Introduction
In his deeply heartfelt rendition of “That’s The Way Love Goes,” Alan Jackson pays tribute to Merle Haggard—not just as a country legend, but as a songwriter whose words spoke the quiet truths of love and life. Originally written by Lefty Frizzell and Sanger D. Shafer, and recorded by Merle in 1983, the song became one of Haggard’s most graceful expressions of resigned romance. In Alan Jackson’s hands, it becomes an echo of Merle’s legacy, carried forward with reverence, simplicity, and soul.
The lyrics are soft-spoken and reflective:
“That’s the way love goes, babe / That’s the music God made…”
Rather than a dramatic heartbreak ballad, the song unfolds like a sigh of acceptance, acknowledging the sweetness and sorrow that love inevitably brings. Jackson, with his warm baritone and laid-back phrasing, delivers each line as if he’s sitting on a front porch telling a quiet truth—never rushing, never overstating.
His voice, unmistakable in its Southern elegance, holds steady throughout. There’s no need for vocal flourishes—just honesty, just feeling. You can sense how much Merle meant to him, not only musically, but personally. Jackson doesn’t just perform the song—he inhabits it, with the easy grace of someone who’s spent a lifetime listening to Merle’s records and learning how to tell a story without shouting.
The arrangement is simple and classic: acoustic guitar, soft pedal steel, light rhythm—true to Haggard’s style and Jackson’s own traditional roots. There’s nothing to distract from the message. Every instrument feels like it’s playing from memory, gently supporting the voice of a man honoring another.
What makes this performance so touching is that it doesn’t aim to reinterpret or reinvent—it aims to remember, and to pass that memory on with dignity. For fans of classic country, this tribute is a reminder of what makes the genre endure: songs about real life, sung with humility and heart.
“That’s The Way Love Goes” as performed by Alan Jackson is more than a cover—it’s a whispered thank-you from one great storyteller to another, a moment of musical grace that reminds us how simple truths can live forever when carried by the right voice.