Category Archives: Blog Post 2

by | October 2, 2015 · 7:00 am

Taking You Back to Those Friday Night Lights

Its Friday afternoon, (in my case) around 3:30, and the final school bell rings. You run out to your car, roll down the windows, plug in the auxiliary cord and its time to jam on the ride home and get ready for some of the most unforgettable nights of high school. Country music is the first thing I think of when I remember the flashy bright lights of Friday night football. Here is a playlist that I hope will help you reminisce on some of the best times of our lives.

Of course “Boys of Fall,” by Kenny Chesney is first on the list. Every lyric gives me the chills, but the beginning really stands out, “When I feel that chill, smell that fresh cut grass/ I’m back in my helmet, cleats, and shoulder pads/ Standin’ in the huddle listenin’ to the call/ Fans goin’ crazy for the boys of fall.” I am sure everyone remembers either being on the field, or supporting your team to victory. The end truly encompasses the aspect of team when it says, “You mess with one man, you got us all/ The boys of fall.” Coming from a high school where our athletic teams were such a big deal, this song takes me back to the track where we stood in our cowboy boots and football jerseys watching our friends out on the field. This is the song that most likely was played in a graduation video that immediately brought tears.

“Fireworks” by Hudson Moore is a song that really hits home. This song is one that would be played at max volume the whole way home. Coming from Fort Worth as well, Hudson Moore does a great job in honoring Fort Worth high school football. “football/game on a Friday night/ the whole town came just to watch us fight/ i’ll never forget the last game we played/ they turned out the lights but everybody stayed.” This song gives an image of the whole school celebrating a win.

“Red Dirt Road” by Brooks & Dunn. This song highlights some of the memories of high school for example, “It’s where I drank my first beer/ It’s where I found Jesus/ Where I wrecked my first car/ I tore it all to pieces.” Although this song doesn’t directly mention high school football, it brings us all back to the memories of those crazy and unforgettable four years.

“If I Could Do it Again” by Corey Smith is another song that instantly makes us nostalgic. This song contains many lyrics that eventually become senior quotes and words to remember when you are in the middle of high school. It says, “If I could do it again/I’d do it the same/ Not one regret/ I wouldn’t change a thing.” This song is all about living with no regrets and making the best of the time we have.

“Friday Night” by Eric Pasley is a song about finding that high school first love and wanting to be that Friday night that everyone looks forward to. “I wanna be your Friday night sweet ride/Summertime sunshine barefoot in the moonlight/ I wanna be your jackpot hot spot/Wide open road in a candy apple rag top/I wanna set you free, I wanna take you high/I wanna be, wanna be your Friday night/ Oh your Friday night.” It makes me think of that high school boyfriend and looking forward to getting to be around them at the football games Friday night.

So if you are ever in the mood to roll down the windows and turn the volume on max, I hope these songs will make you think of the past and those Friday night lights.

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Filed under Blog Post 2, Lists, Reflection, Texas

by | October 1, 2015 · 7:00 am

From American Idol to My Ultimate Girl Crush

From the moment Carrie Underwood walked on stage in front of the original (and arguably best ever) three judges of American Idol, I immediately developed the biggest girl crush on this random girl from Oklahoma with pipes that could take anyone’s breath away. Sometimes I go back to watch her first audition and I still get goose bumps. Carrie Underwood dominated season four of American Idol from the beginning, winning the hearts of fans from all over the country.

For me, there is no artist on my iPod that I listen to more frequently. Walking to class, going on a road trip, dancing in my room (no shame,) really almost everything I have ever done I have done it at least once while listening to Carrie Underwood. There is something about her music that is so relatable, especially to girls my age.

She is humble and from a small-town, and unassumingly beautiful. I look up to her in so many ways, but the most impressive thing that she has done in my opinion is keeping a level head and being normal when the pressures of Hollywood so often push stars into strange phases just so they can gain more popularity *cough Miley Cyrus cough.*

MileyA huge moment in my life was my first Carrie Underwood concert. The atmosphere and show that she put on were exuberating. She played some of my favorite songs such as “Last Name,” “All-American Girl,” and “Get Out of This Town.” Seeing how much fun she was having and hearing how amazing she sounded live created one of the coolest feelings I have ever felt. I am sure the whole audience felt the same way, but for me I realized that singing is something I could want to pursue.

Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved singing. In middle school, I started singing a little bit more publicly, but after high school and through my first couple years of college I have been pretty low-key about it—literally. If you were to ask any of my college friends, none of them would have any idea that I love to sing and it might be something that I want to make a career of. I’m not saying that I am as good as Carrie Underwood, but she has inspired me to pursue music.

Whether or not I ever make it big like her is honestly highly unlikely, I get that. But I will always love singing along with her as if I was on stage.

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Filed under Blog Post 2, Country Pop

by | September 29, 2015 · 7:00 am

Montgomery Gentry

It’s so easy to forget that artists are people with real lives and traumas, not just singer/ song-writers that gain life experience solely for the purpose of putting it in a song. Eddie Montgomery is the better half of the musical group ‘Montgomery Gentry’ alongside Troy Gentry. This past week, Eddie Montgomery’s son was involved in a fatal car accident, a horror I can’t even begin to understand. I spent my entire life listening to Montgomery Gentry on the radio in the car and never once did I wonder about either of their families, or the things they might be dealing with. Upon further investigation, I learned that Montgomery had to undergo treatment for prostate cancer, was divorced by his wife (in the same month), AND closed a restaurant he owned all in under a few years. Doesn’t sound like an easy road to walk to me. I couldn’t have told you ANY of that but I sure can spout their album history off from memory, I could probably hit most of their singles as well.

The duo released their first album in 1999, and ‘Lonely and Gone‘ is one of my favorite country songs to date. Their southern rock influence, in tandem with their small-town, proud and loud personalities makes them one of the cooler country music artists in my opinion, aside from Gentry being kind of a dick, I try not to focus on that too much (exhibit A of people blatantly ignoring a musicians personal life and only caring about their music), alongside my personal favorite Toby Keith. Steven Huey of Allmusic referred to them as “multi-platinum country megastars noted for a soulful twang and a big black cowboy hat” and “rowdy redneck rebels who still hold small-town values”, and I really don’t think I could put it better myself. From ‘Daddy Won’t Sell the Farm” to ‘Work Hard, Play Harder’ their sound has been consistent, rambunctious, and in my opinion, it’s been great.

I don’t know if its really a problem that in lieu of scandal or controversy American culture cares more about the song than the artist behind it, I mean to be fair the singers probably appreciate the distance it gives them. Hunter’s death just brought it to my attention. The personal lives of songwriters are the only thing that influences their songs and we care so little about one and so greatly about the latter.  RIP Hunter, and my condolences to Eddie Montgomery.

4 Comments

Filed under Blog Post 2, News, Rockabilly, Southern Rock

by | September 28, 2015 · 7:00 am

Sam Hunt’s “Take Your Time”: A Music Video Review

sam-hunt-instagramDebuting his first full-length studio album Montevallo in late 2014, Sam Hunt is fairly new to the country music scene. Upon first listening, I found him to be fairly similar to the rest of the up and coming bro-country singers; he didn’t appear to have an incredibly distinct sound or look (though I can’t deny that he’s completely gorgeous), and his lyrics seemed to discuss nothing more than beautiful women. This was also my first impression of his song “Take Your Time” (2015)—I thought it was simply about trying to pick up a girl in a bar. However, after watching the music video for this song, I now have a deeper understanding of the song itself and a heightened respect for Sam Hunt as an artist.

The “Take Your Time” video is a completely unexpected presentation of the song as it tackles the difficult and raw topic of domestic violence. The video starts off happily by showing a woman, her husband/boyfriend, and their baby shopping together and enjoying kisses on the forehead. However, the story quickly turns dark as the man’s alcoholic tendencies and anger issues are exposed. Sam, watching these events unfold as a bystander, tries to find the best way to intervene. At the end of the video, he finally fights the man off while the woman and her baby escape in a beaten up pickup truck.

Sam’s lyrics “I don’t wanna steal your freedom / I don’t wanna change your mind / I don’t have to make you love me / I just wanna take your time” discusses his hesitancy in intervening in what appears to be an unsafe and troubling relationship. Sam is put in a difficult position as he struggles to find the courage to trust his instincts and take action. He isn’t trying to get the girl to fall for him, but instead is truly concerned about her well-being and wants her to “take [the] time” to get help.

I am completely impressed with Sam’s use of this video to promote social change and make a statement about something so real and under-discussed. Bringing issues to light is one of the first steps in creating change, and this song is the perfect example of how musicians possess the power to fight for causes that they care about. I’m excited to see where the rest of Sam’s career takes him, and am hopeful that he will continue to use his talent and passion to make a difference—ultimately encouraging others to follow in his footsteps.

11 Comments

Filed under Blog Post 2, Bro Country, Music Videos, Reviews, Song Analysis

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by | September 27, 2015 · 7:00 am

How Sara Evans Helped Me Get Over My First Breakup

So picture this: I’m 14 years old, I’ve been in high school for 6 months, and am awkward as can be. I still hadn’t quite figured out how the whole public school thing worked and I missed the 43 people I’d gone to school with for the past 10 years. Dressing myself was still a struggle because I’d only ever worn a uniform, and I was only so good at making new friends. I blame all of this on private school, but that’s beside the point.

Lets rewind to October 2010, my second month of high school. Enter the boy…we’ll call him Charlie. Charlie asked me to homecoming after I only knew him for two weeks and it was a HUGE deal. A boy? Liked me? It was crazy! The homecoming date progressed into a five-month relationship- this was monumentally long considering it was basically a middle school level relationship.

Unfortunately for my freshman year self and fortunately my future self, the relationship ended. At the time, it felt like the sky was falling. How could I possibly recover from being broken up with? I wallowed in self-pity for way to long, going over and over the heartbreak of the breakup.

That is, until one morning while I was getting ready for school and listening to Today’s Country Radio on Pandora, Sara Evans’ “A Little Bit Stronger” came on. This is the song that changed it all. Her country twang and singing style was different from most other female country singers so it caught my attention. This song in particular was exactly what I needed to hear. I guess you could say it “spoke” to me. The line “Even on my weakest days, I get a little bit stronger” ,in particular, got me out of bed and pepped up that day.

For about a month after that, I listened to that song every morning, day, and night. I would belt out the song along with her, I’m pretty sure the entire neighborhood could hear me singing “I’m better off without baby” at the top of my lungs. I credit this song as the inspiration for my high school comeback. From here on it got better. I figured out how to dress myself and made amazing friends, but I couldn’t have done it without Sara.

As my one-sided relationship with Sara Evans progressed, I discovered I identify with her a lot. She’s got opinions about country music that I can’t say I disagree with, mainly that there needs to be more equality in the genre, which is seemingly dominated by male artists. I loved a quote I found from her saying that she’s “excited to hear any song that’s not about drinking, or beer, or trucks, or partying, or jeans…” which can be found in this Rolling Stone Article here. I find her music refreshing, it’s different from most other songs on country radio stations right now. Not saying that every song about beer and trucks are horrible, but her music offers a nice reprieve from the common themes.

Lucky for me, these opinions of hers have led her to write songs that speak to people. Songs that tell a story and lift people up. And that help a teenage girl get over her first breakup and conquer the world of public high school.

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Filed under Blog Post 2, Country Pop, Reflection, Song Analysis, Women