In the annals of country music, few songs have captured the bittersweet spirit of reunion quite like Buck Owens’ “Together Again.” This track, which emerged from a period marked by both professional challenges and creative breakthroughs, has since become a staple of the genre, famed for its melancholic melody paired with hopeful lyrics.
The story behind “Together Again” begins long before Buck Owens penned the hit. In 1948, after growing frustrated with the Texas Playboys’ bandleader’s drinking habits, Owens left the band to embark on a solo career. Though this split slowed the band’s momentum and Owens didn’t immediately see major chart success, a reunion in 1959 brought a resurgence. The Texas Playboys recorded an album called Together Again for Liberty Records, a title that inspired Owens years later to write the song.
On January 28, 1964, Buck Owens entered the Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood with his band, the Buckaroos, headed by the talented Don Rich. Alongside “Together Again,” Owens recorded “My Heart Skips a Beat” and “Ain’t It Amazing Gracie.” Capitol Records chose to promote “My Heart Skips a Beat” as the A-side single, with “Together Again” on the B-side. Unexpectedly, both songs soared on the charts, an occurrence rare for a double-sided hit. Owens reflected in his 2016 autobiography Buck’ Em! co-written with Randy Poe:
“‘My Heart Skips a Beat’ reached No. 1 on the charts. That was on May 16. Of course, I was thrilled like I’ve always been when one of my records hits the top of the charts, but the funny thing was, I also kept hearing the B-side, ‘Together Again,’ on the radio a lot. Sure enough, I was looking at Billboard magazine one day, and I saw that ‘Together Again’ had hit the charts, too. … Every time I’d look at Billboard, I’d see ‘Together Again’ just keep going on up the charts.” — Buck Owens, Musician and Author
“My Heart Skips a Beat” held the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Country chart for three weeks before being replaced by its own B-side “Together Again,” which then peaked at No. 2, exchanging places with the A-side single. Owens anticipated competitors like Ray Price’s “Burning Memories” or Loretta Lynn’s “Wine, Women and Song” might dethrone his hits but was surprised when “My Heart Skips a Beat” reclaimed the top position for four more weeks, marking the first time such a phenomenon occurred on the Billboard Country chart.
Owens offered insight into the unique emotional resonance of “Together Again”:
“The funny thing about ‘Together Again’ is that it’s actually a happy song, but since the melody is kind of mournful sounding, most people think it’s really sad. That’s because they haven’t listened to the lyrics. The singer is talking about how his tears have stopped falling and how his lonely nights are over because he’s back together with the woman he loves. The guy couldn’t be happier—but I put the lyrics to this slow, melancholy melody—and that’s what causes folks to misunderstand what the song is really about.” — Buck Owens, Musician and Author
Musically, the recording of “Together Again” was notable for its sparse vocal arrangement. Unlike the live performances where Don Rich’s high harmony became a celebrated feature of the song, the original studio version had no harmony vocals. The Buckaroos, featuring Don Rich on guitar and fiddle, with steel guitarist Tom Brumley providing a now-iconic solo, crafted a sound so influential that it inspired Jerry Garcia of The Grateful Dead to explore the steel guitar himself. Drummer Willie Cantu had recently joined the band, and for the recording session, they borrowed Mel Taylor from The Ventures, whose drumming added a distinctive hook to “My Heart Skips a Beat.”
The lyrics of “Together Again” articulate a heartfelt reunion:
Together again
My tears have stopped falling
The long lonely nights
Are now at an endThe key to my heart
You hold in your hand
And nothing else matters
We’re together again
These words conjure the joy of mending a broken bond, a theme that resonates deeply with listeners even decades later.
This classic song remains a shining example of Buck Owens’ enduring influence on country music, blending storytelling, melody, and emotional depth to create a tune that is at once mournful and jubilant, truly capturing the complex human experience of love regained.