1. Travelin' Man * (2:18) - The tempo is slightly faster than moderate. Everywhere the narrator goes, he meets and falls in love with a woman. He has lovers in Mexico, Alaska, Germany, Hong Kong, Hawaii, almost every place in the world. This version fades out; the original version doesn't.
2. It's Late * (1:58) - This is my favorite Ricky Nelson song. The somewhat fast tempo matches the urgency of the situation. Dawn is breaking, and the narrator and his girlfriend must get home as fast as they can. He has no money left to call her parents, their car is low on gas, and the route they must drive has a low speed limit. Her father is sure to be furious and probably will never let the couple date again.
3. Poor Little Fool * (2:29) - This song is slightly slower than the previous one. The narrator used to play with girls' hearts, but then he fell seriously for a certain girl who turned out to playing a game with HIM. Now he is sad, realizing that he was a fool to love her. I guess it serves him right.
4. Garden Party (3:58) - This song, somewhat faster than moderate, was originally recorded circa 1975. It was inspired by a concert of Rick's at Madison Square Garden. Apparently, when he played newer songs, some people left, having expected to hear the songs from his heyday. Anyway, the chorus contains some words of wisdom: "You can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself."
5. (I) Believe What You Say (2:06) - The narrator of this fast song has complete faith in his girlfriend. He believes her when she tells him she's in love with no one except him.
6. (There'll) Never Be Anyone Else But You * (2:11) - The tempo is somewhat faster than moderate. If the narrator could choose any gal from all the one's he's ever met, he would choose the one to whom he's singing. He's so much in love with her that no other gal would do. I've also heard a version of this song by Emmylou Harris.
7. Waitin' In School (1:58) - This very fast song is not about some guy who flunks school on purpose; instead the narrator is anxious for the final bell to ring so he can rush home to get ready to take his girl dancing. The song contains some interesting lyrics: "1, 2, put on your shoes; 3, 4, get out on the floor; 5, 6, come get your kicks..."
8. Teenage Idol * (2:30) - This moderate-speed song probably reflected Ricky's real feelings about his life and career. Some people may envy a teenage singer for his fame and fortune, but he still gets lonely. He travels so constantly that he can never find time to meet a gal with whom he can have a romantic relationship.
9. I'm Walkin' * (1:38; Ricky's first version 1:57) - This version has a similar tempo to the original version by Fats Domino. Also, a sax is featured just like in the original. Unlike the original, however, this version doesn't fade out.
10. Mighty Good (2:05) - The tempo is fast. The girl's walk, her talk, and the taste of her lips are all "mighty good" to the narrator. He believes that anything she doesn't have, she doesn't need.
11. You Know What I Mean (1:49) - This is a near-twin to the previous song, but slightly faster. I like how the backup singers do a dialogue with Ricky: after he sings "Do you know what I mean?" they reply with "I know (or see) what you mean." Anyway, the narrator says of his girl: "When she's good she's good, and when she's bad she's great." If his buddy had a girlfriend like the narrator's, he'd understand what the narrator says.
12. Stood Up * (1:38; original version 1:51) - This fast song features handclaps. Every time the narrator tries to get a date with the girl, he learns that she already has a date with some other guy. The narrator, tired of being "stood up, brokenhearted again," resolves to find a new girlfriend.
13. Young World * (2:15) - The tempo is slightly faster than in the moderate-paced original. It sure was a young world in the late 1950s and early 60s, since that's when the baby boomers were teenagers. Anyway, the narrator asks the girl to be his girlfriend. When a guy has a special gal to love him, "all of the world is a treasure."
14. Hello Mary Lou * (2:16) - This fast song opens with a 2-measure drum solo. The day the narrator first saw Mary Lou, he knew he would want her to be his girlfriend forever. He loves her so much that "wild horses couldn't make [him] stay away." This song was written by Gene Pitney, and I've also heard a version by Creedence Clearwater Revival and one by the Statler Brothers.
15. It's Up To You (2:45) - This song is similar in tempo and music to "Travelin' Man." The narrator has "laid [his] cards on the table" by telling the girl that he has romantic feelings for her. But he can do no more; she now needs to tell him how SHE feels about HIM so there can be a relationship.
16. I Got A Feeling * (1:56) - The tempo is fast. The narrator's feeling is that he will soon win the girl's heart. She thinks about him. They were meant to fall in love with each other. Since he has a hunch that she loves him, he asks her to tell him so.
17. Don't Leave Me This Way * (2:24) - The narrator of this moderate-speed song was happy when he met the girl. He thought they had a true love, and now she has left him, hurting him so badly he believed he would perish.
18. Just A Little Too Much * (2:02) - Perhaps that's how much the narrator of this very fast song loves the girl he's singing to. He had one previous girlfriend who proved unfaithful. But now that he's met his current love, he's "gonna scream and shout it, there ain't no doubt about" his love for her. During the middle instrumental, I hear handclaps and a little applause.
19. Lonesome Town * (2:13) - The tempo is moderately slow. The town depicted here is where brokenhearted people gather. To buy dreams, you need pay only a broken heart. The narrator, whose own heart has been broken, believes he can live his sorrow down by settling in the town.
20. Fools Rush In (2:36) - The very fast tempo matches the word "rush." The narrator is too much in love with the girl to care about the consequences that might ensue. He wonders, "Wise men never fall in love, so how are they to know?" Maybe they were fools once (or many times) before and gained wisdom through failed relationships.
21. You Are The Only One (2:35) - The tempo is moderate. The girl is the narrator's only love and they've had much fun together, but he wonders what will happen if she dumps him. If another guy steals her heart, the narrator will cry for a millennium, if not eternity, so he begs her, "Please don't go and throw away the truest love you've known."
22. Sweeter Than You (2:27) - This is a slow song, the slowest one on this disc. Rick sings, and the instruments play, softly. No gal sweeter than the one sung to could ever love the narrator.