Deborah Allen to Release Her Original Recording of “Hurt Me Bad (In a Real Good Way)” on June 13
Nashville, TN (June 13, 2025) – Award-winning country music singer and songwriter Deborah Allen releases the long-awaited original recording of her hit song, “Hurt Me Bad (In a Real Good Way),” to all major streaming services on June 13 via StarVista Music. Written and recorded by Allen, the track is the original version that legendary producer Tony Brown played for Patty Loveless, who fell in love with the song and recorded her own rendition of it, inviting Allen to sing harmony. The single went on to become a #1 country music hit for Loveless and beloved classic, and garnered Allen a Million-Air Award from BMI. Now, for the first time ever, fans can hear the song exactly as Allen originally envisioned it. Stream “Hurt Me Bad (In a Real Good Way)” HERE.
“I loved Patty’s version so much that I never felt the need to release my own,” Allen says. “But over the years, my fans have been asking me for it and it finally feels like the right time.”
“I was drawn to the melody and the lyrics of ‘Hurt Me Bad (In a Real Good Way),” reflects Loveless. “Radio was a little uncomfortable with the title at the time of its release. But lyrically, the song has a positive message… to see the good that comes out of bad. Can’t judge a song by its title. Timeless!” “Some songs remain relevant forever,” adds Brown, “and ’Hurt Me Bad,’ is one of those ‘evergreen’ songs, It’s so awesome to hear Deborah’s original version and it still impacts me as much as it did when it was first played for Patty Loveless. The song still kills me!”
Also on June 13, Allen will reissue five of her albums and her song “Hey Mr. President,” a testament to her incredible range and creative spirit. The albums include “Memphis Princess” (which features a bonus track, “What a World! What a World!”), “Deb In The Raw,” “Hear Me Now,” “Rockin’ Little Christmas” and her labor of love jazz album, “Nothing But Pearls,” recorded under the pseudonym Adrian Rose. Stream Deborah’s reissued albums HERE.
Allen’s songwriting talent and “swampy soul” vocals have brought her GRAMMY Award nominations, hit singles like “Baby I Lied,” “I’ve Been Wrong Before,” “Oh, How I Miss You Tonight” and “I Hurt For You” and the prestigious Lifetime Career Achievement Award from the Josie Awards. One of Music City’s finest songwriters, Deborah has more than 1,600 published songs, some of which have been recorded by Tanya Tucker, Patty Loveless, Brooks and Dunn, Reba McEntire, LeAnn Rhimes, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn, Tammy Wynette. George Jones, Diana Ross, Issac Hays, Mille Jackson, Fleetwood Mac and more.
She continues to tour year-round, with an upcoming appearance at the Grand Ole Opry on August 21 and a very special performance honoring her mother’s 100th birthday at the historic Franklin Theatre in Franklin, TN on August 23. Tickets for the Franklin Theatre concert are available HERE.
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IN HER OWN WORDS
Deb in the Raw (2000)
Stream HERE.
This album is truly “Deb in the Raw.” Usually, I’ll go into the studio and map out my songs in a real raw way just to formulate the arrangement. These are songs I had written while I was on the road: it’s just me, and Greg Foresman on guitar and an engineer. Maybe a couple of other things added in here or there. The songs are stripped down and I love them just how they are.
Memphis Princess (2006)
Stream HERE.
I recorded this album after I had moved to Nashville and had some success. I was born and raised in Memphis and was longing to intertwine my roots into my music. So I got ahold of Teenie Hodges’ phone number and called him up and invited him to come up and write some songs. We became such great friends, wrote a bunch of songs and eventually his brother Charles came up and he played the B3 in the house. We had so much fun. They were like my brothers. I truly love them. On the album, I’m paying respects to my R&B influences from Memphis. It’s a big part of who I was growing up and my country music has a hint of that in there.
There’s a bonus track on this new version of the album that I wrote with Teenie and Roger Cook called “What a World! What a World!” It’s never been released as a single but I put it out on YouTube. I had a blast making that video. I shot it all on my iPhone, driving all through town to get people to lip sync along with the lyrics. It was during the pandemic so it seemed like people were starved to have some fun. Then I emailed some friends asked if they’d want to lip sync a little part of the song. First T. Graham Brown got back to me right away, then the Bellamy Brothers, then Tanya Tucker, Crystal Gayle, Rhonda Vincent, Billy Dean, Ronnie McDowell, T.G. Shepard, the Flat River Band, Paul Overstreet, Pam Tillis, Roger Cook and Big Kenny from Big & Rich. It was one of the most fun projects ever.
Hear Me Now (2011)
Stream HERE.
There’s lots of straight country on this album, but is also a great blend of Nashville and my Memphis influences.
Back in Memphis, my parents had a business that did the custom upholstery for Elvis’ first bus, which I actually camped out in it when I was a kid. And we’d drive by Graceland every couple of weeks and sometimes see him out there riding horses or his golf cart and all of that really made an impression on me and I felt such a connection to him and his music. When he died, it just broke my heart and devastated me.
Years later, I was invited to perform at a private event at Graceland and got to take a self guided-tour before the show. As soon as I stuck my toe in the front door I felt like his spirit wrapped around me. I looked to the right and could just completely envision people gathered around the piano with Elvis singing. Every room that I would go to in the house came to life like that. After my performance, I was still mesmerized the whole ride home and couldn’t let go of that feeling. It was just so amazing. All of a sudden my mind came up with “Amazing Graceland” so when we got home at 2am, as soon as we hit the door I sat down at the grand piano, I said, “God please let me write a song that is worthy of the magnitude of the kind of person that Elvis was, his beautiful heart that was generous and magnanimous.”
Rockin’ Little Christmas (2013)
Stream HERE.
This is my only Christmas album and I had so much fun making it because I got to work with so many of my great friends: The Oak Ridge Boys, Suzy Bogguss, the Bellamy Brothers, Larry Gatlin and Bruce Channel, who co-wrote “Rockin’ Little Christmas” with me and sings on it too. Every artist should have a Christmas album!
Nothing But Pearls (2003) (as Adrian Rose)
Stream HERE.
This album is totally unlike anything I’ve ever done before – it will transport you back to the vintage era of jazz. I love country music with all my heart, but I also love classic artists like Billie Holliday and Ella Fitzgerald.
A few years back, I was recording a project, and during the recording process there’s always a lot of hurry up and wait. So during these breaks, I’d find myself drifting off and going up to the attic of my house where I’d play a bunch of my old jazz albums. I really immersed myself in the music and my love for it again, appreciating the great women who sang these incredible songs.
I decided that I wanted to create characters that did different styles of music, each named after my parents. So my jazz alter ego became Adrian Rose. Coincidentally, right at about the same time, I wandered into a wig shop and even though I’m not a wig person I walked out with two of them. It later struck me that the blonde wig was just what I needed to transform myself into Adrian Rose.
Later on, I did two nights with the Nashville Symphony and Adrian Rose opened up for me without the audience figuring out who she was!
