{"id":7376,"date":"2016-03-02T09:29:14","date_gmt":"2016-03-02T15:29:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/?page_id=7376"},"modified":"2016-03-06T00:17:39","modified_gmt":"2016-03-06T06:17:39","slug":"i-dont-need-your-rockin-chair","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/music\/i-dont-need-your-rockin-chair\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;I Don&#8217;t Need Your Rockin&#8217; Chair&#8221;"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Written by Brittney Haynes. 2 March 2016.<\/p>\n<p><iframe title=\"George Jones - I Don&#039;t Need Your Rocking Chair\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/2pxQVejXwts?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The name <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/George_Jones\">George Jones <\/a>is synonymous with country legend. He led a career that spanned over six decades, selling millions of records, and obtaining copious amounts of awards such as: Billboard Award for most promising new country vocalist, CMA\u2019s Male vocalist of the Year, Living Legend Award, Pioneer Award, Country Music Hall of Fame inductee, Kennedy Center Honoree, and finally the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. With such prestigious accolades as these, one would think George wouldn\u2019t have to worry about staying relevant in country music, but as the world entered the 90\u2019s you would barely hear George on the radio at all, which why his song, \u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.azlyrics.com\/lyrics\/georgejones\/idontneedyourrockinchair.html\"><em>I Don\u2019t Need Your Rockin\u2019 Chair<\/em>,<\/a>\u201d was an epic anthem to the belief that traditional country was over.<\/p>\n<p>1991 was the year that SoundScan was used to report record sales data via barcode scans at cash registers, leading to Nashville country music elites to request more airtime on radios. Cooper reported, \u201cthe new rules of major label Music City commerce- \u2018Sell as million, get on the radio or get out of mainstream country music,\u2019\u201d lead to older artists who were considered \u201ccountry,\u201d like George Jones, out of the \u201cin crowd.\u201d But, in regular George fashion, He didn\u2019t take this sitting down; instead George came out with a single in 1992 entitled, \u201cI Don\u2019t Need Your Rocking Chair.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The lyrics in this song were basically a personal statement to \u201cThe Man,\u201d asserting that George was determined to continue to perform and sing songs just like he always had. With the new generation of country singers rising up, such as; Garth Brooks, and Tim McGraw, bringing their different influences into the country music genre, those who had paved the way in the genre, were being pushed to the back burner because of their refusal to adapt their sound. They were considered as \u201cartists of the past,\u201d no longer culturally relevant, but in his lyrics, George takes a stand against these allegations, crooning choruses such as; \u201cThis grey hair don&#8217;t mean a thing\/ I do my rockin&#8217; on the stage\/ You can&#8217;t put this possum in a cage\/ My body&#8217;s old but it ain&#8217;t impaired \/Well I don&#8217;t need your rockin&#8217; chair.\u201d If that isn\u2019t a big \u201cF*** you\u201d to the Nashville Music industry I don\u2019t know what is. He is basically saying just because I am old, \u201cthis grey hair don\u2019t mean a thing,\u201d doesn\u2019t mean that he still can\u2019t produce good music and appeal to the audience. George goes on to sing \u201cRetirement don&#8217;t fit in my plans\/ You can keep your seat I&#8217;m a gonna stand,\u201d meaning even if he doesn\u2019t get as much airtime on the radio or his songs don\u2019t rise to the top of the charts, he is still an artist who loves to perform on stages for his fans.<\/p>\n<p>By the 1980\u2019s Jones was a well-loved country artist, earning him the honor to record the song \u201c<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Y0-ACWODLcU\">Rockin\u2019 Years<\/a><\/em>,\u201d with country diva Miss <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Dolly_Parton\">Dolly Parton<\/a>. In 1988 the two recorded the track, yet Columbia Records decided not to release the song. It wasn\u2019t until 1992 that Dolly would rerecord and release <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=CqN7N9-AHXs\">the song<\/a>, with <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Ricky_Van_Shelton\">Ricky Van Shelton<\/a> instead. The song went #1 on the Country charts, with lyrics reading, \u201cAnd I&#8217;ll stand by you thru our rockin&#8217; years\/ Rockin&#8217; chairs, rockin&#8217; babies, rock-a-bye, rock of ages.\u201d The same year George released his song, \u201c<em>I don\u2019t need your rocking chair<\/em>.\u201d This could have very well been a message to Columbia telling them, he didn\u2019t need that song to boost his career in anyway. With very similar lyrics it isn\u2019t far fetched to assume that George could have held a grudge toward the record label for not releasing the original version he was on, due to the fact that they wanted to go with a \u201cmore attractive\u201d male partner for Dolly. George goes on to sing, \u201cThis grey hair don&#8217;t mean a thing\/ I do my rockin&#8217; on the stage,\u201d which could be linked to the event that he was released from Columbia before this song came out. He is saying, \u201cI don\u2019t need the company or publicity,\u201d he will continue to give his fans a live show as long as they are willing to listen. He goes on to sing, \u201cyou can\u2019t put this possum in a cage\/ my body\u2019s old but it ain\u2019t impaired\/ well I don\u2019t need your rockin\u2019 chair,\u201d again this could be George indicating that he doesn\u2019t appreciate not having his music released because he isn\u2019t considered a \u201csex symbol\u201d or attractive to the younger audience listening to country in that decade.<\/p>\n<p>Peterson detailed, that during a time when \u201ccommercial-music firms are geared almost entirely to the creation, production, distribution, and selling of large numbers of new records,\u201d country stars were beginning to stray from the \u201croots\u201d of country music for a more \u201cpop\u201d feel that would be played on radios. (Peterson, 1978) It seemed, at the time, that country music was slowly dying. Confirming this claim was the duet of George Strait and Alan Jackson named, \u201c<em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=ny3K9irFC5k\">Murder on Music Row<\/a><\/em>\u201d recorded in 1999. This song was a lament of the continuous trend of country pop crossover acts and influences on country music that pushed traditional artists to the fringe. Jackson sings a verse that stated how the country music pioneers (Hank Williams, Merle Haggard, and George Jones) wouldn\u2019t stand a chance on today\u2019s radio, \u201cWhy, they even tell The Possum (Jones) to pack up and go home,\u201d by \u201cthey\u201d he is referring to the Nashville music industry. Again, this criticizing song just endorses that the transitioning genre of country music was no longer interested in \u201cyour grandparent\u2019s music.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In fact, during a recent 2012 interview for GAC\u2019s <em>Backstory<\/em> television series, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Blake_Shelton\">Blake Shelton<\/a> was <a href=\"http:\/\/www.savingcountrymusic.com\/blake-shelton-calls-classic-country-fans-old-farts-jackasses\/\">quoted saying<\/a>, \u201cCountry music has to evolve in order to survive. <strong>Nobody wants to listen to their grandpa\u2019s music. And I don\u2019t care how many of these old farts around Nashville going, \u201cMy God, that ain\u2019t country!\u201d Well that\u2019s because you don\u2019t buy records anymore, jackass. The kids do<\/strong>, and they don\u2019t want to buy the music you were buying.\u201d (Trigger, 2013) As he is now considered one of the dominate, leading male country artists of today, I believe his statement speaks volumes toward the mindsets the country music industry has today toward the greats who made the genre famous in the first place. But while the industry may be thinking this way, fans, both old and young, on the other hand were outraged by Blake\u2019s statement. Many took to social media to express their appall of his statements, and even requested that his songs be taken out of many radio rotations. Andrew Mann tweeted his sentiments on the issue saying, \u201c<strong>Blake Shelton<\/strong> is a straight up jackass I\u2019d gladly listen to any of those &#8220;<strong>old farts<\/strong>&#8221; music any day compared to the shit that jackass puts out.\u201d Shelton later apologized and was forgiven for his dreadful comments.<\/p>\n<p>When asked on his 80<sup>th<\/sup> birthday in 2011 (when he was still recording and selling out shows might I add), \u201cwhat advice do you have for other artists who want your career longevity?\u201d George\u2019s answer was, \u201cIf you sing songs you love, people know it and know that you are being honest with them.\u00a0 If you compromise too much and sing what you don\u2019t believe, the fans feel betrayed and they know the difference.\u201d (Taste of Country Staff, 2011) This is great advice for those who are making records in a time when a lot of country fans don\u2019t consider what\u2019s on the radio \u201ccountry music.\u201d George was known for his stubbornness in not willing to conform to what the industry wanted and instead stayed true to who he was. The song \u201c<em>I don\u2019t need your rockin\u2019 chair<\/em>,\u201d instrumentation is that of the traditional country sound, he has acoustic guitars, a fiddle, and a piano, which reinforce his love for the tradition of country.<\/p>\n<p>Despite diminishing health, as he grew older, George continued to record and perform well into his 70\u2019s and early 80\u2019s. Having his life echo the lyrics \u201cI ain&#8217;t ready for the junkyard yet\/ Cause I still feel like a new corvette.\u201d Even though the \u201ccorvette\u201d he\u2019s referring to (himself) may be an older model, singing, \u201cIt might take a little longer but I&#8217;ll get there,\u201d he continued to give his fans music up until his dying day. This led to Jones receiving the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for his amazing career traversing over 60 years in the music business. Not bad for an \u201cold fart\u201d if you ask me. Even though, \u201c<em>I don\u2019t need your rockin\u2019 chair<\/em>\u201d only made it to #34 on the Country Billboard charts, it will be known as an anthem that cries older country artist still matter. But it was George\u2019s love for country music and the way that he put his heart and soul into his songs that the fans really loved, despite his flaws as a person and performer. After his death fans still watch old YouTube videos of his music video and interviews, and Amber Girdner commented, what I believe is the thought of every country music lover. She said, \u201cGeorge Jones can never be replaced by anyone he was a legend of country music he will always be forever missed by so many,\u201d solidifying his colossal influence on country music and its supporters. \u201c<em>I don\u2019t need your rocking chair<\/em>,\u201d was George\u2019s way of stating his claim in the music industry as a legendary performer, while saying, \u201cI don\u2019t need your rockin chair\u2026 I do my rocking on a stage!\u201d<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Dean, Chuck.&#8221;Q&amp;A: George Jones on How He Lived To Tell It All.&#8221; Rolling Stone. N.p., 26 Nov. 1996. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.\u201c<u>George Jones Answers Eight Questions on His 80<sup>th<\/sup> Birthday<\/u>.\u201d <em>Taste of Country<\/em>. N.p., 12, Sept. 2011. Web. 23 Feb. 2016<em>.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Mann, Andrew (AndyMannn13). \u201cBlake Shelton is a straight up jackass Id gladly listen to any of those &#8220;old farts&#8221; music any day compared to the shit that jackass puts out.\u201d 25 Jan 2013. Tweet.<\/p>\n<p>Peterson, Richard. &#8220;The Production of Cultural Change: The Case of Contemporary Country Music.&#8221; <em>Social Research<\/em> 45.2 (1978): 292-314. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Rare Interview with Country Music Legend George Jones by GeorgeJonesMusic.&#8221; Online video clip. <em>YouTube<\/em>. YouTube, 11 Sept. 2013. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.<\/p>\n<p>Trigger. \u201c\u2018<u>Blake Shelton Calls Classic Country Fans \u201cOld Farts\u201d &amp; \u201cJackasses.<\/u>\u2019\u201d <em>Saving Country Music. <\/em>N.p., 23 Jan. 2013. Web. 23 Feb. 2016.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Written by Brittney Haynes. 2 March 2016. The name George Jones is synonymous with country legend. He led a career that spanned over six decades, selling millions of records, and obtaining copious amounts of awards such as: Billboard Award for &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/music\/i-dont-need-your-rockin-chair\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":0,"parent":18,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-7376","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7376","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7376"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7376\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7378,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/7376\/revisions\/7378"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/18"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.dwrl.utexas.edu\/countrymusic\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7376"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}