Recitation Song/Dear John & Detroit City

Skeeter Davis(1931 – 2004) 와 Bobby Bare (1935년생) Dear John (A Dear John Letter)은  Billy Barton, Fuzzy Owen 그리고  Lewis Talley가 작사 작곡한 곡으로 1953년 by Ferlin Husky와 Jean Shepard에 의해 발표되어 빌보드 컨츄리 챠트 1위 그리고 핫챠트 4위에 올랐으며 1965년에는 Skeeter Davis와 Bobby Bare에 의해 커버되어 컨츄리챠트 11위에 올랐다. 이곡의 내용은 6.25전쟁에 출전한 John의 애인이 다른 애인이 생겨 오늘 결혼했다고 자기를 잊어달라고 편지를 보내는 내용으로 그녀가 결혼한 상대는 바로 John의 동생인 Don이라는 것이다. 이곡의 큰 히트로 그후에 Dear John Letter라는 말은 절교를 통보하는 편지의 의미로 사용케 되었다.

Skeeter Davis & Bobby Bare / A Dear John Letter (1965) Jean Shepard & Ferlin Husky (1953)   Dear John oh how I hate to write dear John I must let you know tonight That my love for you has died away like grass upon the lawn And tonight I wed another, dear John I was overseas in battle when the postman came to me He handed me a letter and I was just as happy as I could be Cause the fighting was all over and the battles have all been won But then I opened up the letter and that started dear John. Won't you please send back my picture my husband wants it now When I tell you who I'm wedding you won't care dear anyhow And it hurts me so to tell you that my love for you has gone But tonight I wed your brother, dear John And tonight I wed another, dear John

Bobby Bare / Detroit City Last night I went to sleep in Detroit City I dreamed about them cotton fields of home I dreamed about my mother, dear old pappy, sister and brother And I dreamed about the girl who's been waitin' for so long I want to go home I want to go home Oh, how I want to go home Home folks think I'm big in Detroit City From the letters that I write they think I'm just fine, yes they do But by day I make the cars and by night I make the bars If only they could read between the lines ‘cause you know I rode a freight train north to Detroit City And after all these years I find I've just been wastin' my time You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna take my foolish pride Get it on a southbound freight and let it ride I'm gonna go back to the loved ones… Skeeter Davis/End of the World (1962, #2) 위 2곡은 일부 또는 대부분이 노래로 진행되어 정확히는 Recitation Song이라 하기는 어렵지만 후반에 Recitation이 포함되어 Semi Recitation Song이라 할수 있음.