Play It Cool, Man

"Play It Cool, Man"
"Play It Cool"
"Play It Cool, Man"; "Play It Cool"
Single by George Jones
from the album The Grand Ole Opry's New Star
B-side	Wrong About You; (w/ Sonny Burns);
Released	May 29, 1954
Recorded	January 19, 1954; Beaumont, TX
Genre	Country, rockabilly
Length	2:33
Label	Starday; Starday 146
Songwriter(s)	George Jones
Producer(s)	Jack Starnes
George Jones singles chronology

"Play It Cool, Man" is a song by George Jones. It was released as his second single on May 29, 1954 on Starday Records. It is the oldest recording to be included on his debut album in 1956.

Recording and background

Jones' first recording session wrapped up 5 songs (2 unissued). The third song cut was a rockabilly slide titled "Play It Cool, Man." Like the other songs recorded during the session, the song was greatly influenced by his idols. "No Money in This Deal," "For Sale or For Lease," and "If You Were Mine" displayed a very evident Lefty Frizzell influence. However, Play It Cool, Man displayed a clear Hank Williams influence (Jones' favorite singer). From Jones' bluesy vocal delivery to the steel guitar break, which is reminiscent of Hank's "Honky Tonk Blues," the song's swing and swagger also points unerringly towards rockabilly. Nick Tosches notes in his 1994 Texas Monthly article "The Devil in George Jones", "Though Jones would never acknowledge it, the rockabilly impulse of the early fifties had affected his sound as much as the lingering voices of Acuff and Williams. 'Play It Cool, Man, Play It Cool,' recorded by Jones in 1954, several months before Elvis's debut, had bordered on pure rockabilly..."

The b-side includes one of the two tracks recorded from his first collaboration recorded in April and June of that year in Houston: "Wrong About You" with Sonny Burns."

Personnel

George Jones - vocal, acoustic
Robert Larry "Blackie" Crawford - lead guitar
John "Johnny" Rector - piano
Corlue Bordelon - steel
Buck Crawford - bass
Olen "Big Red" Hays - fiddle
Kenneth "Little Red" Hays - fiddle

v t e George Jones singles
Albums Singles Discography with Tammy Wynette Awards
1950s	"No Money in This Deal" "Play It Cool, Man" "You All Goodnight" "Why Baby Why" "What Am I Worth" "I'm Ragged But I'm Right" "Rock It" "You Gotta Be My Baby" "Just One More" "Don't Stop the Music" "Too Much Water" "Tall, Tall Trees" "Seasons of My Heart" "Too Much Water" "Treasure of Love" "White Lightning" "Who Shot Sam" "Big Harlan Taylor"
1960s	"Accidentally on Purpose" "Out of Control" "The Window Up Above" "Family Bible" "Tender Years" "Aching, Breaking Heart" "She Thinks I Still Care" "Open Pit Mine" "A Girl I Used to Know" "Your Heart Turned Left (And I Was on the Right)" "I'll Share My World with You "The Race Is On" "Love Bug" "Take Me" "I'm a People" "Walk Through This World with Me" "I Can't Get There from Here" "If My Heart Had Windows" "Say It's Not You" "Small Time Laboring Man" "As Long as I Live" "Milwaukee, Here I Come" (with Brenda Carter) "When the Grass Grows Over Me" "I'll Share My World with You" "If Not for You" "She's Mine"
1970s	"Where Grass Won't Grow" "Tell Me My Lying Eyes Are Wrong" "A Good Year for the Roses" "Sometimes You Just Can't Win" "Right Won't Touch a Hand" "I'll Follow You (Up to Our Cloud)" "We Can Make It" "Loving You Could Never Be Better" "A Picture of Me (Without You)" "What My Woman Can't Do" "Nothing Ever Hurt Me (Half as Bad as Losing You)" "Once You've Had the Best" "The Grand Tour" "The Door" "These Days (I Barely Get By)" "Memories of Us" "The Battle" "You Always Look Your Best (Here in My Arms)" "Her Name Is" "Old King Kong" "If I Could Put Them All Together (I'd Have You)" "Bartender's Blues" "I'll Just Take It Out in Love" "Someday My Day Will Come"
1980s	"He Stopped Loving Her Today" "I'm Not Ready Yet" "If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me (Her Memory Will)" "Still Doin' Time" "Same Ole Me" "Shine On (Shine All Your Sweet Love on Me)" "I Always Get Lucky with You" "Tennessee Whiskey" "You've Still Got a Place in My Heart" "She's My Rock" "Hallelujah, I Love You So" (with Brenda Lee) "Who's Gonna Fill Their Shoes" (with Lacy J. Dalton) "The One I Loved Back Then (The Corvette Song)" "Somebody Wants Me Out of the Way" "Wine Colored Roses" "The Right Left Hand" "I Turn to You" "The Bird" "I'm a Survivor" "The Old Man No One Loves" "If I Could Bottle This Up" (with Shelby Lynne) "I'm a One Woman Man" "The King Is Gone (So Are You)" "Writing on the Wall" "Radio Lover"
1990s	"You Couldn't Get the Picture" "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair" "Honky Tonk Song" "Choices"
As a collaborative artist	"Yearning" (with Jeanette Hicks) "Did I Ever Tell You" (with Margie Singleton) "Waltz of the Angels" (with Margie Singleton) "We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds" (with Melba Montgomery) "Let's Invite Them Over" (with Melba Montgomery) "Please Be My Love" (with Melba Montgomery) "What's in Our Heart" (with Melba Montgomery) "Things Have Gone to Pieces" (with Gene Pitney) "I've Got Five Dollars and It's Saturday Night" (with Gene Pitney) "Blue Moon of Kentucky" (with Melba Montgomery) "That's All It Took (with Gene Pitney) "Maybellene" (with Johnny Paycheck) "You Can Have Her" (with Johnny Paycheck) "When You're Ugly Like Us (You Just Naturally Got to Be Cool)" (with Johnny Paycheck) "You Better Move On" (with Johnny Paycheck) "Yesterday's Wine" (with Merle Haggard) "C.C. Waterback" (with Merle Haggard)
As a featured artist	"We Didn't See a Thing" (Ray Charles with Chet Atkins and George Jones) "A Few Ole Country Boys" (Randy Travis featuring George Jones) "You Don't Seem to Miss Me" (Patty Loveless with George Jones) "A Country Boy Can Survive (Y2K version)" (Chad Brock featuring George Jones and Hank Williams, Jr.) "Country Boy" (Aaron Lewis featuring Charlie Daniels and George Jones)
Promotional singles	"Wrong Number"
Other charted songs	"Money to Burn" "Big Fool of the Year" "I Saw Me" "What's in Our Heart" (with Melba Montgomery) "My Tears Are Overdue" "I Just Don't Give a Damn" "He Stopped Loving Her Today"