“Ain’t It Funny” was written by Norman Wright, a mandolin player and singer with the Country Gentlemen. The Country Gentlemen recorded it on their 1988 album “Return Engagement,” with Wright singing the lead.
The song is a rueful look back at love and the passage of time. Its chorus reflects that love has made the singer and his partner what they are today; the title carries the wry, bittersweet tone of someone weighing how things turned out.
The song moved through the bluegrass repertoire after the Country Gentlemen’s recording. The version heard here is by Lou Reid.
