There were songs in the last 60s and throughout the 70s which wouldn’t see the light of day in 2009.
I guess I’ve been thinking of the days as a DJ. As I said, I worked in country radio. At the time, it made me a bit batty (although I got to do Outlaw hour, which was very cool and introduced me to the Austin Lounge Lizards, who to this day, are just plum wonderful.) I guess you get all sentimental or something about your life when big changes happen.
“Ruby, Don’t Take Your Love To Town” was one of those songs. It was written by Mel Tillis (betcha didn’t know that) about a dying, paralyzed veteran who’s wife keeps going on a booty call. This never was one of my favorite songs, but let’s take a look at it.
It was a hit for Kenny Rogers and the First Edition and was criticized heavily, most likely for this line:
And if I could move I’d get my gun
And put her in the ground
Whoa. The singer wasn’t happy about Ruby getting all dolled up and going out on the town. I read that it was based on a true story but I don’t know if that’s an urban legend or not.
Now, let’s think about it. Could you see a Toby Keith kind of dude singing this song? The song is honestly painful, came out in the middle of the Vietnam war.
Squirrelly and I were talking about how this song probably made Kenny Rogers a star. Although I really dig Dolly Parton, I could die peacefully never hearing “Islands In The Stream” again in my whole life.
It was a different time 40 years ago.
When I was in radio 25 years ago, I worked at night for a time. There was a guy that requested this song at least once a week. For whatever reason, it meant something to him.
As dark as “Ruby” is, I’m sort of glad I didn’t know why he loved it so much.
The Killers did a remake recently though. I realize that Kenny Rogers was more of a pop star back in the day, but I can’t help but attribute him to the country genre (thus my Toby Keith observation.)
So, here are The Killers for your Sunday enjoyment.
UPDATED: Daisyfae found this version from Cake. Wow, it’s VERY cool.
Okay, campers. I have two tickets to k.d. lang’s show on Friday, October 24th at the Ryman in Nashville. Just leave me a comment below if you are interested and I will have Dirk Diggler do a random drawing on October 15.
Businessweek has a story today on the decline in country music sales. Of course, Tennessee is mentioned.
The signal stat for the music industry right now is not the one you’ve already heard. That one shows total album sales down about 15% this year. (You may recall the music biz was not exactly going gangbusters last year, either. Or the year before.) The signal stat shows country music album sales down almost 30% so far this year.
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There is a danger in letting coastal-city assumptions skew the analysis, which is why this column will now make its first and final reference to pickup trucks. One music executive who is based south of the Mason-Dixon line couldn’t resist pulling the leg of a Yankee reporter asking questions about the country biz from his desk in Manhattan. This gent’s deadpan explanation for country’s staying power: “The South is still suffering the effects of a Civil War that destroyed its infrastructure and left it economically 100 years behind the industrialized North. Therefore, fewer people living in Tennessee can afford computers and iPods.”
Ha, ha, ha.
**growl**
I live in Tennessee incidentally, I don’t own an I-pod, but I have three computers. I know it was a joke and as soon as I quit making meth in the back end of my pickup truck and eyeballing my relatives in an inappropriate way, I’ll let you know. (I say this with an edge in my voice with tongue-in-cheek so do know I’m kidding. I hate Tennessee stereotypes. Seriously. Sensitive, you betcha.) And when I download stuff on my computer, it’s usually Miles Davis or John Coltrane.
JUST saying.
Now, with that said, my question might be, as I don’t know and folks like Grace might, are the numbers in the article skewed or is this happening?
I can’t help but think that due to the economic climate, that music bought by older adults has suffered some. I know that the nieces don’t buy the amount of music that I did (on cassettes mind you) that I did in my twenties.
Because they download one song at a time for their Mp3 players. The way music is being distributed for sale is much different than it was even ten years ago.
A lot of food for thought. I’m assuming that a lot of that money comes into Nashville, although it is just my assumption.
I don’t buy very many country albums. I think the last one I purchased was Johnny Cash.
You do but you want to read it again. Okay, go here. And here’s the follow up post he wrote.
Violent Femme’s bassist Brian Ritchie commented on Hutch’s blog about how he hated it as much as we did. He said a lot of stuff and you need to go to Salem’s Lot but here are a few snippets but you really should read the whole thing.
For the fans who rightfully are complaining about the Wendy’s burger advertisement featuring Blister in the Sun. Gordon Gano is the publisher of the song and Warners is the record company.
snip
It is his karma that he lost his songwriting ability many years ago, probably due to
his own lack of self-respect as his willingness to prostitute our songs demonstrates. Neither Gordon (vegetarian) nor me (gourmet) eat garbage like Wendy’s burgers.
Bassist Brian Ritchie sued lead vocalist Gordon Gano on Wednesday, saying he was deprived of credit for some of the group’s songs and a proper accounting of its earnings.
The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Manhattan, also accuses Gano of trashing the band’s reputation by allowing its signature hit, Blister in the Sun, to be used in a Wendy’s commercial.
Anyway, I’m sorta grooving on this because I loved Steve Goodman, the only singer that almost got me fired from radio (Note to newbies out there in radioland, Do Not Play Vegematic if your General Manager is near a radio. Learn from your pal, Newscoma.)
Anyway, Clay Eals left a message awhile back here, and being that he’s the author of the book and I love Steve Goodman, I thought I’d just say Howdy.
And if you don’t own “Affordable Art” go out and get it at once.
P.S. This isn’t a paid announcement (like I get those anyway. Sheesh.) I just dig Goodman.
