What is up with Tennessee Ernie Ford's expression on this album cover?

tew1.jpg

Yesterday, I knew nothing of Tennessee Ernie Ford. But after spotting this old LP in a thrift store, I now know that he is the master of a certain facial expression, hard to describe in words, but encompassing emotions such as "WTF," "Huh?" and "Christ, not this shit again!"

Religious awe is a possible explanation, but I soon figured out the true context: Ernie has clearly just seen his reflection in the mirror after trying out a new artificial tanning lotion. It may be said that these explanations are not necessarily incompatible with one another.

This complex and multi-layered expression is now rarely seen in the wild, as it is the intellectual property of Dreamworks and may only be used in animated feature films.

Ernie has several other noteworthy facial expressions.

ernie2.jpg

ernie3.jpg

ernie4.jpg

ernie5.jpg

ernie6.jpg