The song, “Secretly” by Jimmie Rodgers holds a special place in my heart. The artist is another of many who died too young, and that is perhaps one of the reasons why his material is special to me. I don’t want to delve into my deepest, darkest secrets here, but the reason that song is important to me is something I still like to think about.

Back when I was about 10 years old, in 1958 or so, I liked a girl on my block. Now, understand that (in those days) a 10-year-old boy liking a girl was not cool. Back then, boys hated girls at that age. Both boys and girls thought of the opposite sex as “having kooties.” You were a boy, you just didn’t like girls – period! So me liking a girl was something I had to keep to myself – at all costs.

So I’m rummaging through the newest 45′s that my mom bought one day, and I come across this Roulette single called “Secretly” by Jimmie Rodgers and I put it on and listen to it. Wow! Part of the lyrics went, “Wish we didn’t have to meet secretly; wish we didn’t have to kiss secretly; wish we didn’t have to be afraid to tell the world that we’re in love…”

The lyrics echoed some of the thoughts I had every night when I lay my head on the pillow. I know… weird, perhaps, that a 10-year-old boy is thinking about love and kissing and secret loves. But back in those days just thinking of a girl as a human being, let alone liking one, was the ultimate taboo among male peers. I would have been ostracized if anyone even suspected I liked a girl, or entertained thoughts of kissing one!!

Well, needless to say, the song had an impact on me. I found a few other singles by Jimmie Rodgers in my mom’s collection, and I gave them all a listen. They were all good songs, I thought. And, he had a nice voice, too.

You can read a lot more about Jimmie Rodgers at http://en.wikipedia.com but be aware that some of what’s there is inaccurate. I know that he was a folk singer early in his career and turned to pop music in the 50′s. And I know that virtually everything I took the time to listen to by Jimmie Rodgers was pleasant and listenable. Toward the end of his career (and life, unfortunately), he recorded a couple of songs that are still among my favorites, such as “T.L.C. (Tender Love And Care)” and “The World I Used To Know.”

You can find Jimmie Rodgers’ original charting hits at Amazon

Listen to some samples:

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