I certainly didn’t expect to create a third Country Universe post on Michael Jackson, but longtime readers know that this site would enter an extended period of mourning should anything ever happen to Dolly Parton.
She posted a video diary today about Jackson’s death. As usual, she radiates humanity and warmth. Those who are fortunate enough to have Parton as a character witness on judgment day should count their lucky stars!
The following is a guest contribution from Scott O’Brien.
“But someone killed tradition. And for that someone should hang.” –Larry Cordle & Larry Shell, “Murder on Music Row”
Dan Milliken’s recent post got me thinking: The country music I grew up with is nothing like the music on country radio today. If I turned on today’s country radio in 1988, I might not realize it was a country station and keep right on flipping. Back then, Randy Travis and Keith Whitley’s traditional twang ruled the airwaves. Today, they are dominated by the giggly teeny-bopper ditties of Taylor Swift and the boy band sounds of Rascal Flatts. Did they get away with murder on music row? Well, let’s start by briefly uncovering country’s traditional roots.
What is traditional country music? Is it simply anything from the past? That seems too broad; Shania Twain wasn’t traditional. Anything that isn’t pop? Maybe, but that is still a rather wide and subjective net. To me, traditional country music is honky tonk music. It heavily employs steel guitars, fiddles, and forlorn vocals. It moves at a slow pace. There are no drums or electric guitars. The songs typically deal with heavy topics such as heartbreak, cheating, or drinking, with a ballad here and there. In most cases, the goal is to induce pain. Not bad pain, but the therapeutic empathy that tugs your heart and helps you through your personal struggles. The patron saint of traditional country is Hank Williams. Hank’s first disciple is George Jones. Jones’ first disciple is Alan Jackson. The traditional template is supposed to help us decipher what is country and what is not. After all, what makes country music country if not fiddles and cheatin’ songs?
These days, traditionalists have a legitimate beef. When you turn on the radio, you don’t hear much steel guitar. Instead, you hear what might pass for 1990s pop, replete with fluffy repetitive lyrics, catchy drum beats, guitar riffs, and sex appeal. We aren’t preserving country music when the CMT Music Awards feature the B-52s and Def Leppard in lieu of John Anderson and Charley Pride. Was there a tribute to recently deceased traditionalist Vern Gosdin? No way. Do today’s artists “tear your heart out when they sing”? Not a chance. Is Keith Urban going to fill Conway Twitty’s shoes? Not a prayer. You know we are in trouble when pop-infused zipwire-flier Garth Brooks sounds more like Merle Haggard than today’s stars. Heck, just listen to Taylor Swift’s latest album. If that is country, I’ll kiss your ass. Nashville, we have a problem.
But let’s not go off the deep end just yet. Maybe traditionalists are thinking about things too narrowly. Country music is much more than Webb Pierce’s raw steel guitar-laden crooning. It always has been. Going back before Hank to the First Family of Country Music, the Carter family sound was an amalgam of several different sub-genres including Appalachian old-time, folk, and gospel. Jimmie Rodgers, the Father of Country Music, blended elements of jazz, gospel, old-time and blues to create some of the first country sounds. Marty Robbins played just about every musical style conceivable. Traditionalist hero Elvis Presley sang rockabilly. Johnny Cash had similar beginnings and even years later there was nothing “traditional” about his trademark up-tempo bass beat. Waylon Jennings’ music incorporated Buddy Holly’s rock-n-roll rhythm; he even wrote a song about how un-Hank-like his music was. Merle Haggard’s Bob Wills-inspired Bakersfield sound used amps and electric guitars. Even 1980s ACM Artist of the Decade Alabama shunned the steel guitar altogether and typically sang up-tempo, feel-good music. Yet these names are among the most venerated by traditionalists. What gives?
The problem is that traditionalists aren’t even sure what traditional country is. If it includes all artists who sold country records without crossing over to pop, the label is not very helpful. If it is strictly honky tonk, do we really want a bunch of Hank Williams clones? As great as he was, we surely do not. There has to be some updating – just ask Alan Jackson, who has innovated the traditionalist motif without sacrificing his authenticity. The genre has to evolve or it risks becoming boring and repetitive. Waylon Jennings understood this well (“It’s the same old tune, fiddle and guitar/Where do we take it from here?”). Hank Williams’ own son realized it too after trying for years to replicate his father’s sound. His song “Young Country” directly attacked the tradition-or-else mentality: “We like some of the old stuff/We like some of the new/But we do our own choosing/We pick our own music/If you don’t mind, thank you.” He is right. Why draw lines? Strict uniformity is not desirable in any genre, particularly country, whose trademark is its diversity of influences, instruments, rhythms, voices, song topics, and stories.
So what should define today’s country music? It should pay tribute to the past by incorporating and updating its unique fusion of diverse influences. It doesn’t have to be strictly “traditional.” But country music needs to capture the sentiments of rural and working class America. It needs to cover painful topics like drinking and cheating. It needs to tell colorful stories. It needs to tear your heart out sometimes. It also needs to make you feel good sometimes. What it shouldn’t do is become pop music. When country is indistinguishable from Top 40, it loses its soul. Unfortunately, this has happened with the Keith Urbans, Rascal Flatts, and Taylor Swifts – all talented artists to be sure. But country artists? Not so much. Still, there are old warhorses like George Strait who carry the torch and newcomers like Jamey Johnson who give us hope that country’s soul will stay alive and well.
As a tribute of sorts to her father who loved traditional country music, Tanya Tucker has compiled a set of twelve songs that pays homage to country music’s past. While not an example of traditionalism herself as a recording artist, Tucker ably demonstrates that she is more than capable of stepping into the role on this project, but also shows that this is not her most comfortable position as an artist.
Produced by accomplished and respected producer, Pete Anderson (Dwight Yoakam), Tucker’s new covers album, My Turn, is full of both oft sung and lesser known gems. Tucker shines on up-tempo fare such as Buck Owens’ “Love’s Gonna Live Here” with guest help from Jim Lauderdale, Don Gibson’s “Oh, Lonesome Me”, Charley Pride’s “Is Anybody Goin’ to San Antone” and the album’s best track, Merle Haggard’s “Ramblin’ Fever.” With the support of snappy productions to match Tucker’s assured vocals, these interpretations aptly showcase Tucker’s spunk and are where she seems to fully connect, both vocally and emotionally, to the songs and their lyrics, which is likely why the straightforward “Ramblin’ Fever” works so well for her. “If someone said I ever gave a damn/Well, the damn sure told you wrong/’Cause I’ve had ramblin’ fever all along”, she growls with utmost believability.
The more inferior songs, admittedly, tend to be the slower tracks. While they are sung very well, there seems to be a palpable disconnect between the singer and the songs. Tucker’s version of Lefty Frizzell’s “I Love You A Thousand Ways” is, however, a welcome exception. It sticks close to the original, but Tucker’s relaxed vocal manages to help it stand out from the other slow compositions on the album.
As is naturally common on covers projects such as this, Pete Anderson applies a warm quality to the production, which is sonically pleasant, but perhaps not quite the fit that Tanya Tucker’s uniquely rough voice calls for. Instead of seamlessly blending with Anderson’s productions, Tucker’s vocals often seem to be muted, as if her voice needed to be turned up a bit in the mixes. Likewise, the choices for some of the guest vocalists (The Grascals and Rhonda Vincent) did not work especially well. Their rootsy vocals were more of a distraction than a compliment to the songs on which they appeared.
While it is likely unreasonable to compare this project to other albums of its ilk, it’s impossible not to hold it up to previous efforts that have been recently offered by her peers (Patty Loveless, Martina McBride, etc), especially since some of the same ground has been covered here. Tucker’s husky, and even flirtatious vocal style naturally sets this project apart from those of her fellow artists, but it is not as strong or cohesive as the others. Despite its few shortcomings, however, it is still a solid effort and deserves a high-profile spot in one’s collection of covers albums.
I’ve heard it said so many times in the past week: the death of Michael Jackson is my generation’s equivalent of the Death of Elvis Presley. (I can only assume that makes Kurt Cobain our Janis Joplin?)
He was a controversial figure, to be sure, and much like Elvis, a tragic figure even before his tragic death. Being a music fan first, I lost interest in Jackson a long time ago, simply because he’s made so little music in the past two decades – a mere three studio albums in more than twenty years.
But there’s no doubt that he’s an icon, the embodiment of the MTV age and the breakdown of barriers between pop, R&B and dance music. Who does pop music have left that’s in the same league? Only Madonna, but since she’s still very much at the top of her game and is anything but a tragic figure, don’t expect the mourning for her to begin any time soon.
But pop music isn’t the only genre running low on icons. What country acts remain that could garner significant coverage upon their death? Johnny Cash’s death made the cover of Time magazine, an honor usually reserved for former Beatles members. CNN broadcast live from Tammy Wynette’s funeral back in 1998.
In contrast, Waylon Jennings and Porter Wagoner, two legends and Hall of Fame members, made barely a ripple in the national news media. It’s easy to imagine the same fate for George Jones and Merle Haggard, two country music icons that have never been nearly as popular in the media beyond country music.
Who are the icons in country music that could command the same attention as Wynette and Cash, or perhaps even Jackson, when their road comes to an end?
No words, printed or spoken, seem to do justice to the life and career of the late Michael Jackson, the brilliantly talented, irreplaceable entertainer who united the world with his music and spirit. The only fitting way to pay tribute to this musical icon is to celebrate his music – because his is the rare, exquisite kind that transcends the boundaries of genre, color, gender and time, and will continue to impact lives for generations to come.
The Jackson 5 perform mega-hit “I Want You Back” on Soul Train in 1972
Jackson debuts legendary moonwalk on the 1983 Motown 25 television special
Jackson’s 1991 music video for the idealistic, global anthem “Black or White”
How has Michael Jackson’s music touched you? Post your thoughts, along with your favorite performances and music videos, below.
This is an exciting day for Country Universe. Our favorite blogger and Country Universe founder, Kevin Coyne, turns thirty today! We are thrilled to join Kevin’s best friend, Charlie Geier from The Widening Geier, in wishing Kevin a heartfelt happy birthday!
In celebration of Kevin’s big day, we have compiled a Starter Kit of some of our favorite articles that Kevin has written throughout the life of Country Universe, which is quickly approaching five years, by the way. Some of our readers may recall these posts and others will be reading them for the first time. This Starter Kit will not only give Kevin an opportunity to look back on his own writing, but allow the rest of us to either reminisce or explore some excellent work as well. And as is the ultimate purpose of Starter Kits, it’s a starting place to encourage people to discover more of the subject’s body of work, who happens to be Kevin Coyne in this instance. By doing this, we hope to pay tribute to our friend by spotlighting his insightful writing. First and foremost, you will see Kevin’s easy and obvious writing prowess. Moreover, you will surely note his passion for country music and, most importantly, his sincere and deep compassion for people in general, not to mention his sense of humor and philosophical outlook.
All of the writers for Country Universe have joined the staff due to our admiration for Kevin and his thoughtful blog that existed long before any of us began adding our voices to the mix. So, we are honored to have the opportunity to have this platform to wish him a very happy birthday today. And we invite you, our readers, to pleas join us in extending warm wishes to Kevin and note your favorite Kevin Coyne posts in the comments.
Charlie Geier: The above does not necessarily represent the best writing/blogging Kevin has ever done. It is a simple review, with hints of the writing style which would develop over the next several years. I chose this as part of the Starter Kit because it is the first post that I can remember Kevin ever posting. I was his roommate at the time, and it was his blogspot.com site which inspired me to begin on my own blogging journey.
This post serves as evidence of how something like Country Universe can emerge from the most humble beginnings. I know Kevin has inspired a lot of people to begin their own writing careers, and I am proud to have been one of them. I am also proud to hold the distinction of being one of the, if not the, first CU reader.
This is Kevin’s first Favorite Songs by Favorite Artists article. He admits that Emmylou Harris is an acquired taste, but one that he acquired in a big way once he did. By sharing his connections to the songs, he honestly shares parts of himself with his readers in the process.
This won’t be quick reading. Kevin took on the gigantic task of compiling 400 of the best contemporary country singles. He admits that they are ranked, in part, according to his personal barometer, but it’s as an objective of a list such as this can be. Be sure to check out the prior fifteen sections to this post as well.
It’s no secret that the Dixie Chicks are Kevin’s favorite band. He has gone to bat for them even though it hasn’t been particularly popular or emotionally safe to do so within the world of country music in the last several years. He had an opportunity to see them in concert, which inspired this review that includes open commentary on the fall out from the tempestuous events of “the incident.”
This is another one of Kevin’s impressive countdowns. It was so impressive, in fact, that Country Weekly even featured it in their popular magazine. Be sure to check out the previous four sections of the countdown, too, which display a great deal of historical insight.
This revealing album review details many of Kevin’s life philosophies that certainly contribute to his outlook today. He acknowledges that it speaks to him on a personal level like no other album has done. It is also a part of the Top 100 Greatest Contemporary Country Albums countdown, which was yet another staggering undertaking of Kevin’s.
This is a milestone for Country Universe, because it was the first interview ever conducted for the site. Happily, the interviewee just so happened to be the interviewer’s favorite artist, which is clearly evident throughout the “conversation.” Without needlessly gushing, Kevin is able to highlight Pam Tillis’ music from the perspective of a person who knows her music it inside out. It’s not just an interview, but a labor of love.
This is one of Country Universe’s most memorable posts. As the title suggests, Kevin boldly explores the complications of gender, particularly the marginalization of women, in country music. With over 100 comments, many of them very passionate, it definitely struck a sensitive but important chord with readers.
This post is heartbreakingly honest and poignant. It demonstrates Kevin’s willingness to let his guard down and share his heart with Country Universe readers in a very intimate way.
The number one spot for this Starter Kit was inevitable. Anyone who has followed Kevin’s writing at Country Universe for any measurable period of time is more than likely aware that he holds a special place in his heart for the women of country music. It’s their music and heart that most deeply speaks to him and it’s their profound music and stories that he devoted months promoting in the form of extensive essays that detailed their individual journeys.
Our readers may not have always agreed on the specific placements of these women within the countdown, but our blog statistics, frankly, told us that they appreciated the focus that was dedicated to paying tribute to a group of people who often have to struggle to be noticed in a male dominated industry. Not only did our regular readers enjoy the countdown that spanned four months, but Country Universe gained new readers as a result of Kevin’s tireless labor of love. To this very day, we enjoy devout readership of people who initially happened upon this blog because of this seminal 100 Greatest Women Countdown.
As much as we are proud of our contributions to this blog, we are all quick to acknowledge that Kevin single handedly built Country Universe, one of the first country music blogs to ever exist, from the ground up. Along with dedicated readers, it is his vision and unmatched dedication that has made Country Universe the successful blog that it is today. And we are extremely honored that he has so graciously invited each of us to be a part of it.
As Charlie touched upon above, Kevin’s gentle and supportive leadership has been a great source of encouragement to us all, as writers and human beings. He may be a great blogger, but he is an even better person, which we suspect is actually most important to him.
As a former Nashville Star, Whitney Duncan has been seriously struggling to break through as a Warner Brothers recording artist for some time now. Out of the somewhat inferior material that she’s released so far, her third single, “Skinny Dippin’”, has the best shot of becoming a minor hit due to its sultry melodic structure and summertime timeliness. As an actual song, however, “Skinny Dippin’” suffers from some glaring flaws that could keep it from being the break through hit that Warner Brothers and Duncan are counting on.
As a song vying for mainstream airplay, the lyrics are what one would easily predict from such a title, which is actually fine in this case. Regrettably, while the song itself has some potential due to a smooth vibe, Duncan’s strained vocals, particularly in the verses, prevents it from being completely engaging. Furthermore, the doo wop like background vocals is irritatingly cheesy rather than complimentary, which quickly eliminates any possibility of intended charm for which the song is clearly reaching.
Update: Michael, Dee, T Partridge, Paul Dennis, Chris, and Annie are the randomly selected winners of this give away. Congratulations. I will be contacting each of you for your addresses. Thank you all for your participation. Check in later this week for another give away. If you haven’t already, be sure to comb through the Tanya Tucker spotlight at My Kind of Country (linked below).
Thanks to the good people at Gigante Media, Country Universe is pleased to announce that we’re giving away five copies of the anticipated Tanya Tucker album, My Turn, which will be officially released on June 30.
My Turn is an album of covers sung by one of country music’s finest vocal interpreters, which will surely be a wonderful tribute to songs of country music’s past.
To get an idea of what to expect, you can listen to some tracks from the upcoming album here. You can also visit our friends at My Kind of Country to read their excellent and thorough coverage of Tanya Tucker who happens to be their spotlight artist for the month and, incidentally, are giving away copies of the album as well.
Any comment regarding Tanya Tucker will enter you into the random drawing, but if you’re looking for some direction, you can either tell us how a certain song of Tanya’s personally effects you in the form of a Tanya Tucker Testimonial or come up with a cool sentence or phrase about Tanya that involves clever alliteration.
You have until Friday, June 26 to enter the drawing, which will close at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, which should increase the chances of getting the album to you by release day.
For a good stretch in the nineties, women were the dominant creative force in country music. Songwriter Matraca Berg was an indispensable component of that dominance, penning many of the biggest hits and best-loved tracks by signature acts like Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, and Martina McBride.
It’s no surprise that this list of Favorite Songs written by Matraca Berg is almost completely composed of female artists. So distinguished is Berg’s catalog that worthy cuts by the Dixie Chicks, Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Gretchen Wilson just missed the list. Even Berg herself is only present with one performance, despite releasing several outstanding recordings in her own right.
But the beauty of these lists is that these are my own favorite songs, so I don’t have to force anything on to the list just to make it more well-rounded. Add your own favorites in the comments, and read Matraca’s 100 Greatest Women profile to learn more about this stunning songwriter.
#25
“Wild Angels” – Martina McBride Wild Angels, 1995
This was meant to be the title cut of an album that Berg never released. Instead, the cut went to Martina McBride. It was McBride’s first #1 single, and listening to it today, it sounds remarkably rough around the edges for an artist who’d eventually become an AC radio staple.
#24
“Fool, I’m a Woman” – Sara Evans No Place That Far, 1998
Berg’s writing can be effortlessly snarky, as evidenced by this breezy Sara Evans track that was a minor hit in 1999. “Did I say that I’d never leave you behind?” she queries. “Well, just keep treating me unkind. ‘Cause fool, I’m a woman, and I’m bound to change my mind.”
#23
“When a Love Song Sings the Blues” – Trisha Yearwood Real Live Woman, 2000
Trisha Yearwood is Berg’s finest vessel, the only voice elegant enough to equal Berg’s words. This melancholy closer to Yearwood’s excellent Real Live Woman set finds the protagonist seeking solace in a dusty old piano, playing “Faded Love” and “Born to Lose” so she doesn’t have to cry alone.
#22
“Give Me Some Wheels” – Suzy Bogguss Give Me Some Wheels, 1996
A tense struggle between being herself and living up to an idealized creation formed by her lover leads to choosing the car keys over sticking around. “I’ll never be the angel you see in your dreams. Give me some wheels if I can’t have wings.”
#21
“The Last One to Know” – Reba McEntire The Last One to Know, 1987
Berg’s talents came to full fruition in the nineties, but there are a handful of treasures in her catalog from the previous decade. McEntire’s dignified performance is tasteful and understated, as she asks herself, “I believed you really loved me. Why can’t I believe you said goodbye?”
#20
“Demolition Angel” – Pam Tillis The Collection, 2006
A variety of CD and MP3 albums have been compiled from the live DVD released by Pam Tillis in 2005. She debuted several new songs in that concert, including “Demolition Angel”, a stellar Berg song that has yet to be included on a studio album. She’s asking God to send down a “demolition angel” to tear down the walls she’s built around her heart, which she describes as a “monument to pride.”
#19
“Everybody Knows” – Trisha Yearwood Pure Country, 1992
I once saw Yearwood remark durin a concert that she had to record this song because it included the words “jerk” and “chocolate.” She’s growing frustrated with everyone in her life that has a different opinion on how to get over her heartache. She’s be happy to be left alone with “some chocolate and a magazine.”
#18
“You Should’ve Lied” – Lee Ann Womack Something Worth Leaving Behind, 2002
A deliciously bitter rejection of a cheater’s apologetic confession. “You overestimated me,” Womack seethes, “thinking I would understand. Believing that your honesty would make me see a bigger man. Was that all part of your plan?”
#17
“You Are the Storm” – Dusty Springfield A Very Fine Love, 1995
Springfield covered this evocative track from Berg’s debut album, a weary goodbye to a man plagued by his own inner demons. “I tried to love you, I tried to keep you from harm,” she rues, “but I can’t give you shelter when you are the storm.”
#16
“You’re Still Here” – Faith Hill Cry, 2002
This shamefully overlooked gem from Hill’s Cry collection is painfully poignant. A woman sings to her husband who has passed on, but is still everywhere that she goes. My personal favorite moment is when she sings, “I heard you in a stranger’s laugh, and I hung around to hear him laugh again. Just once again.”
#15
“Cry on the Shoulder of the Road” – Martina McBride Wild Angels, 1995
Levon Helm provides the killer harmony track as McBride finally leaves a troubled relationship behind, content to find her comfort out on the interstate. “I’d rather break down on the highway with no one to share my load, and cry on the shoulder of the road.” I’ve always thought that the lyrics of Lee Ann Womack’s “A Little Past Little Rock” were heavily influenced by this song.
#14
“For a While” – Trisha Yearwood Inside Out, 2001
Another Berg song cut by Yearwood that uses the word “jerk”, though I suspect it was the undercurrent of self-deprecation that truly appealed to the songstress when she cut this song. Watching an old Road Runner cartoon, she notices the “poor old coyote. Someone had a worse day than me for a change.”
#13
“Mining for Coal” – Randy Travis No Holdin’ Back, 1989
This deep and moving performance by Randy Travis makes me wish more male artists would cut Berg’s songs. He’s so surprised to have found a true love while he was just looking for someone to ease his loneliness. “It’s like finding a diamond when you’re mining for coal.”
#12
“Come Back When it Rainin’” – Trisha Yearwood Real Live Woman, 2000
Here, Yearwood is refusing to indulge her rainy day lover, who only seems to come around when he’s feeling down. “I’m just someone to call when you need a place to fall,” she notes, showing him the door.
#11
“You Can Feel Bad” – Patty Loveless The Trouble With the Truth, 1996
Loveless turns the tables on the man who thinks he’s letting her down easy. “Your head is hanging and you look real sad. Maybe you should have called?” Her heart may be broken but her dignity – and biting wit – remain intact.
#10
“Strawberry Wine” – Deana Carter Did I Shave My Legs For This?, 1996
Berg’s signature song of lost innocence is a perfect match for Carter’s sandpaper vocals. For those of us who “still remember when thirty was old”, this remains a beautiful commentary on the passage of time.
The earliest entry in Berg’s trilogy of songs inspired by her grandfather’s farm. I don’t know if this one is as autobiographical as “Strawberry Wine” and “The Dreaming Fields”, but it’s certainly as beautiful. “Calico Plains” tells the story of an older sister sharing her dreams with her younger sister. Little sis ends up making that dream her own when the elder Abilena finds herself with child and must marry and stay at home.
#8
“Nobody Drinks Alone” – Keith Urban Be Here, 2004
A cautionary tale sung to a man who thinks he is at home by himsef, drowning his sorrows and painful memories with a bottle of wine. “Don’t you know nobody drinks alone?” Urban warns. “Every demon, every ghost from your past, and every memory you’ve held back follows you home.”
#7
“Wrong Side of Memphis” – Trisha Yearwood Hearts in Armor, 1992
If there’s a better song out there about chasing the dream of country music stardom, I haven’t heard it. As the opening track of Yearwood’s landmark sophomore set, it announced her arrival as one of country music’s greatest album artists.
#6
“On Your Way Home” – Patty Loveless On Your Way Home, 2003
Loveless earned a Grammy nomination for this confrontation of a cheating spouse who isn’t quite as forthcoming as his spurned lover needs him to be. “The truth is gonna set you free,” she sings, wearily promising, “If you keep on lying to me, I might stay right here just to spite you.”
#5
“Diamonds and Tears” – Suzy Bogguss Something Up My Sleeve, 1993
Berg’s finest philosophical moment, a reflection on how the journey of life is its own destination. Even lost love is a form of “higher education”: “I have said and heard the word ‘goodbye’, felt the blade and turned the knife sideways. But I crossed bridges while they burned, to keep from losing what I’ve learned along the way.”
#4
“The Dreaming Fields” – Trisha Yearwood Heaven, Heartache, and the Power of Love, 2007
A return to the wheat fields of her youth upon the death of her grandfather contains a sprinkle of social commentary, but is mostly a heart-wrenching exploration of grief over “the end of a world I love.”
#3
“My Heart Will Never Break This Way Again” – Patty Loveless Strong Heart, 2000
The end of a first love brings not only the death of that romance, but also of the innocence that dies along with it. “It’s too bad, it’s so sad when your innocence is gone. It’s wasted on the ones that do you wrong.” Thus is the end result of a love “too blind with trust to know the Judas kiss.”
#2
“Back When We Were Beautiful” – Matraca Berg Sunday Morning to Saturday Night, 1997
Berg received a standing ovation when she performed this stunning song on the 1997 CMA Awards, the same night that she won Song of the Year for “Strawberry Wine.” It recounts a conversation between grandmother and granddaughter, with the former confessing to the latter that “I hate it when they say I’m aging gracefully. I fight it every day. I guess they never see.”
The song is not available digitally and the album is out of print, but you can listen to it here.
#1
“Lying to the Moon” – Trisha Yearwood The Song Remembers When, 1993
Berg refused to perform this song for years after Yearwood’s version was released, feeling that she couldn’t do it justice after Yearwood’s flawless rendition. Berg’s poetic style could be too precious in lesser hands, but Yearwood’s ability to be sincere without being schmaltzy makes her the perfect singer for “Lying to the Moon,” a song so breathtakingly beautiful that it’s easy to forget it’s essentially about getting stood up.
“I told the starry sky to wait for you. I told the wind to sigh to like lovers do. I even told the night that you were true, and that you would be here soon, and now I’m lying to the moon.” It’s one of Berg’s finest songs, combined with one of Yearwood’s finest vocal performances, a high-water mark for two of the genre’s greatest talents.
As children, it’s common to think that we’ll never be like our parents. In some cases, we think we’ll never do the annoying or strange things that our parents did, as Brad Paisley sang about in “Yes You Will”, and there are other times when we think that we’ll never be as smart or as good as our parents. If we’re lucky, there comes a day when we see our parents in ourselves and can either eradicate certain behaviors and traits or embrace them, depending on the similarities we see.
In Keith Urban’s, “Song for Dad”, he celebrates the similarities that he realizes exist between him and his dad. Likewise, he hopes that he becomes more like his dad as other circumstances arise, particularly when he himself becomes a father. In a similar sentiment to Paul Overstreet’s “Seeing My Father in Me”, Urban embraces being like his father and is grateful for the legacy.
In celebration of Father’s Day, Amazon is offering “Song for Dad” as their Free Song of the Day. So, let us know your favorite song about Dad and then head over to Amazon and grab this touching tribute to dads for free.
Tanya Tucker
I’ve heard it said so many times in the past week: the death of Michael Jackson is my generation’s equivalent of the Death of Elvis Presley. (I can only assume that makes Kurt Cobain our Janis Joplin?)
This is an exciting day for Country Universe. Our favorite blogger and Country Universe founder, Kevin Coyne, turns thirty today! We are thrilled to join Kevin’s best friend, 
As a former Nashville Star, Whitney Duncan has been seriously struggling to break through as a Warner Brothers recording artist for some time now. Out of the somewhat inferior material that she’s released so far, her third single, “Skinny Dippin’”, has the best shot of becoming a minor hit due to its sultry melodic structure and summertime timeliness. As an actual song, however, “Skinny Dippin’” suffers from some glaring flaws that could keep it from being the break through hit that Warner Brothers and Duncan are counting on.
For a good stretch in the nineties, women were the dominant creative force in country music. Songwriter Matraca Berg was an indispensable component of that dominance, penning many of the biggest hits and best-loved tracks by signature acts like Trisha Yearwood, Patty Loveless, and Martina McBride.
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As children, it’s common to think that we’ll never be like our parents. In some cases, we think we’ll never do the annoying or strange things that our parents did, as Brad Paisley sang about in “Yes You Will”, and there are other times when we think that we’ll never be as smart or as good as our parents. If we’re lucky, there comes a day when we see our parents in ourselves and can either eradicate certain behaviors and traits or embrace them, depending on the similarities we see.
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