Line Dancing Has a New Face with Nancy Hays, and New Single 1, 2, 3, Too Many Times
Nancy Hays has released 1, 2, 3, Too Many Times, an undiscovered gem that surfaced following the funeral of songwriter Marjorie Reeves, who co-wrote Nancy’s biggest hit, Come Dance With Me. 1, 2, 3, Too Many Times is available through streaming services at Amazon, Apple, Spotify and others, or can be accessed on Hear Now or on YouTube, .
On October 10, 2021 at Marjorie’s funeral, a fellow songwriter, Jim Snyder mentioned a dance song to Nancy that he had composed with Marjorie Reeves and Gerald Smith, who previously played “The Quacker” on the TV series Hee Haw and has written songs for George Strait and other major artists. The trio of writers penned 1, 2, 3, Too Many Times more than a decade before. It is a classic style country song about a woman in a dance hall who observes her sweetheart dancing with his former flame, who then steals him away waltzing. Despite its catchy lyric and infectious melody, the song was never recorded or released until Nancy’s Hays and Randy Gardner produced it in 2022. The song also features back up vocals by Ronnie Milsap’s harmony singer and lead guitarist, Jamie Brantley, whose distinctive voice also backs Nancy’s lead vocals on Come Dance with Me.
The jacket art for 1, 2, 3, Too Many Times shows a young Nancy Hays wearing a yellow country music party dress, which was her costume for a show at Opryland USA in Nashville during her late teens. This was an image taken by a photographer as she sang Tennessee Waltz, another classic waltzing song about the exact same subject as 1, 2, 3, Too Many Times.
1, 2, 3, Too Many Times was recorded in a log cabin on a farm in Bethpage, Tennessee belonging to Marjorie Reeves daughter, Susan and her husband, Dale, where Marjorie is buried. Nancy says that she felt blessed by Marjorie’s presence on the days of the recording. “The scenery on Susan and Dale’s farm is beautiful and this was a recording session like no other I have ever experienced in my life! I could feel Marjorie’s spirit in the music. I know she is continuing to bless us, even after she has gone to heaven.”
A popular dance instructor in Florida, Frank Trace, has choreographed a line dance to 1, 2, 3, Too Many Times entitled Too Many Times and has created a step sheet and tutorial for it, seen here on YouTube.
1, 2, 3, Too Many Times is the first single off of Nancy Hays’ soon to be completed 12 song vinyl album project, Come Waltz with Me. The first three singles from her new project are all waltzes. Releases two and three will be songs co-written by Nancy and award-winning Irish fiddler, Liz Carroll.