Archive for June, 2006
Tuesday, June 27th, 2006
200 Essential 80’s Singles
Part 5:
#100-#76
#100
“Tennessee Homesick Blues”
Dolly Parton
1984
Peak: #1
Parton sings in the voice of a homesick Tennessean turned off by the coldness of New York City. In one of life’s little ironies, I’m a New Yorker who lived in Tennessee for four years, and I share Parton’s homesickness. A beautiful tribute to the very best qualities of southern life.
#99
“Don’t Cheat In Our Hometown”
Ricky Skaggs
1983
Peak: #1
The cuckold’s anthem. Skaggs just asks that if his wife is going to cheat, she do it where his neighbors can’t see, and preferably with someone other than his best friend.
#98
“Fishin’ In The Dark”
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
1987
Peak: #1
Album artists to the core, their greatest contribution will always be their Will The Circle Be Unbroken collections. But this ridiculously catchy single makes you want to find a canoe and go fishing in the dark, weather be damned.
#97
“Think About Love”
Dolly Parton
1985
Peak: #1
It’s a tribute to Dolly Parton’s warmth as a singer that even against the sterile backdrop of mid-eighties synthesizers, she can shine through with sheer passion and heart as she pines for a man who doesn’t realize what he’s missing.
#96
“Ring On Her Finger, Time On Her Hands”
Lee Greenwood
1982
Peak: #5
Greenwood is the epitome of the early 80’s country star: all bombast, no subtlety. His Vegas showboating garnered him two CMA Male Vocalist Awards, back when singing intensely was enough to earn praise. Most of his records have aged terribly, but this one, his first top five hit, still sounds good today because he lets the song shine through, sparing us the vocal histrionics that marred his later work.
#95
“Goin’ Gone”
Kathy Mattea
1987
Peak: #1
A gorgeous tale of true love finally found, Mattea’s first #1 hit uses the metaphor of a lighthouse to pay tribute to the love that has shown her the way to happiness.
#94
“Whiskey, If You Were A Woman”
Highway 101
1987
Peak: #2
A woman sings about the competition she has for her man’s affections, and you think this is another one of those doormat songs, where the lady puts up with a cheating man. When she reveals in the chorus that it’s whiskey competing with her for her man’s soul, you suddenly have the most powerful testament to the downfalls of alcohol since “There Stands The Glass.”
#93
“My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys”
Willie Nelson
1980
Peak: #1
He may have done a bit of ribbing to the myth of the cowboy life with “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys”, but he destroys it entirely here, as he mourns the cowboy way, which has led him to exploiting women who love him until the only affection he can get it is from the hookers who’ll take his money.
#92
“Do I Ever Cross Your Mind”
Dolly Parton
1982
Peak: #1 (flip)
Released at the height of her pop days, this is one of the best country songs she ever released. As the b-side to her glossy cover of her own “I Will Always Love You”, this remains a golden treasure from her catalog just waiting to be rediscovered.
#91
“I Know Where I’m Going”
The Judds
1987
Peak: #1
There’s always been a spiritual undercurrent to the work of The Judds, becoming even more pronounced during Wynonna’s solo career. Here, it surfaces for the first time, with a clever parallel between religious salvation and finding love.
#90
“Baby I Lied”
Deborah Allen
1983
Peak: #4
Until Trisha Yearwood scored a massive hit with “Believe Me Baby (I Lied)” in 1996, this was the best play on that concept country music had seen. Allen does her best Juice Newton impression with this crossover smash.
#89
“Smoky Mountain Rain”
Ronnie Milsap
1980
Peak: #1
Rip-off of “Kentucky Rain”? Yes. Worth a listen anyway because of its pure camp and melodrama? Hell yes.
#88
“When You Say Nothing At All”
Keith Whitley
1988
Peak: #1
Yes, the Alison Krauss & Union Station cover in 1995 was the definitive version, which was somewhat ironic given they recorded it for a Whitley tribute album. But a great song is a great song, and Whitley’s pure vocal makes it shine.
#87
“Now I Lay Me Down To Cheat”
David Allan Coe
1982
Peak: #62
“Now I lay me down to cheat on the woman I love so, and if I die between the sheets, I pray to God she’ll never know.” Coe may be the best honky-tonk singer in history because he doesn’t mince words. This is country music at its most raw.
#86
“One Promise Too Late”
Reba McEntire
1987
Peak: #1
Of course, in the 80’s, the men could cheat and sing about feeling bad for it, but the women wouldn’t dare. Instead, we get this awesome single from Reba, the definitive female vocalist of the 80’s, moaning the fact that she’s met the man of her dreams “one promise too late.” As she wails, “Where were you when I could’ve loved you?” you can’t help but admire her commitment to a promise she wishes she hadn’t made. Sure, Reba herself divorced the same year, but who said art needed to imitate life?
#85
“Crying”
Roy Orbison & k.d. lang
1987
Peak: #42
The world is introduced to a vocal powerhouse, as newcomer k.d. lang makes the rafters ring with her plaintive wail. Why would anyone want to listen to Orbison’s solo original again?
#84
“I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me”
Rosanne Cash
1985
Peak: #1
Funny story. Cash was nominated for a Grammy and lost. As she drove home, tongue-in-cheek, she sang to herself “I got new shoes, new dress, I don’t know why you don’t want me.” Husband Rodney Crowell talked her in to fleshing it out to a real song, and she scored a #1 hit with it – and it was nominated for a Grammy; this time, she won.
#83
“In My Dreams”
Emmylou Harris
1984
Peak: #9
Harris did her best to make a rock album with White Shoes, but her country soul shone through, even with her heartbreaking cover of Donna Summer’s “On The Radio.” This was one of the only hits, and it scored her a country Grammy.
#82
“I’ll Always Come Back”
K.T. Oslin
1988
Peak: #1
You’re never sure if she’s singing to her lover or a child that she doesn’t have custody of, but either way, her commitment to always come back is a thing of beauty.
#81
“On The Road Again”
Willie Nelson
1980
Peak: #1
One of Willie’s iconic hits, it makes you want to follow him around the country like a Dead Head.
#80
“I’m Ragged But I’m Right”
Johnny Cash
1983
Peak: #75
Damn right you are.
#79
“Daddy’s Hands”
Holly Dunn
1986
Peak: #7
A poignant tale of love from daughter to father. The reason the CMA gave her the Horizon Award is the promise that this early record indicated.
#78
“Old Hippie”
The Bellamy Brothers
1985
Peak: #2
What happens when a hippie gets older, and can’t get into new wave? Well, he holds on to his beliefs, grows his own pot, and tries to make sense of the world around him. A sensitive portrait that makes a great companion to Haggard’s “Are The Good Times Really Over?” Regardless of whether you’re liberal or conservative, getting older will still make you feel like your time has come and gone.
#77
“Starting Over Again”
Dolly Parton
1980
Peak: #1
Emmylou Harris never sent her cover of “On The Radio” to country radio, but Dolly covered Donna Summer’s “Starting Over Again”, and country fans found out that the disco queen was a brilliant songwriter, listening to this sad tale of an older couple deciding to divorce and go out on their own – “Facing fifty years old, breaking up a happy home, and this far down the road you find yourself alone – two fools, starting over again.”
#76
“Rockin’ With The Rhythm Of The Rain”
The Judds
1986
Peak: #1
Having sex to the beat of the rain falling down. From “Lightning Strikes” to “Georgia Rain”, it’s been the premise of hit records for decades. This Judds hit is possibly the best spin on it.
Saturday, June 24th, 2006
Last year, I posted the top twelve worthy inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Sadly, the CMA only took one of my three suggestions: Glen Campbell, with the other two slots going to Alabama and DeFord Bailey. I seemed to have forgotten those new categories that allowed for more recent artists to become inductees. Oh well. Here’s the revised list for 2006:
Top Twelve Worthy Inductees to the Country Music Hall of Fame
2006 Edition
1. Jimmy Bowen
As a record label president, he had the golden touch. He turned around the fortunes of Warner Bros., MCA and Capitol Nashville during his tenure at each respective label. When he sat in the producer’s chair, George Strait, Hank Williams Jr. and Reba McEntire became superstars, and artists ranging from Merle Haggard to Dean Martin mounted comebacks. His skills and successes were both impressive, but what makes him worthy of the Hall of Fame was his vision: he was the first major label president to switch to paying musicians double and triple scale; he was the first to cease production of vinyl records; and, most importantly, he was the torch-bearer for switching to all-digital recording. He also was a powerful voice for artists having a say in their own music; Strait & McEntire are still superstars today because of the lessons they learned from Jimmy Bowen. He’s never been popular in Nashville, but his impact is undeniable.
2. Rodney Crowell
There will come a time when historians will argue that Rodney Crowell was the greatest country songwriter that ever lived, but for now, I’ll make the less controversial claim that he’s the greatest one to come along in the last thirty years. He’s a pretty damn good artist, too, along with a top-notch producer, but he is definitely writing himself into the Hall of Fame. Beginning with his early and continuous association with Emmylou Harris, who can rightly claim she discovered him, his list of classics have continued to grow: “Til I Gain Control Again”, “Please Remember Me”, “I Don’t Know Why You Don’t Want Me”, “Leavin’ Louisiana In The Broad Daylight”, “Ashes By Now”, right up to the recent Keith Urban #1 “Making Memories Of Us.” The dirty secret is that artists with good taste have learned to just wait until Crowell has released a new album, and find their future hits on it. His songwriting prowess is still somehow growing; his latest series of albums, particularly The Outsider, show he is still a force to be reckoned with, perhaps now more than ever.
3. Chet Flippo
As a senior editor of Rolling Stone magazine in the 1970’s, Flippo’s work was pivotal in elevating the national profile of the country outlaw movement. By covering Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings on the same level as The Rolling Stones and Crosby, Stills & Nash, the renegades of that generation of country music were given access to a fan base that would embrace them, even though they’d cringe at the rest of the music dominating NashVegas. Flippo has continued to have an impact on country music, through his work at Billboard magazine to his current recurring column, Nashville Skyline at CMT.com, in addition to preserving the history of the genre with excellent biographies, particularly You’re Cheatin’ Heart, the story of Hank Williams. But the most important impact remains his creation of a group of consumers who “hate country music” but like Waylon, Johnny & Willie. This segment still exists today, as people who will claim the same thing buy Alison Krauss, Lucinda Williams and Lyle Lovett records.
4. Tom T. Hall
The classic country story-teller, Tom T. Hall was responsible for some of the best story songs in the history of the genre. His observational style of writing managed to capture large truths in the telling of small details. A story about a widowed mother in a mini-skirt being shamed by the Harper Valley P.T.A. made a much larger statement about the hypocrisy of the “do as I say, not as I do” authority figures of the late sixties; his own hit “The Year That Clayton Delaney Died” became a universal expression of affection for the “Clayton Delaney” in any person’s childhood. His songs are still being revived today; as recently as 1996, Alan Jackson scored a huge hit with Tom’s “Little Bitty”. He belongs beside Roger Miller and Harlan Howard in the Hall of Fame.
5. Emmylou Harris
The gold standard of musical integrity, Emmylou Harris is the most significant female artist not currently in the Hall of Fame. Beginning her career as the harmony singer for Gram Parsons, her solo work has been distinguished by impeccable song selection, flawless musicianship and vocals beyond reproach. From her 1975 debut Pieces of the Sky to her most recent album, 2003’s Stumble Into Grace, Harris has forged an independent musical path that has crossed ways with traditional country, bluegrass, rock, blues and southern gospel. She has the most consistent album catalog of any country music artist in history, and has raised the bar for every artist to come along since.
6. Wanda Jackson
The rockabilly queen is long overdue for acknowledgement of her key role in creating that genre. While touring with (and dating) Elvis Presley, she was inspired by him to begin cutting rockin’ country records like “Let’s Have A Party”, “Hot Dog! That Made Him Mad!” and the mind-boggling “Fujiyama Mama.” She was a firebrand on stage, growling into the microphone while she shook her assets in a barely-there dress. She knocked down doors for the way women in country music could express themselves on record and on stage. Without her precedent, you don’t have the ferocious vocals of Brenda Lee, Tanya Tucker and Wynonna Judd, or the confidently sexual attitudes of Shania Twain and Faith Hill.
7. Ronnie Milsap
A legend in his own time, blind pianist Ronnie Milsap racked up an incredible 35 #1 hits during his superstar run in the 1970’s and 1980’s. He infused his country with more than a little bit of soul and sixties pop, producing melodic songs that embedded in the memory. His commercial success is the primary reason he belongs in the Hall, but his talent shouldn’t be underestimated; his virtuoso piano playing was leagues above ordinary.
8. Jerry Reed
A brilliant instrumentalist first, he’s probably the greatest artist-musician not already in the Hall of Fame. Check out “The Claw” if you’re doubting his guitar prowess. Reed is also second only to Hall-of-Famer Roger Miller in the history of country music’s musical comedians. His hilarious records like “When You’re Hot, You’re Hot”, “Lord Mr. Ford” and “She Got the Goldmine (I Got The Shaft)” slipped in clever social commentary; he may be singing in the voice of a fool, but there’s wisdom in those characters he created.
9. Kenny Rogers
Country music’s first genuine, bona fide superstar. He was the first country artist to experience stratospheric sales, regularly selling multi-platinum at his peak. Many country artists have songs cross over, but Kenny Rogers was a legitimate pop star, having massive success with “Lady” and “The Gambler”, and dueting with everyone from Kim Carnes to Sheena Easton. Before Garth, there was nobody bigger than Kenny. He’s long overdue for the Hall of Fame.
10. The Statler Brothers
This vocal quartet was the traditional bedrock of country music, their four-part harmonies embracing songs of nostalgia for the old days and gospel tunes of yore. They won CMA Vocal Group of the Year an astonishing nine times, and were ambassadors for the format on TNN in the early 90’s. Ever since their debut smash “Flowers On The Wall” in 1966, they have been an integral part of country music history. As the most successful vocal group (in the purest sense), with an endless list of hits, they belong in the Hall.
11. Mel Tillis
Mel Tillis is one of the most successful pre-1975 acts that isn’t in the Hall of Fame yet. This former Entertainer of the Year scored hit after hit for 20 years, but contemporary fans are more likely to know him as Pam Tillis’ dad. In truth, a lot of his recorded work isn’t very memorable – daughter certainly outshined daddy in that regard – but his songwriting catalog is legendary, including such standards as “Heart Over Mind”, “Honey, Open That Door”, “I Ain’t Never”, “Detroit City” and “Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town.” He also wrote the very progressive “Mental Revenge” and “Unmitigated Gall”, which also turned into hits. It’s for his pen more than his voice that he deserves the plaque. Pick up Pam’s tribute album to Dad’s songs (It’s All Relative) and you’re sure to agree.
12. Hank Williams, Jr.
After having fifty chart hits, and falling off a mountain, Williams seized control of his music and created a music and persona that is still iconic today. His hard-drinking, party animal sound created a persona completely different from his legendary father; it’s safe to assume that non-country fans are more familiar with Hank Jr. than his daddy. He’s the only major outlaw to not receive this honor; for his impressive body of work, from “Family Tradition” to “All My Rowdy Friends Are Coming Over Tonight”, he’s due.
Friday, June 23rd, 2006
Perusing the SoundScan totals for country albums makes all of those mergers and layoffs seem a lot more understandable. Wow, the market is weak. Even Entertainer of the Year nominees are having a hard time breaking the million mark.
Here are the totals for the most recent albums by country artists, with the weeks released included to give a sense of how long it took to reach those marks. The albums are ranked by total sales to date. Here are the only current albums to scan over a million units:
1. Shania Twain Greatest Hits (84 weeks) 3.46 million
2. Carrie Underwood Some Hearts (31 weeks) 3.16 million
3. Keith Urban Be Here (91 weeks) 3.04 million
4. Kenny Chesney Road & The Radio (33 weeks) 2.31 million
5. Sugarland Twice The Speed of Life (86 weeks) 1.97 million
6. Rascal Flatts Me & My Gang (11 weeks) 1.88 million
7. Faith Hill Fireflies (46 weeks) 1.87 million
8. Trace Adkins Songs About Me (65 weeks) 1.48 million
9. Martina McBride Timeless (35 weeks) 1.12 million
10. Brad Paisley Time Well Wasted (44 weeks) 1.11 million
11. Dixie Chicks Taking The Long Way (4 weeks) 1.10 million
12. Gretchen Wilson All Jacked Up (38 weeks) 1.10 million
13. Dierks Bentley Modern Day Drifter (58 weeks) 1.09 million
The only albums on this list that are still actively selling, meaning they’re scanning more than 25k a week, are the Chicks, Rascal Flatts and Carrie Underwood. The Paisley, Chesney and Bentley CD’s have slowed down considerably, but still sell between 20-25k a week, so they could conceivably pad their totals by quite a bit.
Here are some albums that have a shot at cracking the million mark. The McGraw hits collection and the new Toby Keith are still selling in the 35-40k range each week, but are slowing down considerably faster than normal for those two artists. Of the two, McGraw’s will likely have much longer legs due to the inclusion of “Live Like You Were Dying” and a few other big hits.
1. Brooks & Dunn Hillbilly Deluxe (42 weeks ) 894 k
2. Tim McGraw Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (12 weeks) 881 k
3. Toby Keith White Trash With Money (10 weeks) 774 k
4. Alan Jackson Precious Memories (16 weeks) 718 k
5. Josh Turner Your Man (21 weeks) 712 k
Thursday, June 22nd, 2006
200 Essential 80’s Singles
Part 4:
#125-#101
#125
“All My Ex’s Live In Texas”
George Strait
1987
Peak: #1
Classic Texas swing from the modern master. Strait almost sounds relieved to be hiding out in Tennessee from all those ex’s living in Texas.
#124
“Trainwreck of Emotion”
Lorrie Morgan
1988
Peak: #20
Morgan finally broke through with her RCA debut single, after several false starts with various labels since the late seventies. She finally has a good lyric to wrap her voice around, and the production backs her up, complete with a steel guitar doing a damn good train whistle impression.
#123
“If It Don’t Come Easy”
Tanya Tucker
1988
Peak: #1
If it don’t come easy, you better let it go. Damn skippy.
#122
“Life Turned Her That Way”
Ricky Van Shelton
1988
Peak: #1
Shelton’s stark portrait of a bitter woman run down by life would sound condescending if it wasn’t so heartfelt and sincerely delivered. “I hate to admit it, but the last footprint’s mine” foreshadowed his own marital troubles that were on the way.
#121
“Don’t Go To Strangers”
T. Graham Brown
1987
Peak: #1
Brown give his cheating wife the smackdown, reminding her when she complains that her affairs aren’t satisfying, “if you want love, don’t go to strangers.” Ouch.
#120
“Fool Hearted Memory”
George Strait
1982
Peak: #1
Strait’s first #1 hit shows he’s a cowboy who likes a good turn of phrase.
#119
“How Blue”
Reba McEntire
1984
Peak: #1
After nearly a decade of middling records drenched with strings, McEntire rediscovered her country roots and put out her first new traditionalist single. Listeners finally got to hear her voice shine for the first time, minus all the saccharine studio sweeteners that marred her early work.
#118
“We’ve Got Tonight”
Kenny Rogers & Sheena Easton
1983
Peak: #1
Better to leave the pop music to the master. Look, Rogers was able to get Miss Sugar Walls herself to duet with him, and they made a drippy let’s-get-it-on hit that still sounds great today.
#117
“Have Mercy”
The Judds
1985
Peak: #1
The Judds make an absurd twist on the doormat female stereotype so common in country music. By exaggerating the abuse the woman takes in the song – the rogue empties her bank account by the time it’s all said and done. Wynonna’s vocal is too saucy for her to not be in on the joke.
#116
“Seven Spanish Angels”
Ray Charles & Willie Nelson
1984
Peak: #1
Ray Charles received a lot of praise towards the end of his life for his musical legacy. Often overlooked during these retrospectives was his huge impact on country music in the early 1960’s, where he introduced a soulful country style that still surfaces today. Charles is so talented, as is his partner here, Willie Nelson, that this song, which on paper is a ludicrous Tex-Mex love saga, sounds completely convincing in the hands of these two masters.
#115
“Deeper Than The Holler”
Randy Travis
1988
Peak: #1
Those city singers can talk about the stars and the ocean, but this country boy is going to use the holler to show how deep his love is. Cheesy, sure, but nobody could touch this guy in 1988, and he absolutely owns this record.
#114
“The Bird”
Jerry Reed
1982
Peak: #2
One of the best novelty records in country music history, Reed meets a guy at a bar with a bird that can sing like Willie Nelson and George Jones. It gives Reed an opportunity to do dead-on impressions of those two distinctive vocalists.
#113
“Why Does It Have To Be (Wrong or Right)”
Restless Heart
1987
Peak: #1
An epic of moral ambiguity that basically wonders why we can’t just all have guilt-free sex. Yep, that’s the message hiding under all those pretty harmonies.
#112
“She’s Single Again”
Janie Fricke
1985
Peak: #2
Cosmpolitan Country Camp.
#111
“There Goes My Love”
Pam Tillis
1987
Peak: #71
Tillis’ only Warner Bros. single that shows the promise she’d deliver on with Arista in the 1990’s, she delivers a wonderful performance of the Buck Owens chestnut.
#110
“Blue Side of Town”
Patty Loveless
1988
Peak: #4
Few names are more synonymous with hardcore country than Patty Loveless, and this was the lead single from an album called Honky Tonk Angel. Sure, the lyrics celebrate a honky tonk, but with snare drum and rockabilly rhythms, this is anything but traditional country.
#109
“I Know How He Feels”
Reba McEntire
1988
Peak: #1
One of the best productions of any single from this era, this song expertly builds from a sparse arrangement to a full-blown ballad so subtly that the listener barely notices.
#108
“Walk The Way The Wind Blows”
Kathy Mattea
1986
Peak: #10
The album was a surprise nominee for Album of the Year at the CMA’s, but voters were picking up on a seismic shift in women’s perspective on record in country music. She’s leaving, not with tears in her eyes or fake bravado. Just a matter-of-fact observation that it didn’t work out, and it’s time to see what next. This wistful take on love gone bad was a new wind blowing, indeed.
#107
“Little Rock”
Reba McEntire
1986
Peak: #1
Reba’s own spin on “Lyin’ Eyes”, sitting home in her big house ain’t cuttin’ it anymore. All those fancy things “don’t mean nothin’ when you can’t get a good night’s lovin’.” So she’s gonna go get laid downtown.
#106
“Little Sister”
Dwight Yoakam
1986
Peak: #7
Yoakam seems to think little sister is gonna do him just like her big sister done, unlike Elvis, who seems cautiously optimistic on the original recording. Yoakam’s still gonna take the ride, however, no matter how badly it ends.
#105
“Are The Good Times Really Over
(I Wish A Buck Was Still Silver)”
Merle Haggard
1982
Peak: #2
The Okie from Muskogee has given up the fight, no longer thinking he’s got a chance in the culture wars. If Haggard was insistent his way of life would win out on those early records, here he’s sadly accepted that the good times are really over; the hippies won.
#104
“Through The Years”
Kenny Rogers
1982
Peak: #5
Interesting that this didn’t do as well as his other romantic hits during the early eighties, but it’s aged better than most of them. The gold standard of country anniversary songs; listen closely, and you’ll notice just how much Shania Twain ripped off from Kenny with “You’re Still The One.”
#103
“If You’re Gonna Play In Texas
(You Gotta Have A Fiddle In The Band)”
Alabama
1984
Peak: #1
If you honestly believe the title’s assertion is true, you probably helped these guys get into the Hall of Fame. Inherently ridiculous, but an entertaining record nonetheless.
#102
“I Couldn’t Leave You If I Tried”
Rodney Crowell
1988
Peak: #1
Crowell finally gives himself some of the hits he’d been giving others for so many years, with a fantastic spin on a man in over his head in his latest love affair.
#101
“Pancho and Lefty”
Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard
1983
Peak: #1
Emmylou Harris is usually untouchable, but Nelson & Haggard absolutely blow her out of the water with this cover of a Western tale from her late 70’s Luxury Liner album. It sounds like they were born to tell this story in song, making this collaboration feel anything but forced.
Tuesday, June 20th, 2006
It was noted to me that I had spent a lot of time talking up the new Dixie Chicks album but haven’t mentioned it since it’s been released. I’ve been reading about the Chicks almost as much as listening to them, and I guess I just didn’t have anything to add to the conversation. But, since I’ve been asked to go on record, since my silence was apparently implying I wasn’t on board with the new project, let me say this:
I don’t have my words together yet to review the album at length, but after repeated listens over the past month, I will say that it is the best album of their career, and perhaps the best country album of the last ten years. I never thought they’d come close to the quality of Home, my favorite album of the last few years, but next to Taking The Long Way, even Home pales in comparison. Oh, and the new single, “Voice Inside My Head”, is their best single to date. Chills, every single time. I’m not sure if it’s about an abortion, or adoption, or just not holding out for the person of your dreams, but it’s incredibly powerful, with the impact not fading on repeated listenings.
So, in short, Chicks Rule. Now more than ever.
Saturday, June 10th, 2006
200 Essential 80’s Singles
Part 3:
#150-#126
#150
“Love Me Like You Used To”
Tanya Tucker
1987
Peak: #2
Tucker reached her commercial peak in the early nineties, but the foundation for that came with a string of highly successful radio hits in the late eighties. This tender ballad is one of the best, a quiet plea to return to “love me like you used to love me, when you used to love me.” The overproduction that would taint her later work has yet to surface, so she’s able to shine with just a great song and strong vocal performance.
#149
“I Told You So”
Randy Travis
1988
Peak: #2
The inner monologue of a man picturing what could happen if he crawled back to the lover he scorned. In the verses, he has the idealized version in his head, where he’s accepted back with open arms, but the chorus reveals his deepest fears as he pictures her saying “I told you so, but you had to go. Now I found somebody new and you will never break my heart in two again.”
#148
“Somebody Lied”
Ricky Van Shelton
1987
Peak: #1
Randy Travis, The Judds, Reba McEntire – they were the new traditionalists. Ricky Van Shelton was something different, sounding like something straight out of the 1960’s. There’s none of the neotraditional touches in the production or his vocal. Despite the better sound quality of modern recording technology, Shelton’s first #1 hit could have been ripped straight from the AM radio dial. Today, I saw a 2 artists on 1 CD budget collection – Ricky Van Shelton was paired with Ray Price. Despite the generation between their recording careers, it made perfect sense.
#147
“Do Ya’”
K.T. Oslin
1987
Peak: #1
The female counterpart to Travis’ “I Told You So”, Oslin’s first #1 hit was one of two songs of hers nominated for CMA Song of the Year in 1988. Her incisive songwriting and unique phrasing made her stand out among the tepid female voices of the era. Her age got most of the press, but it was her intelligence and attitude that was actually revolutionary for the time.
#146
“Crazy Over You”
Foster & Lloyd
1987
Peak: #4
One of the lesser-known acts of the alternative country scene that actually flourished at country radio for a couple of years, this duo thrived in the shadow of those awards-hogging Judd women. Radney Foster went on to have solo success as an artist and a writer, but never got more radio play than he did when he was half of this duo.
#145
“A Little Bit In Love”
Patty Loveless
1988
Peak: #2
It’s interesting that Patty first hit the top ten with a cover of the George Jones classic “If My Heart Had Windows”, then followed it up with a single written by the very modern Steve Earle – modern back then, at least. They haven’t found the right way to record her voice yet, so she sings in a lower register than she should, but the song is solid and catchy.
#144
“Love Will Turn You Around”
Kenny Rogers
1982
Peak: #1
While the pop sound he pioneered was scoring huge record sales for him and making all the wannabes followed suit, Rogers casually slipped this bright and twangy hit to radio and scored a smash. It wasn’t a change of direction – his next #1 had him singing with Sheena Easton – but it demonstrated his versatility.
#143
“Waltz Me To Heaven”
Waylon Jennings
1985
Peak: #10
If this seems oddly sweet and sentimental for the quintessential outlaw, check the writer’s credit. This waltz was penned by fellow Hall-of-Famer Dolly Parton.
#142
“Give A Little Love”
The Judds
1988
Peak: #2
The first single from their Greatest Hits collection, this record marked an important turning point for The Judds. It’s the first single that sounds like a Wynonna solo record, with mom fading into the background like a backup singer instead of a duet partner. Wynonna takes her distinctive growl out for a ride for the first time, and she starts to leave mom behind. At the end, it’s Wynonna letting loose, and the male backup singers stick around, but mom doesn’t. This earned them the fourth of their five Grammy awards.
#141
“Stranger In My House”
Ronnie Milsap
1983
Peak: #5
“I can’t find the love in her eyes anymore.” That’s one line. The chorus: “There’s a stranger in my house, somebody here that I can’t see.” He’s blind and sings it without a trace of irony. Classic. All I need is him to duet with Terri Gibbs on “I Can See The Want To In Your Eyes” and I’m ready for heaven.
#140
“Yesterday’s Wine”
Merle Haggard & George Jones
1982
Peak: #1
Willie Nelson is such a brilliant writer that you can pick up an album of his that’s ten years old and find an awesome song that was ahead of its time but good for today. Haggard & Jones did just that, and rode “Yesterday’s Wine” straight to the top. Seek out the Nelson original, though; it’s superior to their duet version, and anchors a fascinating concept album.
#139
“A Country Boy Can Survive”
Hank Williams, Jr.
1982
Peak: #2
An anthem for all city-hating, progress-fearing rednecks. It’s mean and angry, with cutting lyrics like “You’ll only get mugged if you go downtown.” It’s a dark vision of the future that surely resonated with truth during the early 1980’s, when big cities were still on the decline. Today, with crystal meth destroying small towns and the cities booming again, it’s a curious reli that makes you wonder why the country boy settles for “survive” instead of aiming his goals a bit higher.
#138
“I’m Just An Old Chunk Of Coal
(But I’m Gonna Be A Diamond Someday)”
John Anderson
1981
Peak: #4
Not that there weren’t hillbillies in the early 80’s with higher aspirations than survival. Over a Western Swing beat, Anderson dreams of the big time – “I’m gonna be the world’s best friend. I’m gonna go around shaking everybody’s hand. I’m gonna be the cotton-pickin’ rage of the age.” This was his first great single.
#137
“Cry”
Crystal Gayle
1986
Peak: #1
Gayle dusted off this smooth Lynn Anderson hit from 1972, taking it all the way to the top of the charts, two places higher than Anderson’s original reached. She tones down the production that marred the original and trusts her vocal and the lyrics to do the heavy lifting.
#136
“(Do You Love Me) Just Say Yes”
Highway 101
1988
Peak: #1
This band scored two CMA Vocal Group of the Year wins right off the bat, thanks to their then-ballsy production and lead singer Paulette Carlson’s distinctive voice. Taking a funny spin on the “Just Say No!” campaign that was a joke by 1988, they craft a catchy love song that would still liven up radio today.
#135
“Gonna Take A Lot Of River”
Oak Ridge Boys
1988
Peak: #1
When Jimmy Bowen took over production duties for the Oak Ridge Boys, he had them record their vocals separately instead of all on one track. The result was a cleaner sound that didn’t muddy up the speakers like their earlier work. Comparing this Cajun-flavored track to their 1979 destruction of “Leavin’ Louisiana In The Broad Daylight” shows what a difference a good producer makes.
#134
“I Tell It Like It Used To Be”
T. Graham Brown
1985
Peak: #7
Brown’s breakthrough hit is all blues-hall growl and blue-eyed soul. It makes you want to punch the producer who added the horn section.
#133
“Someday”
Steve Earle
1986
Peak: #28
Earle spins a story about a town where “you go to school and learn to read and write, then walk up to the counter and sign away your life.” He’s the voice of every person trapped in a small town that wants to get out someday, but probably never will.
#132
“Could I Have This Dance”
Anne Murray
1980
Peak: #1
Murray sang the first verse in a lower register as a place-holder for Kenny Rogers, who they hoped would sing it on the final recording. The producers of Urban Cowboy liked it just fine without him and didn’t want her to change the vocal. True story.
#131
“Driving My Life Away”
Eddie Rabbitt
1980
Peak: #1
For a song featured in a movie starring Meat Loaf, it’s held up well over time. Proof positive that Rabbitt was the male Juice Newton.
#130
“Only In My Mind”
Reba McEntire
1985
Peak: #5
Her only self-penned hit, Reba is asked by her husband, as they watch the children play in the park, if she’s ever cheated on him. She reveals yes, but only in her mind. We never get the husband’s reaction, but one has to wonder if he took the car and told the lusty bitch she could walk home.
#129
“Big City”
Merle Haggard
1982
Peak: #1
These country boys don’t find a lot of happiness in the big city. Haggard is willing to leave his steady job and retirement plan to get away from this dirty city. Like the perennial “Take This Job and Shove It”, it’s really just a fantasy that lets off some steam – I doubt the protagonist here ever finds his way back to Montana.
#128
“Angel of the Morning”
Juice Newton
1981
Peak: #22
Newton takes a dusty AM radio hit and turns it into a pop spectacle, and both the song and her career are better for her effort.
#127
“Hard Times”
Lacy J. Dalton
1980
Peak: #7
A brilliant, raspy vocalist that never quite found the breakthrough hit to carry her to the big time. Her first top ten hit was a cutting Bobby Braddock composition that redefines what hard times really are, things like “a daddy and a mother living in a mansion and hating each other.”
#126
“Second To No One”
Rosanne Cash
1986
Peak: #5
Rosanne Cash’s forgotten hit, left off of all five of her U.S. compilations and even the more thorough Australian anthology released by Raven Records. It’s a mystery why this fantastic cut from her also-ignored gold album Rhythm & Romance keeps getting the short shrift. Her incisive lyrics take no prisoners: “I don’t think you know how bad you treat me, but I can’t live like a whore. She thinks she’s got the key to your heart, now I’ve got to wait by the door.” Since Columbia chose to skip over Rhythm & Romance in their batch of Cash reissues last summer, you need to get the Raven two-for-one CD of Somewhere In The Stars/Rhythm & Romance for you to hear it. It’s worth the money to have this great single and even better album in any form.
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