Born to Be Hurt: The Anthology 1966-1982 (Sandy Posey)

My latest purchase is a collection of Sandy Posey's recordings. It's entitled Born to Be Hurt: The Anthology 1966-1982. The name is derived from one of her big pop hits, "Born a Woman." I previously had all of her pop hits on CD as I also own Single Girl: The Very Best of the MGM Years. However, there are some cuts on this CD, issued by the excellent Australian reissue label Raven Records, that made me want to add it to my collection. I'm glad I own both CDs, however, as some of the tracks unique to the other are also quite good. Anyway, to get back to this one:

Tracks and commentary:
1. Born a Woman (#12 US pop / 1966)
This song is the subject of much debate: is it subtly feminist or blatantly anti-feminist? Take a listen and decide for yourself. Also included on the Single Girl CD.

2. Single Girl (#12 US pop / 1966)
Another song bemoaning the status of women. She made a career out of feminine troubles. Also included on the Single Girl CD.

3. See Ya Round on the Rebound
This is one of the tracks I wanted that was not on the Single Girl CD. It's a P. F. Sloan composition, which is always a promising thing. Sloan is known for such classics as "Eve of Destruction" and "Where Were You When I Needed You." This song is another goody. It's especially interesting coming from Ms. Posey, as it's one of her few early songs where she gets to be firmly proactive. Incidentally, the track was also released on a 45 by Shelley Fabares. I sure would love to hear that version at some point. Anyway, I really like this song, so it alone was worth the disc.

4. Here Comes My Baby Back Again
This one is also included on the Single Girl CD. Posey returns to her usual abused stance in what the liner notes appropriately term a "weeper."

5. What a Woman in Love Won't Do (#31 US Pop / 1967)
Another of Posey's hits, also included on the Single Girl CD. It's one of her weaker tunes, in my opinion, but it's not bad. It was written by John D. Loudermilk, and I'll give him credit for keeping it interesting at least.

6. Hey Mister
Also on the Single Girl CD. This should have been a huge hit single. It's right up her alley, and her vocal delivery is excellent.

7. Bread and Butter
This was one of the new tracks for me on this disc. Unexceptional, but decent enough.

8. Love of the Common People
It seems everyone took a crack at this song. Perhaps you're familiar with the 1969 version by The Winstons? Or the 1980s version by Paul Young? This is another track I'd not heard by Posey before, and she does a very good rendition. Surprisingly good, actually.

9. I Take It Back (#12 US Pop / 1967)
What is it with this woman's singles stalling at #12? This track is also on the Single Girl CD and it's one I really like. It was written by the prolific songwriting team of Buddy Buie and James Cobb. This time Posey tries to be proactive and remove herself from a relationship, but she can't keep her resolve in the face of her man breaking down every time she tries. I swear, she plays every role, eh?

10. Standing in the Rain
Another new track for me. Sad song, kinda pretty. Worth a listen. I'll have to revisit it for a more concrete opinion.

11. Sunglasses
This is also on the Single Girl CD. It's another Loudermilk composition, and this deceptively upbeat track is definitely one of my favorites. Should have been released as a single. A little promo and it could have been huge.

12. Are You Never Coming Home (#59 US Pop / 1967)
Posey's last pop hit, also included on the Single Girl CD. Cool song that should have been a bigger hit. As you might guess from the title, Posey bemoans an absentee love, one whom she recognizes she should be able to get over, but can't.

13. Just You, Just Me (And Love for Company)
New one for me. Great song! Driving beat and lyrics that don't include an oppressed Sandy Posey. Really good.

14. One Man Woman
This is also on the Single Girl set, but I'd completely forgotten it. I suppose I didn't spin it very much. Not too bad. Posey's a one man woman who's got herself a one woman man. This one was written by the great Joe South.

15. Silly Girl, Silly Boy
One of Posey's few self-penned tunes. Another new one for me. It's actually quite good. It addresses the heartbreak aspects of love, but somehow it seems a bit different from some of her many other songs of woe. It's a shame she didn't write more. She was apparently a capable woman in that respect. This song was released as the B-side of Posey's almost-hit "Something I'll Remember" (#2 US Bubbling Under / 1968). That hit is absent from this set, but it is on the Single Girl CD.

16. Deep in Kentucky
Also included on the Single Girl set. It's not one I listened to much, but it's actually a good song now that I hear it again.

17. Ways of the World
From here on out, none of these tracks are on the Single Girl CD. We seem to be getting to mature songs now. It was written by Martha Sharp, who also wrote the opening two tracks, but you'd never know it. Good tune.

18. Your Conception of Love
Whoa! You tell 'im, Sandy ol' girl. Posey finally lashes out at someone whose conception of love is flawed by nature of its being incredibly self-centered. Written by the team of Toni Wine and Doc Pomus. Excellent song. Probably a bit too sophisticated to have been a hit, more's the pity.

19. Bring Him Safely Home to Me (#18 US Country / 1972)
Here's where Posey finds a new home in the country market. It is markedly more country-sounding than her earlier efforts. It's a nice song. Sounds like something Lynn Anderson could have done well.

20. Why Don't We Go Somewhere and Love (#51 US Country / 1972)
The liner notes say this was likely held back on the chats for being a bit too risqué for the times. I concur. It probably would have been more acceptable as delivered by a male vocalist. It's a good song, though.

21. Lonesome City Blues
Written by Linda Hargrove. Amazing song! I'm guessing it wasn't released as a single, and that's a pity. One of those many country songs that bemoan the trip from the countryside to the big city, but one of the better examples of them that I've heard.

22. Happy Happy Birthday Baby (#36 US Country / 1972)
You've probably heard some version of this, be it the doo-wop hit by The Tune Weavers or the later country hit version by Ronnie Milsap or one of the multitudes of others. It's not one of my favorite songs, but Posey sings it well.

23. Don't (#39 US Country / 1973)
This is the song that was popularized by Elvis Presley in 1958. I'm pretty indifferent to his version, and I expected that indifference to carry over to this one. Wrong! Something about Posey's delivery here makes me really like it. Score one for her.

24. Why Do We Carry On (The Way We Do)
Another self-penned tune. Released 1976. This one is a bit of a move away from traditional country and toward country-rock. It's actually quite good. Nice lyrics. Good guitar on it. The woman really should have written more songs! This was released as the b-side to the absent minor country hit "Trying to Live Without You Kind of Days."

25. It's Midnight (Do You Know Where Your Baby Is?) (#93 US Country / 1976)
The liners call this "a piece of blatant paranoia set to a haunting melody augmented by atmospheric piano and strings." I can't really improve upon that description.

26. Born to Be With You (#21 US Country / 1978)
This is a rendition of the 1956 Chordettes hit. It's pretty good. Can't call it a standout track as it's been arranged rather generically so that you could stick basically any credible vocalist in there. That said, it's still an enjoyable track, and if the goal, as I imagine, was to make something capable of commercial success, I would say it was achieved well.

27. Love Love Love/Chapel of Love (#26 US Country / 1978)
A medley of two older hits: one the old doo-wop song recorded by the likes of The Diamonds (whose hit 1956 version is a cover, but forgive me as I can't think who did the original) and the other the girl group classic recorded by The Dixie Cups in 1964. The two songs segue together well here, although the slow arrangement turns "Love Love Love" into a bit of a plodder at the beginning. Once it hits the "Chapel of Love" segment it picks up considerably, and the reprise of "Love Love Love" is more enjoyable as well.

28. Love Is Sometimes Easy (#26 US Country / 1979)
Posey co-wrote this one with Billy Robinson. I wasn't surprised to find out she had a hand in writing it, because it's again one of the new tracks that had an immediate impact for me. Really good song! I don't understand why this wasn't a bigger hit. I wonder if it might have been bigger a few years later, or if perhaps radio was just turning against veterans like Posey at this point. Whatever the case, it seems like this song should have been huge.

29. Can't Get Used to Sleeping Without You (#88 US Country / 1983)
Posey's last country hit. Another Billy Robinson composition, this time with help from Ray Davis and Robbie Rodgers. The sound is pretty easily identifiable as 1980's country. It's a good tune, but nothing special either. Still, I can't help but wonder if it might not have fared better if a different name had been attached to it, like Crystal Gayle or someone like that.

So there's that. Overall, it's a very strong CD. For any Posey fan, I would definitely recommend owning both this and the Single Girl CD. The combination gives a very nice overview of Posey's career. If you have to choose just one, choose this one, but here's what you'll be missing out on:

-Blue Is My Best Colour (b-side of "Single Girl"): Another Posey lament, this time of her lover leaving her. Good tune. Posey-penned.
-Arms Full of Sin: Also Posey-penned. A warning against a man in the same vein as "Sweet Talkin' Guy" and "Johnny One Time."
-Satin Pillows: The country classic that also became a pop hit for Bobby Vinton. This is a good rendition.
-Just Out of Reach: Another classic that's been recorded by just about everyone. aka "Just Out of Reach (Of My Two Empty Arms)." Posey does a very good job with it. Very credible vocal.
-Shattered (b-side of "What a Woman in Love Won't Do"): Great song. I prefer it to the plug side. Might have been a big hit in its own right if given the chance. This one laments a love in tatters.
-Patterns: A very strong pop song. Don't know why this wasn't a hit. One of the standout tracks.
-I'm Your Puppet: The classic song that was a hit for James & Bobby Purify. It's interesting to hear a female rendition. She does a good job with it, but then, I guess she had practice delivering vocals about being at someone else's control.
-Don't Touch Me: Another country classic, probably best known in its Jeannie Seely version. Posey does an all right job with it.
-The Boy I Love (b-side of "I Take It Back"): A Posey-penned song about a guy who kisses and tells, thus ruining her reputation. Strong song, but probably not a theme that could have been dealt with on radio at the time. Too bad.
-Come Softly to Me: Classic song recorded by The Fleetwoods and scads of others. Posey's rendition is very good.
-Something I'll Remember: the near-hit mentioned in the text. Another one from the Buie-Cobb team. Decent song. The flip side was the stronger tune but this one's worth a spin or two. It's also probably the more commercial song, although as mentioned, it didn't quite make it to hit status.
-Will You Love Me Tomorrow: A whole lotta people have taken this Gerry Goffin-Carole King song on. Posey does a good job with it.

For chart enthusiasts, the Posey hits not mentioned yet in this text (i.e., the ones not on either CD):
-Trying to Live Without You Kind of Days (#99 US Country / 1976)
-Try Home (#82 US Country / 1979)