About The Song
“Bimbo” was one of Jim Reeves’ earliest major hits and a key step in establishing him as a national country artist. The song was written in the late 1940s, most often credited to Rod Morris, though some sources also list Glenn O’Dell or associate it with Pee Wee King. Reeves recorded it in 1953 for the independent Abbott Records label in Shreveport, Louisiana, during the period when he was performing regularly on the Louisiana Hayride.
Released as Abbott 148 with “Gypsy Heart” on the B-side, the single reached number one on the Billboard country chart in January 1954. It became Reeves’ second consecutive chart-topper after “Mexican Joe” the previous year. The record sold strongly and helped move him beyond regional success into wider recognition.
The lyric is a light-hearted novelty number about a small boy named Bimbo who wins over everyone he meets. In an era when many country songs dealt with heartbreak or hard living, the cheerful, story-driven character of “Bimbo” stood out. Reeves delivered it in a more straightforward, up-tempo country style that differed from the smooth, restrained ballads he would later perfect.
At the time of the recording Reeves was still developing his professional identity. He had worked as a radio announcer and was building a following through live appearances and the Hayride. The back-to-back success of “Mexican Joe” and “Bimbo” confirmed that he was more than a one-hit performer and led to further opportunities, including his eventual move to the major label RCA Victor in 1955.
In 1957 RCA issued an album titled *Bimbo* that collected many of Reeves’ early Abbott recordings, including both number-one hits. He himself described the collection as containing the records that had “made him.” The album was well received among country disc jockeys and ranked high in Billboard’s year-end poll of favorite country albums.
Although “Bimbo” belongs to the earlier, more traditional phase of Reeves’ career, it remains an important marker of his rise. Later reissues and compilations continued to include the track, preserving the playful novelty side of an artist who would become best known for the polished Nashville Sound style of the late 1950s and early 1960s.
Video
Lyric
I’m calling to tell you it’s over
Yes, darling you’re now free to go,
You’re saying you’re sorry you hurt me
But you hurt me much more than you know.
You’re asking me where this call comes from
Oh, I hope that you won’t end up here.
If your new romance turns out a failure
Here’s where to find me, my dear.
I’m just on the blue side of lonesome
Right next to the Heartbreak Hotel,
In a tavern that’s known as ‘Three Teardrops’
On a bar stool not doing so well.
The floor has a carpet of sorrow
But no one can weep in the aisle,
And the say someone broke the bar mirror
With only the ghost of a smile.
The hands on the clock never alter
For things never change in this place,
There’s no present, no past, no future
We’re the ones who have lost in love’s race.
I’m just on the blue side of lonesome
Right next to the Heartbreak Hotel,
In a tavern that’s known as ‘Three Teardrops’