Showing posts with label Country Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Country Music. Show all posts

Tuesday, July 25, 2023

'Try That in a Small Town' (VIDEO)

I love country music. 

Jason Aldean's a freakin' patriot. It's a certainty the left'd come after him. Democrats hate this country. Anyone who countermands that message must be destroyed.

At the New York Times, "Jason Aldean, Decrying ‘Cancel Culture,’ Has a No. 2 Hit": “Try That in a Small Town” went from overlooked to almost topping the charts after a week of controversy":

In May, the country star Jason Aldean released a single, “Try That in a Small Town,” with lyrics that paint contemporary urban life as a hellscape of crime and anarchy: “Sucker punch somebody on a sidewalk/Carjack an old lady at a red light.”

“You think you’re tough,” Aldean sings. “Well, try that in a small town.”

Initially, the track got relatively little notice, landing at No. 35 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. That changed last week, after the song’s music video became a culture-war battlefield, with some accusing Aldean — one of country’s biggest hitmakers for nearly two decades — of employing racist dog-whistle tactics and the singer defending himself as the latest victim of an out-of-control “cancel culture.”

The controversy led to a rush on Aldean’s song, with both streams and downloads exploding over the course of last week. “Try That in a Small Town” makes its debut at No. 2 on the Hot 100, Aldean’s best showing ever on Billboard’s all-genre pop chart, beating current hits by Olivia Rodrigo and Morgan Wallen. Aldean was surpassed this week only by Jung Kook of the South Korean supergroup BTS, whose debut solo single, “Seven,” opens at No. 1.

The video for “Try That,” released on July 14, opens with Aldean performing before a stately building draped with an American flag; the structure was quickly identified as Maury County Courthouse in Columbia, Tenn., where in 1927 a young Black man named Henry Choate was lynched by a vigilante mob after being accused — falsely, historians believe — of raping a white girl.

The video features one montage after another of violent street protests, robberies and people antagonizing police officers in riot gear. Those scenes are juxtaposed with images of American flags being hoisted, children playing and what appears to be a television news segment about farmers helping out a neighbor.

Three days after it was released, the video was pulled from rotation on Country Music Television, without explanation. But it has been widely criticized as a thinly veiled attack on the Black Lives Matter protests in 2020.

Justin Jones, a Tennessee state representative, wrote on Twitter that lawmakers “have an obligation to condemn Jason Aldean’s heinous song calling for racist violence. What a shameful vision of gun extremism and vigilantism.”

Aldean, 46, has denied that race plays any part in the lyrics, or that “Try That” is a “pro-lynching song,” saying on social media, “These references are not only meritless, but dangerous.”

Some artists came to his defense...

Tuesday, February 7, 2023

Annie's Song

From John Denver:



Sunday, February 14, 2021

'Burning Love'

Since I'm not driving much during the pandemic, I don't listen to the radio like I used to. But Friday I was taking my wife over to get her car serviced, and she has satellite radio in her car, and Elvis Presley's "Burning Love" came on. Elvis wasn't really "my generation," but I do remember "Burning Love" playing on the radio back when I was about 12-years-old, so that's the story.

The song was a "top-ten" hit, and the video's a real throwback, heh.



Wednesday, May 2, 2018

Shania Twain Performs on NBC's Today Show Concert Series in New York City (PHOTOS)

At Drunken Stepfather, "Shanina Twain Big Trash Tits in New York City (PHOTOS)."

I think she recently lost a lot of Trump-supporting fans, what, with her walk-back of a presidential election endorsement (actually, an abject apology to the murderous leftist correct-think mobs).

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

'Let Your Love Flow'

It's the Bellamy Brothers.

My wife took the Challenger to Pechanga a couple of weeks ago and I had on satellite radio in the Jeep Liberty. This song came on and I realized I hadn't heard it forever, and as I was listening I just appreciated what a beautiful and wonderful song it is. You have to count your blessings sometimes, and music's a blessing in your life. Don't take it for granted. Think about it. Nurture it. And cherish it.



Friday, August 11, 2017

'La Grange'

From my drive-time this afternoon, while out buzzing around between used bookstores, at the Sound L.A.

Here's ZZ Top, "La Grange":




Gimme Shelter
The Rolling Stones
6:10 PM

Back On the Chain Gang
Pretenders
6:07 PM

All Along the Watchtower
The Jimi Hendrix Experience
5:57 PM

You Better You Bet
Who
5:51 PM

Help!
The Beatles
5:49 PM

Don't Stop Believin'
Journey
5:45 PM

Blitzkrieg Bop
Ramones
5:43 PM

Africa
Toto
5:38 PM

La Grange
ZZ Top
5:34 PM

Stuck In the Middle With You
Stealers Wheel
5:31 PM

People Are Strange
The Doors
5:24 PM

Werewolves of London
Warren Zevon
5:21 PM

Sister Golden Hair
America
5:18 PM

Iron Man
Black Sabbath
5:12 PM

Heartbreaker
Pat Benatar
5:08 PM

Misty Mountain Hop
Led Zeppelin
5:04 PM

Life In the Fast Lane
Eagles
4:59 PM

Dream On
Aerosmith
4:55 PM


Wednesday, August 9, 2017

Glen Campbell, of 'Rhinestone Cowboy' Fame, Dead at 81

At LAT, "Glen Campbell dies at 81; country-pop singer battled Alzheimer's."

Also, "'A shining light in so many ways': Music world remembers country-pop great Glen Campbell":

As news of the death of Glen Campbell spread, celebrities of all kinds took to the Internet to express their grief over the loss of the country music legend, who died Tuesday at 81.

"Had Glen Campbell 'only' played guitar and never voiced a note, he would have spent a lifetime as one of America’s most consequential recording musicians," Kyle Young, CEO of the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, said in a statement.

"Had he never played guitar and 'only' sung, his voice would rank with American music’s most riveting, expressive, and enduring," Young added. "He left indelible marks as a musician, a singer, and an entertainer, and he bravely shared his incalculable talent with adoring audiences even as he fought a cruel and dread disease. To all of us who heard and loved his soulful music, he was a delight."

Others shared similar sentiments about the singer, songwriter, musician, television host and actor...
More.

Friday, July 28, 2017

Thursday, April 27, 2017

'Take It Easy'

Okay, back to my regular drive-time music routine, from yesterday morning, at the Sound L.A.

The Eagles, "Take It Easy."

Patience
Guns N' Roses
10:29 AM

Goodbye Stranger
Supertramp
10:23 AM

Two of Us
The Beatles
10:20 AM

Daydream
The Lovin' Spoonful
10:18 AM

Golden Years
David Bowie
10:14 AM

Games Without Frontiers
Peter Gabriel
10:10 AM

Love Is a Battlefield
Pat Benatar
10:05 AM

Centerfold
The J. Geils Band
10:01 AM

Sympathy for the Devil
The Rolling Stones
9:54 AM

Sweet Emotion
Aerosmith
9:49 AM

Thunderstruck
AC/DC
9:36 AM

Take It Easy
Eagles
9:33 AM


Friday, December 16, 2016

'Tequila Sunrise'

From earlier this evening, when I was out picking up my wife from work, at the Sound L.A.:



Crocodile Rock
Elton John
7:48 PM

Jack & Diane
John Mellencamp
7:44 PM

Don't Call Us, We'll Call You
Sugarloaf
7:35 PM

Midnight Rider
The Allman Brothers Band
7:32 PM

Tequila Sunrise
Eagles
7:29 PM

Runnin' Down a Dream
Tom Petty
7:20 PM

The Joker
Steve Miller Band
7:16 PM

THE WASP
THE DOORS
7:12 PM

Another One Bites the Dust
Queen
7:08 PM

Hey, Hey, What Can I Do
Led Zeppelin
7:04 PM

Rock the Casbah
The Clash
7:01 PM

Monday, November 21, 2016

'Spread your tiny wings and fly away...'

I listened to Elvis Presley's cover of "Snowbird" yesterday on satellite radio.

It's Anne Murray, however, who had the biggest hit with the song.


Beneath this snowy mantle cold and clean
The unborn grass lies waiting
For its coat to turn to green
The snowbird sings the song he always sings
And speaks to me of flowers
That will bloom again in spring

When I was young my heart was young then too
Anything that it would tell me
That's the thing that I would do
But now I feel such emptiness within
For the thing that I want most in life's
The thing thing that I can't win

Spread your tiny wings and fly away
And take the snow back with you
Where it came from on that day
The one I love forever is untrue
And if I could you know that I would
Fly away with you

The breeze along the river seems to say
That he'll only break me heart again
Should I decide to stay
So little snowbird take me with you
When you go
To that land of gentle breezes
Where the peaceful waters flow

Spread your tiny wings and fly away
And take the snow back with you
Where it came from on that day
The one I love forever is untrue
And if I could you know that I would
Fly away with you

Saturday, September 10, 2016

'Need You Now'

Lady Antebellum hosted the Academy of Country Music Honors last night.

The award winners are here.

And from yesterday, at CBS This Morning, "Lady Antebellum reflects on road to hosting ACM Honors."

Wednesday, September 23, 2015

Don Henley: Donald Trump is 'Over the Line'

Don Henley's one of my favorite rockers, but don't let his comments on Donald Trump fool you: You'd be hard pressed to find anyone more hardcore on the protection of property rights, so Don Henley actually coming at Donald Trump from the right.

Watch, "Don Henley: Trump went over fine line between pride and arrogance."

And buy Henley's new country music CD, at Amazon, "Cass Country."

Saturday, July 4, 2015

'Ring of Fire'

Some holiday music for y'all.

Here's Johnny Cash:


Love is a burning thing
And it makes a fiery ring.
Bound by wild desire
I fell into a ring of fire.

I fell into a burning ring of fire,
I went down, down, down as the flames went higher
And it burns, burns, burns,
The ring of fire, the ring of fire.

The taste of love is sweet
When hearts like ours meet.
I fell for you like a child,
Oh, but the fire went wild.

I fell into a burning ring of fire,
I went down, down, down as the flames went higher
And it burns, burns, burns,
The ring of fire, the ring of fire.

I fell into a burning ring of fire,
I went down, down, down as the flames went higher
And it burns, burns, burns,
The ring of fire, the ring of fire.

And it burns, burns, burns,
The ring of fire, the ring of fire,
The ring of fire, the ring of fire.

Sunday, June 14, 2015

'He spoke with tears of 15 years how his dog n' him, traveled about...'

I haven't been posting my drive time music roundups quite so much, mainly since Mark Thompson took off with his "Mark in the Morning" show sometime back. I still keep it on the Sound L.A., although it's not until later in the mornings when the music start to play and the talk settles down.

In any case, the station's weekend playlist is always more eclectic. You can sit out on the porch with the radio on and enjoy the morning.

Here's the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, from while I was out earlier this morning getting bacon and eggs and coffee. "Bojangles" used to make me sad when it came on back in the day, when I was just a little boy.


In the Shape of a Heart
Jackson Browne
9:54 AM

Mr. Bojangles
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
9:50 AM

King of California
Dave Alvin
9:45 AM

Baller Blockin'
E-40
9:42 AM

Revival
The Allman Brothers Band
9:34 AM

Coda (I Like To Get To Know You)
Spanky & Our Gang
9:31 AM

Help Me
Joni Mitchell
9:27 AM

It Don't Matter to Me
Bread
9:24 AM

Hold Your Head Up
The Zombies
9:18 AM

Tell Her No
The Zombies
9:16 AM

Anticipation
Carly Simon
9:09 AM

Only You Know and I Know
Dave Mason
9:05 AM

Somebody to Love
Jefferson Airplane
9:02 AM

Stuck Inside of Mobile With the Memphis Blues Again
Bob Dylan
8:54am

Saturday, March 28, 2015

'Girl Crush'

Hmm... This is interesting.

From Randall Roberts, at LAT, "Big Town's 'Girl Crush' rankles puritanical country radio."



The lyrics video is here.

Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Don Henley Interview

At the Los Angeles Times, "Don Henley 'thrilled' with Forum, talks about Eagles concerts there":
A major concern in the concert business has been "What happens when the Eagles stop touring?" — a question that's also been posed of other veteran acts that generate top-grossing concert tours whenever they hit the road. But last year, for the first time, seven of the top 10 grossing tours were by relative newcomers — Beyonce, Pink, Taylor Swift, Justin Bieber, etc. What does that say to you about what's happening in music today?

These box office charts are relatively meaningless because they're computed based on the calendar year and some tours don't fit into that timetable. For example, our tour didn't begin until July of last year and we toured until Thanksgiving, then we took a break for the holidays. The tour commences again tonight, here in Los Angeles, and runs through mid-June. So our tour spans exactly half of two different years. In any case, the concert business seems to be healthy and there is room for acts from multiple generations, playing diverse styles of music. But it's reasonable to expect that someday, in the not-too-distant future, the "classic rock" generation of performers will cease touring. But not just yet — not while so many people still want to come to our shows and we're still making them happy...
RTWT.

Henley should say that the "classic rock" bands will keep touring as long as they're able to. They're not getting any younger. Looking at you Mick Jagger!

PREVIOUSLY: "Music Review: The Eagles at the Inglewood Forum."

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Music Review: The Eagles at the Inglewood Forum

I was watching L.A.'s Eyewitness News on Wednesday night, and reporter Leanne Suter couldn't contain her glee at the show, "Forum in Inglewood officially reopens with Eagles show."

Sports fans will recall the Inglewood Forum as the home of the Lakers for many years. I saw my first arena concert there in 1979, when Foreigner played (the original Foreigner, of course, with the great Lou Gramm).

My wife and I have seen the Eagles in concert a couple of times in recent years (we took our boys to see the band last year at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas). And no doubt Glenn Frey and Don Henley have got this traveling show tuned in tight as a button.

Here's Randall Roberts at the Los Angeles Times, "Live review: The Eagles christen the Forum, take it easy":


Throughout the history of Southern California rock, two bands have loomed largest in America's popular imagination: the Beach Boys and the Eagles.

While the Beach Boys presented a more wholesome lifestyle involving fun (fun, fun), surfing, and chasing girls, the Eagles sold more records, attracted more groupies, preferred dusk to midday and smoked more pot. Or, as Glenn Frey said during the Eagles' return to the Forum on Wednesday: "The Beach Boys were pioneers. The Eagles were settlers."

Playing the first of six nights at the beautifully renovated Inglewood arena, the band presented a three-plus hour retrospective dubbed "History of the Eagles," a sort of concert companion to the band's 2013 documentary of the same name. Over the night, Frey, Don Henley and bandmates guided fans through the peaks and valleys of their catalog -- "Hotel California," "Lyin' Eyes," "Take It to the Limit" and more -- offering everything your average Eagles fan would want to hear, with plenty of bonus Joe Walsh wildness.

Theirs is a fascinating history, one that unfolded over the evening with instrumental clarity, pretty harmonies and many guitar solos. Delivering steady, stoned ballads and relatively revved up rockers with fellow members Walsh, Timothy B. Schmit and, for some of the night's best moments, founding member Bernie Leadon, the Eagles presented a valid argument that the best of their hits warrant continued exploration.

The messages that the Eagles spread about California life were, after all, some of the most prominent of the era. Delivered over FM airwaves at the peak of terrestrial radio's power and ingrained into the minds of anyone living through the 1970s and '80s, the Eagles' best songs captured a California settling into itself, more concerned with its valleys and hanging out than surf and sun.

The cover of "Hotel California" alone is one of the defining California images of the '70s, an updated version of orange crate art that exudes warmth and mystery. For better or worse, the Eagles helped to further characterize the region in the cultural imagination (and helped propel the careers of both David Geffen and Irving Azoff)...
There's still more at the link.

Roberts fails to mention guitarist Steuart Smith, who replaced Don Felder in 2001. Smith plays some of the band's most iconic lead solos, for example, teaming up with Joe Walsh on "Hotel California." Stay with that video at top all the way through. It's a decent amateur mobile recording and shows the jumbotron images during the song's guitar solo. Great stuff.

More at Billboard, "The Eagles Reopen The Forum in L.A. With a Nostalgic Night of Hits."