding his drinking as living with a ticking time bomb. In her 1997 memoir, she recalled tying her leg to his while they slept so she would know if he got up to drink. During her trip, he began drinking again that weekend. On Tuesday morning, May 9, his brother-in-law, Lane Palmer, visited the house in Goodlettsville. They drank coffee and discussed golf and lunch. Palmer left around 8:30 a.m. When he returned roughly an hour later, Keith was lying on the bed, fully dressed and unconscious. The medical examiner determined that he died from acute alcohol poisoning. Traveling back to Nashville, Lorrie read the card she had set aside. She later said its words left her feeling that Keith had been trying to tell her something—a feeling she was left to carry without the chance to ask him.

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