The Sad Ones

Since I'm in a pretty decent mood tonight, I thought, why not make good on my earlier promise, and feature some sad songs?

See, one doesn't want to listen to sad songs when they're actually sad, because that might just push one over the edge, you know? I'm not saying I haven't had those moments in my life, when I cried in my beer, listening to the saddest songs I could find in my playlist. Because I have. Hasn't everyone?

And, just for the record, I don't think crying is a bad thing. Of course, I'm a female, and females understand that. Crying is actually cathartic. Men need to learn that.

Anyway, the weird thing to me about so-called "sad" songs is, they don't make me feel sad. They make me feel, which is completely different.

Trying to post sad songs is like trying to find three songs to download for free from your local library (And thanks, by the way. Nice feature). The choices are daunting.

Every songwriter or would-be songwriter (like me!) writes sad songs. They're easy! Who's happy all the time? Only the insane.

And sad is relative, I'll say.

Some of the songs I post here may be considered more "inspirational" than sad. I don't know. You be the judge. They seem sad, or at least wistful, to me.

So, relying on my tiny memory cells and what I can find on YouTube, let's all get sad.

Naturally, the first song that comes to mind for me, when I think of sad songs, doesn't actually have a real video associated with it. But I'm still starting with this one, by Earl Thomas Conley:



Brooks & Dunn:

Neon Moon (From Invitation Only) - Brooks & Dunn - Brooks & Dunn Videos

By way of disclosure, I don't like Rascal Flatts, generally. HOWEVER, I like this one, and this one is sad.



I don't really like the video for this song. That's just my personal preference. Personally, I think they should have left it up to each listener's imagination. Nevertheless, what is sadder than Alison Krauss singing, well, anything?



Nobody features Gary Allen enough. I'm glad I have the opportunity to do it here:



No video for this song, of course, but it's one of my favorite George Strait recordings:



And speaking of George, I didn't really want to double up on singers here, but I think this is a mightily sad song:



Everybody tends to cite the same ones, when they're talking about the saddest country songs. I'm not really aiming for the saddest songs "ever", but more, the songs that make me cry. Yup, everybody has "Whiskey Lullaby" and "When I Call Your Name", but let's face it, they're sad. So, there's no getting around it. I'm not going with "He Stopped Loving Her Today", because everyone lists that as the number one saddest country song. I don't know. Not to me, I guess. But music is a personal thing.

In conclusion, I don't know if this song is supposed to be sad or inspirational, but let me just say that this song makes me cry. Every time. So, I'm including it. And it gets the cherished "top spot" in my list of sad songs, because it's just that good.



If I made you cry with at least one of the videos here, then my job is done.

I'm betting it's the last one. But that's entirely up to you. But you'd be crazy if it wasn't that last one.

Thoughts On My Singer-Songwriter Series

I wonder how many people in this world consider themselves to be songwriters.

I'm thinking there's a lot.

I've so far featured three singer-songwriters. Three damn good ones. (Not to confuse you. You've only read about two, but trust me, I've written about three. It's just all out of order, because, well, that's how I roll, apparently).

How many damn good ones are there? I'll say you can count them on the fingers of two hands. Okay, maybe three. But how many people actually have three hands?

I don't think songwriting is like a puzzle. It's not as if you can work on it long enough and hard enough to crack it.

You either have it or you don't.

Yes, I've used that phrase every time I've posted one of my "episodes". That's because it's true.

I've called myself a songwriter for about nine years or so. And I'm thinking, nuts to that. I'm not going to crack the code.

Unlike Radney Foster, I haven't written 25-50 songs per year. I frankly don't have the subject matter. Some years, in fact, I probably wrote two. If it wasn't for FAWM, I would be sitting at about number 13 at this point.

Oh, it's not for lack of desire.

It's for lack of ability.

I'm not trying to discourage anyone. But I will say, write for yourself.

If you like it, that's really the only point there is. I still really like some of mine; not most of them, but some. I guess you had to be there (ha); you know, in my subconscious, to really "get them'. That's, I guess, the problem.

I don't even know what it is about us that makes us want to do this. It's not for commerce. Because that would be the most doomed business enterprise ever created.

Can you imagine a storefront advertising songs for sale? Nobody would stop in. Or, if they did stop in, they'd say, oh, that's okay; I'm just browsing. And then they'd surreptitiously make their way over to the door, and slither out.

There you'd be, following them around, wearing your nice white apron, asking, "Is there something I can help you with?" And they'd murmur, "I was just looking for something bright and shiny; you know, something I can dance to".

"Well, I've got this song about love and loss", you'd say. "Oh, that's okay. I was kind of looking for something different. A little variety. I'm not really in the mood for love and loss today. I've already got a bunch of that at home."

"Well, let me just play you this one. You'll like it, I think."

Then strum, strum, strum. Your three-minute intro.

And you look up, and they're gone. Out the door.

You mutter to yourself, I don't know what people want. Maybe I should have stayed in customer service. Maybe starting my own songwriting business wasn't such a great idea. I guess people just don't understand greatness.

At this point in my songwriting career (okay, I can call it a career if I want), I look at the songs I've written sort of like a diary. I think maybe only one or two of them are completely fictional.

I read something that another songwriter wrote on one of those songwriter sites, and I'm paraphrasing, because I'm really too lazy to go back and re-read it, but he said that every song he wrote had some personal truth in it, even if he had to go back afterwards and cover up all the tell-tale signs. I kind of like that.

Songwriters (at least the un-schlocky ones) are really telling their life stories.

The problem with that, commercially, is that most people don't care about other people's life stories. Not really. Even if you know somebody really well, you are sort of interested, but not as interested as you are in your own life.

So, it's the rare (again, count 'em on three hands, if you have them) songwriter who can transcend that complete and utter disinterest, and invoke some kind of recognition in the listener's mind.

Either that, or the songs need to have a catchy beat.

I can go either way on that.

I'm being semi-facetious, but not really. For what is music, really, if not entertainment? What's wrong with a nonsense song that's infectious? I've got some of those guilty pleasures in my music collection, and I really like them.

That same songwriter that I referenced earlier (I think I'll call him "Jed") likes to talk about hearing music that touches his soul, or something like that. And I like that sometimes.

But sometimes, I've had a really crappy day, or a crappy week. My husband has lost his job (like a quarter of the population, apparently), and I'm worried about stuff like paying our bills, and insurance, and how we will survive when we're old; that kind of fun stuff. And I don't really want to hear some singer crying about...well, anything. I don't need to listen to some sad song to make me feel sad. I'm already sad. I just want to forget my troubles for one measly hour of my life and hear something fun and mindless.

And, come to think of it, the few songs of mine that people say they actually like are those kinds of songs. Entertainment. No offense to Jed, but I don't think the majority of people want to wallow.

So, what is the point of this post?

Well, it's two-fold. Listening to great songwriters (and so far, there have been three, but there are many more to come), I realize that this just isn't the gig for me.

I'm at a crossroads, and the road I'm traveling on right now is leading me toward just writing, but not songwriting.

Maybe I'll change my mind later (probably), when I'm in a better frame of mind. But I'm thinking, why keep beating my head against the wall? It's giving me a real headache, and I've got enough headaches already.

The other point is, let's have fun!

I'm going to search my music collection for "fun" songs, and post a few here and now. The week has been long and difficult (for you, too?), so it's time to kick back.





(Thank you, Dwight. I can always count on Dwight).





(Thank you, George. I used to always be able to count on George).



(Thanks, Marty. You're a rock.)

I know I posted this one before, but I don't care! If you don't like this one, well, I guess you just don't like country, and you just don't care, and you just don't really know what real country music is. Pity.



(My four go-to guys: Dwight, George, Marty, and Mark. George, you're moving further down my list, but you still have time to rise to the challenge. I haven't given up on you yet; at least not completely).

We're not done.





And while we're having fun, and throwing caution to the wind, let's not forget this one:



Tomorrow (or sometime) I will post the sad songs. But not tonight.

Don't forget, songwriters, that music is entertainment. We all just want to feel better; forget our troubles. So, while you're pouring out your guts, and lamenting your life circumstance, everybody else doesn't want to think about that.

I think that's the best advice I can give.

Brooks & Dunn - Done

Yes, I know it's old news, but I haven't commented on it yet, so it's new to me!

Wow - Brooks & Dunn have been around for 20 years? What the heck? Wow - I'm not 35 anymore? What the heck?

What I mean is, my, how time flies!

Well, the duo leaped to the stage (or in Ronnie's case, sauntered) with a song called, Brand New Man, but their second single, to me, was far superior.

Here's Down To My Next Broken Heart:


My all-time favorite Brooks & Dunn song will always be this one. Unfortunately, apparently the duo never bothered to make a video of this beautiful song, sung SUPERBLY by Ronnie Dunn. Here's pictures with music for Neon Moon:



In later years, B&D's output became less prolific, but they still could spring some surprises. Here's a Spanish-tinged song, called, My Heart Is Lost To You:



The boys proved they still had some "kix" left in 'em in 2004, when they released this fine piece of songwriting by Kix Brooks, Red Dirt Road:



I learned the path to heaven
Is full of sinner and believers
I learned that happiness
Ain't just for high achievers

I saw Brooks & Dunn in concert a few years back. People say that they make a strange pair, but frankly, one without the other would make for a very dull, long night at the arena.

There is no doubt that Ronnie Dunn has one of the finest voices in country music - bar none. But there is also no doubt that Kix Brooks is a great songwriter.

More than than, Ronnie is probably one of the most, shall I say, lackadaisical performers ever to shuffle onto the stage, while Kix is a big ball of energy (and probably has to be, considering).

Time will tell what will become of solo acts Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks. They're ready to move on, okay. But I have my doubts.

I leave you with this. Watching this next video, we have to apologize to Billy Ray Cyrus. He didn't SINGLE-HANDEDLY create the line dancing craze. Oh no. If you ever stepped foot inside a honky tonk in the late eighties/early nineties, you had to carefully circumvent the annoying cache of lined-up middle age "cowgirls" who were self-consciously trying to remember all the right steps, so that they wouldn't break the chain, while they danced to:



So long, Brooks & Dunn. Please don't make your farewell tour one of those "cry-fests", like the Judds did.

It was a fun and fast twenty years, wasn't it? Thanks for the fun.

Blast From The Past - Top Country Songs - Part Quatro

Another installment in a continuing series........top country hits of a certain year (a certain year when the music was still good).

This time........1991.

The top song of 1991 was "Don't Rock The Jukebox" by Alan Jackson:



Other number one hits from 1991 were:

Unanswered Prayers by Garth Brooks - Garth apparently doesn't allow any of his videos to be posted on YouTube. Must be only available at WalMart or something.

Brother Jukebox - Mark Chesnutt (Mark's first number one) - Sorry, video is unavailable, so here's a different Mark Chesnutt song (well, you gotta improvise sometimes. I like this song better anyway.)





Walk On Faith by Mike Reid



I'd Love You All Over Again - another number one from Alan Jackson (I included this song on a mix tape for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary. This was also Alan's first number one song.) - 1,470 videos on YouTube for Alan Jackson, and this song is not among them. I guess we'll have to hum it to ourselves (it's in waltz time - and a one, two, three, one, two three.)



Two Of A Kind, Workin' On A Full House - another Garth Brooks selection (well, obviously, this video isn't available, either.)

If I Know Me - George Strait (sorry, this one is a no-go also.)

Meet In The Middle - Diamond Rio (their debut single. Diamond Rio was the first country group to have their debut song go to number one on the charts) - This video IS available on YouTube, but not for embedding. Apparently, record companies do not like free publicity for their artists. So, here is another Diamond Rio song, albeit from 1997:



The Thunder Rolls - Garth Brooks again (never mind)

She's In Love With The Boy - Trisha Yearwood (her first #1) - also unavailable. Like husband, like wife.

You Know Me Better Than That - again, George Strait (sorry, Strait fans)

Brand New Man - Brooks & Dunn (their first #1 hit) - here's a very headache-inducing live performance (I mean visually, not audially.)



Anymore - Travis Tritt


Someday - again, Alan Jackson



Shameless - Garth again (no loss)

My Next Broken Heart - Brooks & Dunn (their record company is awfully possessive, too)

So, to sum up 1991, it was the year of Alan Jackson, Garth Brooks, Brooks & Dunn, Diamond Rio, and, of course, George Strait.