You Never Even Called Me By My Name

“You Never Even Called Me by My Name” is a song written by Steve Goodman and John Prine. Prine requested to be uncredited on the song, as he thought it was a “goofy, novelty song” and did not want to “offend the country music community”. Goodman released the song on his 1971 debut album Steve Goodman to little acclaim. It was more famously recorded by country music singer David Allan Coe on his 1975 album Once Upon a Rhyme. It was the third single release of Coe’s career and his first Top Ten hit, reaching a peak of number eight on the Billboard country singles charts. The song, over five minutes long, is known for its humorous self-description as “the perfect country and western song.”

Goodman and Prine originally composed the song as a pastiche and style parody of “every country song” they had ever heard. In live performances, Goodman would often adopt a parody of Hank Williams Sr.’s performance style, with a large cowboy hat. Waylon Jennings, Charley Pride and Merle Haggard (as well as his song “The Fightin’ Side of me”) are mentioned in the lyrics; Coe also uses loose impersonations of each artist in doing so, and also makes reference to Faron Young’s “Hello Walls” in the background vocals, noting that “you don’t have to call me” any of those names anymore. In the third verse, Coe notes “the only time I know I’ll hear David Allan Coe is when Jesus has his final Judgment Day.”