Share the wealth, dude!
The Nest takes care of business the same way Bachman Turner Overdrive did, which is to say, we don’t exactly work up a sweat around here. But that doesn’t mean we can’t celebrate the American version of Labor Day with the same amount of effort as those who will be barbecuing and drinking beer today. It’s a Monday, after all, and that’s the day we yank another lost song out of that musical unemployment office we like to call the Dusty Vinyl Archive! DJ Scratchy’s not getting a day off since she works at parties, while the Sponkies are horrified that they might have to put down their phones in order to do some manual labor. Let’s get ‘er done…
If there is one genre of music that is woefully underrepresented in the DVA, it’s country music. Yes, let that send a shudder down your rock and roll spines for a moment. In fact, I can only think of one true country song I’ve ever featured in the Archive, although it’s been a bit more prominent in my other Monday Muzak series.
Come on, I got all dressed up to hear some country and western!
It’s time to put an end to the country embargo, and cross off a song that’s been in my DVA notebook since literally the beginning…
In 2008, the Mecca brass we’d hired away from that store known as “Tar-JHAY” made a number of huge changes that didn’t work out for us so well…. one of which was silencing the muzak. Yes, shopping without tunes…. imagine the horror! However each night at 11:00, for some odd reason, the speakers broke the silence by kicking out a single song. What’s weird is that each day of the week had its own song that would play. The Bee Gees’ “Too Much Heaven” always put a damper on my Saturday nights… while Tuesdays were awesome with Moving Pictures’ “What About Me.”
This was the Friday night song that would start my workweek. It took months, but I came to really like it…
Sawyer Brown started off as a road band for Don King…
No, not THIS Don King…
The country singer Don King… and when King retired in 1981, they stuck together and formed their own band. A couple years later, they competed on Star Search and Ed McMahon informed them that they may already be a winner. They went on to have a successful, albeit unspectacular, run career churning out double digit albums during the 80’s and 90’s.
“This Thing Called Wantin’ And Havin’ It All” was the title track, and the first single released from their 1995 album. It tells the story (Country songs HAVE to tell a story) of an old rich man who’s on the verge of kicking the bucket. He raised his two brats kids to be entitled snobs, and now regrets that. So he’s going to change his will to leave most of his money to the poor guy at the bottom of the hill who worked for him and screw over his heirs. It’s a heartwarming story…. at least until the lawyers get involved and get the rich kids all of the old man’s money back while foreclosing on the poor guy’s home in the process…
And of course, most of their fortune will go to the lawyers…
But hey, that’s not bad for a country song, is it? I’ll be back next Monday with another lost song that won’t make you cry in your beer…
Evil Squirrel's Nest 
I never developed a love of country tunes like many people – not sure why – just didn’t – unlike my sister who loves it (she lives in West Virginie!). One thing I must say for it – the songs DO tell stories…some tell a story of love lost or found, but many have a message of some sort too. I should have given the genre a chance but I’m afraid I’m just an old rock-n-roll chick !
Pam
So many of the country songs at work, even the newer songs, tell some story. And you can bet five bucks a pickup truck is going to be involved somewhere along the line!
it’s always fun and heartwarming till the lawyers appear… ;O)))
That’s when the wooden stake is needed for their cold heart…
I love Swayer Brown! I believe them to be very underrated, they have a lot of good and poignant songs.
I haven’t heard much else from the band since 90% of my country music knowledge comes from what Arkansas based Mecca plays at work, but if this is the norm for them, I’ll agree that they’re probably very underrated!
Pretty good song, and I’d never heard it before. I like some country now and again. 🙂
I’m not a fan of the genre in general, but there’s some good stuff out there like this!
I’d never heard that particular C&W song, and from the title and the content (as deftly explained by your fine self), I have no desire to hear it either. I like SOME C&W, but mostly classic. Steel guitars, wailing banjos, someone’s mother crying in the rain because her mortgage is due and the beer has run out. She wanders into the murky rain filled night and gets ‘runned over by a danged old train’ (actual lyric from a Country & Western cross over song). Her hound dog bays the blues and Cooter Pie is served at her funeral. Yeah give me Hank Williams, Willie Nelson (and the boys, those who are still alive anyway), Patsy Cline, Eddy Arnold, Jim Reeves. Today’s C&W needs those ol’ boys and girls..
Oh, you’ve pretty much just described the box of records from my grandparents’ house. Old timey country is just too sad and twangy for my tastes… and new country is too “I’m a redneck and proud of it” for me to tolerate. This one is nowhere near either of those two extremes…
Um, the guy in the pink cowboy outfit had major gas and blew out his pants?
😉
Those bean suppers can do that to you!
There actually are some C&W songs that don’t make me want to slice my wrists. This selection is quite a toe-tapping Monday song.
Yeah, this one isn’t a sob story or all about Amurrica… and the band actually sounds alive!
I have a wounded squirrel that is a daily visitor. When I first saw him, his tail was naked and one rear leg was just hanging uselessly behind him. Since then, about 6 weeks later, his tail is beginning to come back, but that rear leg is still hanging. I think he’s only alive because he can get up on the deck and get a few hours of eating black sunflower seeds and a drink of water (I leave out pans of water for them).
If I could catch him, I’d try to keep him as a pet. I have a very big cage and I could feed him and maybe that lef would start to repair, though it’s hard to tell. But so far, I can’t get near him, so I have to be satisfied with just being glad he is able to get food and water.
I’m afraid that winter will finish him off, though. I want to save the little guy, but I’m not sure how to do it. Any ideas?
Caring for injured squirrels is beyond the scope of my knowledge. While I’ve never seen one before that was clearly disabled in some way, I still would probably not intervene. It’s probably more hassle than it’s worth, and wild squirrels would be difficult to tame as pets…
i should have checked for comments, sorry.
I quite like C&W, and that song was a good one! There must be something wrong with me.
Nothing wrong with you at all for liking good music! The DVA is slowly brainwashing everyone to my tastes in songs…
Hey that’s the dude from the salt in my tears song. I’d know that divorce lawyer anywhere!
Never heard this one…not bad, for country anyways…
You are correct! He was the only shady lawyer type I already had in my media library, and he does look like a sleazeball!
That’s what I was afrid to hear.
Have I scared you away from my blog?
I only read on Sundays and Wednesdays anymore. I’ll have to go look!