The Race Is On - Dave Edmunds - MP3 instrumental karaoke

Featured on Dave Edmunds's aptly named Twangin... album of 1981, "The Race is On" is his riotous take on a 1960s country and easy listening favourite; a cowboy-flavoured barnstormer that positioned the Welsh pub rock luminary at the dusty crossroads of rollicking country and retro rock 'n' roll. Recorded in collaboration with The Stray Cats, the track uses racing as a metaphor to convey the protagonist's heartache and rejection. "My heart's out of the running, true love's scratched for another's sake," he sings. The song was written by Don Rollins and taken to the country Top 5 by George Jones in 1964. Twangin' was Dave Edmunds's swan song for Swan Song Records (before he switched lanes to Columbia) and comprised a number of cover versions including "Almost Saturday Night" by John Fogerty, "You'll Never Get Me Up (In One of Those)" by Mickey Jupp and "Baby Let's Play House" by Arthur Gunter.