Words Don't Fit the Picture

The Words Don’t Fit the Picture was drawn from Willie Nelson’s final sessions for RCA — the last recording he would undertake in Nashville, before restarting his career and his life in Texas. The album cover portends the impending stylistic change — flanked by his wife Connie and his producer Felton Jarvis (dressed as a chauffeur), Willie poses in front of a Rolls Royce in full-freak cowboy regalia, battered guitar case in tow. The title song is about a romantic breakup, but the words could just as easily refer to Nelson’s busted relationship to the Nashville music industry: "But this is the time to say goodbye / Cause the words don't fit the picture anymore.” This is a beautiful and bittersweet album, with performances that bridge the austerity of the RCA sound to the loose and naturalistic approach Willie would adopt in the years to follow. In addition to the first appearance of Willie and Waylon’s signature “Good Hearted Woman,” the album outlines a gorgeously understated, acoustic-oriented vision of classic honkytonk music, in the form of “One Step Beyond,” “Rainy Day Blues,” and “London.”