Emotions
(Mel Tillis and Ramsey Kerney)
"Ramset Kerney, an ol' country boy from Bolivar, Tennessee walked into Cedarwood Publishing Company one day in 1960 and played me a song he had written. I asked him if he had titled the song. He said, "Emotions." Ramsey was a very good singer. He sounded a lot like Eddy Arnold. I didn't know if the song was that good, or if it was his singing that I liked. Anyway, I told him I liked his song very much, and I felt like I could get it recorded for him. He signed a contract with Cedarwood right then and there and then went on back to Bolivar. A few weeks later it got recorded by Carl Smith.
Carl did a good job singing it, and it turned out to be a marginal hit for him. But I always felt like the song needed something. I called Ramsey and told him about Carl cutting his song and he was tickled pink. I told him I thought I could rewrite it and get a pop cut on it. I told him he would still be the sole writer on the Carl Smith version, but I would get 50% of the new pop version, if I could write it. He said that was a great idea. And go for it we did. Ramsey has never regretted that decision.
Brenda Lee recorded "Emotions" and it went on to sell a million records pop and country. Got a BMI Citation too."