Radney Foster, ‘Just Call Me Lonesome’ – Lyrics Uncovered

Radney Foster’s debut hit as a solo artist came in 1992 when he released ‘Just Call Me Lonesome’ to country radio. The song became a Top 10 hit for the singer, who had a solid career up until that point as one half of country duo Foster and Lloyd.

When it came time to write ‘Just Call Me Lonesome,’ Foster teamed up with a new kid in town by the name of George Ducas, who was also pursuing a career in country music.

“I wrote the song when I was a child,” Ducas tells Taste of Country with laughter. “I think I was 20 when we wrote it. It was my second or third week in town, and Radney and I were introduced by a mutual friend of ours living in Tennessee. Radney had taken me under his wing at that point. I didn't have a record deal yet. I was just writing songs and trying to learn ... cut my teeth. Foster and Lloyd were a big influence on me, so writing with Radney was a big deal to me!”

“The second song we wrote together was ‘Just Call Me Lonesome,’” Ducas continues. “It was inspired indirectly by Buck Owens. While I was a fan of Foster and Lloyd, I was also a fan of Dwight [Yoakam], and I thought, ‘What did those guys listen to when they were finding their style?’ Bill Lloyd listened to the Beatles, Radney listened to Waylon [Jennings] and Bob Wills, and Dwight listened to Buck Owens. So I was going back and listening to all that stuff, and Buck really caught my ear. I bought his box set. When I walked in that day, I asked Radney if he had Buck Owens' new box set. We listened to some of that, and that is where ‘Just Call Me Lonesome’ came from. It was in that same musical ballpark.”

“Just call me lonesome, heartbroke and then some / 'Cause I ain't got no one, since you've been gone / You called me baby, now I've got a new name / Don't need my old one, call me lonesome from now on,” Foster sings in the lyrics of the song's chorus.

“That song was a special beginning for us,” notes Ducas. “We went on to write a bunch more songs, but this song was the most important for me because it was my first cut. It helped launch his solo career, and I also gained a lot of attention from it. I think it fast tracked a lot of things for me. Radney is like my big brother in the business. He has always been there for me. I'm just real grateful to have him as a friend.”

Watch the Radney Foster 'Just Call Me Lonesome' Video