"Jolene"

Dolly Parton - "Jolene" (1973)

Under three minutes and still the gold standard.



The song is from one woman to another. The man in the tale is secondary, sure he's the subject of the battle but Parton discuses Jolene far more than she does her man. The song has been covered by The White Stripes, The Sisters of Mercy,  Olivia Newton John, and Strawberry Switchblade among others. Each brings something different to the table, and the fact that each interpretation is different is testament to the depth of the theme of the song. However, none of the covers comes close to the emotional depth of the original. Mindy Smith does a great bluegrass influenced cover that I think has the best instrumentation after the original.

Parton's voice is, as I said, full of emotion. Her words are deliberate and heartfelt. Her backing vocalists here come in just occasionally, really adding depth. The music going on under the lyrics is pretty complex and layered. There's a steel guitar, and two electric/acoustic guitars all playing interwoven. The bass guitar plays faster and more complex than a 'typical' country song. At least two violins are playing as well. In addition to the standard drum set, you can also hear some kind of frame drum, whether it's a bodhrán or some other tradition's version. I suppose it could be congas as well. All together, it's a haunting piece that deserves a few minutes of your time.

"The Fever"

Garth Brooks - "The Fever" (1995)

This version is almost two minutes shorter than the original.



This was not even one of the top five singles on the Aerosmith album Get a Grip, so I don't know exactly why Garth Brooks decided to get it re-written. Two years after it rose up the charts with Steven Tyler on vocals Brooks gave it a go, with new lyrics to reflect a bull rider's complete devotion to the sport instead of a world weary band's love of women that had replaced their various other vices. So that just about covers the lyrics side of things.

I've got almost nothing nice to say about Brooks voice. I've been listing to a lot more Country music in the last year than I had in the previous decades and one thing I will say is that Country singers tend to have distinct personalities in their voice. This is an almost bland vocal. The bridge has some color, with a little twang and some edge to the vocal, but then we're right back to the bland homogenized sound of any-old-country-singer until the last few lines when he does that high pitched almost squeal thing. All in all, not my favorite song by not my favorite singer.

Musically the song is driven by a rock beat with guitar reminding us that it's an Aerosmith song. The primary sound aside from Brooks vocal is a fiddle. I'm not a fiddle guy, but at least this guy can play. It's not a rehash of any theme we've heard another instrument play, it's something different and as always, I appreciate that.

I had a question featured over on the Novel Publicity site's "Ask the Editor" feature. So from here on out, I'll be using the advice I picked up over there as far as when to italicize, capitalize, bold, and use a slash. It shouldn't be that confusing but I thought I'd warn you that I was breaking with my six month (wow go me!) status quo.

"It's Only Make Believe"

Conway Twitty - It's Only Make Believe (1958)

"Ladies and gentlemen... Mr. Conway Twitty"




On this original recording you can absolutely hear why many people in 1958 thought this record might have been Elvis Presley recording under a false name. Twitty has a low baritone slurred vocal just like Presley, but he also went up higher into his vocal register in this song. The backup singers on this record, were The Jordanaires, which was the same group Elvis used, adding to the confusion. Elvis was serving in the Army at the time, making it hard for him to record new music. This service break gave other young talents a chance to rise and Conway Twitty took it.

The song was written during the intermission at a concert he was giving. He and co-writer/drummer Jack Nance estimate that it took seven minutes to write. Musically it's a simple song. written in 12/8 time, you can hear the piano and guitar playing three notes for every beat. The bass plays every other beat and the drums play along with the piano, accenting the beat opposite of the bass. There's no solo, no break, just an intro over plucked acoustic guitar and then three stanzas. The third is a repeat of the first, really cutting back on the writing. I like how the song builds and falls. Each line in the stanza besides the last one is higher than the one before it; building emotion and tension. Then the final line falls apart, just like the singer's hopes and dreams.

"The Grand Tour"

George Jones - The Grand Tour (1974)

Damn, what a downer.



This track, produced by a Country Music Hall of Fame member, and written by three big names in country music; is often considered one of the greatest performances in the history of country music. George Jones was a hard drinkin' womanizing so-and-so when this song came out, and less than a year away from his divorce from Tammy Wynette (who fours years later would marry one of the big name songwriters). He is known for putting so much feeling into his performances that audiences assumed that every song was autobiographical. This one wasn't, but it's hard to listen to twice.

Pedal steel guitar, acoustic guitar, simple slow walking bass, and basic piano accompaniment start this song off; and well in the "country" wheelhouse. By the end you realize that there is also a backing choir and a good sized string section. The producer was known in the later 70s for creating crossover hits for country artists, and this has a lot of the hallmarks of an almost "adult contemporary" style song.

Lyrically the song starts sad. A man who is broken, and tries to be upbeat, invites the listener into the house that "once was home sweet home". It gets sadder as George walks around the house and points out furniture that holds memories of his wife who is "gone forever" though she used to "whisper I love you". By the end we are heartbroken to find that this shell of a man has walked us into the nursery; only to find that his wife left him and took nothing "but our baby and my heart". No further explanation is given, we are left to show ourselves out.

"Heaven"

Talking Heads - Heaven (1979)

I would have guessed this was David Byrne based on the voice, but I never would have guessed this was a Talking Heads track.



The guitar is a little twangy, giving it the country influence the book mentions. We've also got simple piano, or at least a synthesizer set to upright. The drum part is almost overwhelming to me; repetitive, too loud, and frankly both dull and too much. The bass line here is moving as fast or faster than the piano during most of the song. Due to the fact that the guitar is playing an atmospheric twang part, the bass becomes a real driving force of the song; really keeping it moving along with the non stop drums - which is ironic considering the lyrics.

The song is about the afterlife, but a version of Heaven few would consider positive. It is a place where "nothing ever happens" and "it will not be any different, it will be exactly he same". Never has Heaven been described in such a way that no one, save people with anxiety that too much is happening and lovers of boredom; would ever want to go. It could be interpreted as very zen, nothing that ends doesn't begin again. but I just think it sounds terrible. Not that the song is terrible, the word play is fantastic: "the band in heaven, they play my favorite song/Play it one more time, play it all night long". It just does a great job of describing a place I wouldn't want to go.

"Not Ready to Make Nice"

Dixie Chicks - Not Ready to Make Nice (2006)

Lot of controversy surrounding this song and "The Incident" that preceded it, but let's talk about the music.

Lots of three part harmony with a defiant, almost shouted lead vocal during the choruses. Most of the verses are really pared down and just solo vocals, acoustic guitar, a little drum and some lower bass sound out of a bass or organ. They then get louder and more heated leading into the chorus. One of the members plays violin throughout the chorus and there is also quite prevalent horn at unexpected moments. during the last chorus, we get huge orchestration, with multiple strings and that horn again.

"Your Cheating Heart"

Ray Charles - Your Cheating Heart (1962)

This is the only full version of this song available on YouTube. I looked elsewhere as well. I did find a Russian language website that seemed to have it, but it was a karaoke version. Most of what is on YouTube is live versions. There is also one that starts near the beginning, but not at the beginning. This guy has a double video, You Are My Sunshine and Your Cheating Heart, so I've got it starting in the middle.

Off of Ray Charles' second Country album. There was nothing this man could not sing. Unfortunately, there are only two of his songs in this book. If I was only going to include two Ray Charles songs, this is not one of the ones I would choose. I don't really like the backing choir, and the string arraignment is sort of a neutral. Fortunately his vocals sound like a man who has been destroyed by love. The man is an ace piano player, but I don't think that really shines in this recording. There is a piano solo, but it is short, and almost drowned out by the strings.