L’ Effed Overs (1977)

Genre: Country

“L’Effed Overs”—renamed for this studio update—is as appropriately titled as any of my songs. Of all the ditties I penned in the 1970s, this one scrapes the bottom of the barrel. Its uncensored title and chorus contained a repeated four-letter word. For this remake, I opted to Frenchify the name in hopes that the faux French would add an element of sophistication to the original risqué. Also, being the son-of-a-father who loved limericks, H. Allen Smith and Ogden Nash, I can never pass up a good pun.

This was a collaborative effort between “Chuck” Vavra (at the time I was still known by that moniker) and a good friend from high school, also named Chuck.

How I came to adopt the nickname “Charlie” is another story—involving both respect and practicality. First and foremost, I wanted to honor another Charles—my grandfather and namesake—who lived in Boulder for over 50 years. As a side benefit, it cleared up the inevitable confusion when two buddies with the same first name introduced themselves socially.

Chuck and I each contributed verses on a theme that only two entitled white males in their 20s could have written: how grievously we had been wronged during the first two decades of our short lives. We gave ourselves permission to be as whiny as possible.

At its core, this is a woe-is-me country song that was always fun to perform as a singalong on the chorus (especially after a few beers). This version gives the listener plenty of opportunities to join in.

This recording is in memory of Charles Arthur “Chuck” Gregory, Jr., born in 1954 and passed on in 2021.