Johnnie Ray sings about ‘my memories of
shared cigarettes.’ So does SlimDusty on
SadCigarette.
On
SmokeFromYourCigarette,
it’s not even clear whether Lillian Leach is
becoming tearful fromhavingherboyfriend’s
cigarette smokedrift intoher face,orbecause
he’s just dumped her.
Perhaps the most touching reference to
cigarettes appears in Peggy Lee’s 1947
recording of her largely autobiographical
Don’t Smoke In Bed.
(Lee bestowed sole
composer credit to Willard Robison
althoughhercontributions to the songwere
reportedly extensive.)
It is Lee’s painful
divorce fromheralcoholichusband, guitarist
Dave Barbour, that are the subject. To its
credit, the song’s lyrics are general enough to
fit many circumstances. Nina Simone’s hit
recording in 1962 coincided with the first
wave of feminist sentiments which easily
embraced theambiguousbutpoignant lyrics.
And what sad lyrics they are, aided by a
haunting,minorkeyconstruction. Imaginea
woman walking out on her husband. She’s
feelingguilty,nostalgic,yet firm inher resolve
to leave.Sheplainly still caresabout theman,
and how better to express what remains of
her love than to remindhimnot to smoke in
bed.Later versionsof the song, all admirably
understated,were recordedby JulieLondon,
k.d. lang,CarlySimon andHollyCole.
A number of these songs ignore the
romanceof cigarettes and acknowledge that,
forbetterorworse, that the singer ishooked.
Thenicotinehasdone its job.There’susually
some humor attached to this message, but
the bottom line is that JimmyMartin, Jerry
Reed, Jimmy Dolan, Tex Williams, Curtis
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