He Thinks He's Ray Stevens
He Thinks He's Ray Stevens was Ray Stevens' twenty-first studio album and his first for MCA Records, released in 1984. The front of the album cover shows Stevens spoofing French emperor Napoleon Bonaparte.
The track "Mississippi Squirrel Revival" is the only Top 40 single from this album, reaching #20 on Hot Country Singles (now Hot Country Songs) in 1984. "Furthermore" is a re-recording and partial rewrite of Stevens' 1962 single of the same name. "The Monkees (Theme From)" is a cover of the theme song to The Monkees but sung by Ray in broad German dialects under the guise of two fictional singers, Wolfgang and Fritzy. This album also marked the debut of "It's Me Again, Margaret," a chart single about an obscene phone caller.
A re-release on CD on August 15, 1992 (MCAD-20688), titled Mississippi Squirrel Revival, featured this album's first eight tracks in a different order.
Track listing
| Writer(s) |
| 1. |
"I'm Kissin' You Goodbye" |
Ray Stevens |
3:09 |
| 2. |
"It's Me Again, Margaret" |
Paul Craft |
3:26 |
| 3. |
"Mississippi Squirrel Revival" |
C.W. Kalb, Jr., Carlene Kalb |
3:42 |
| 4. |
"Ned Nostril (And His South Seas Paradise, Puts Your Blues on Ice, Cheap at Twice the Price Band — Ikky-Ikky, Ukky-Ukky)" |
Ray Stevens |
4:11 |
| 5. |
"Fred" |
Lee Cheney |
2:40 |
| Writer(s) |
| 1. |
"Erik the Awful" |
C.W. Kalb, Jr., Carlene Kalb, Ray Stevens |
4:35 |
| 2. |
"The Monkees (Theme From)" |
Tommy Boyce, Bobby Hart |
3:09 |
| 3. |
"Joggin'" |
C.W. Kalb, Jr., Carlene Kalb |
3:39 |
| 4. |
"Happy Hour (Is the Saddest Time of the Day)" |
Mike Neun |
4:05 |
| 5. |
"Furthermore" |
Ray Stevens |
2:52 |
Personnel
Musicians
- Ray Stevens - lead vocals, background vocals (except "Furthermore"), keyboards and synthesizers (except "Furthermore" and "Ned Nostril")
- Jerry Carrigan - drums (except "Ned Nostril")
- Mark Casstevens - banjo, rhythm guitar
- Steve Gibson - dobro, electric guitar
- Sheri Huffman - background vocals
- Stuart Keathley - bass, engineer
- Terry McMillan - harmonica
- Alan Moore - background vocals
- Rodger Morris - keyboards and synthesizers
- Nashville String Machine - string
- Lisa Silver - fiddle, background vocals
- James Stroud - drums
- Wendy Suits - background vocals
- Diane Tidwell - background vocals
- Hurshel Wiginton - background vocals
- Jack Williams - bass
- Engineer: Stuart Keathley
- Arranged & Produced by: Ray Stevens
- Recorded at Ray Stevens Studio, Nashville, TN
Chart performance
Album
| Chart (1984) |
Peak
position |
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums |
3 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 |
118 |
Singles
| Year |
Single |
Peak positions |
| US Country |
CAN Country |
| 1985 |
"Mississippi Squirrel Revival" |
20 |
32 |
| 1985 |
"It's Me Again, Margaret" |
74 |
— |
References
- Liner notes to He Thinks He's Ray Stevens (cassette). MCA Records #25047.