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Topic: Art (01/18/07)
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TITLE: At Long Last Love | Previous Challenge Entry
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01/24/07 -
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ADD TO MY FAVORITES
On a long road trip, a random search of radio stations brought to my attention a familiar sound. “What a cute song,” I thought, “and doesn’t he have a nice voice.” Only a few weeks later would I discover that “Give It Away,” a song topping the music charts, was a record breaker. And lo and behold, George Strait—the vocalist—was being inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Continuing to tune in, I discovered other artistic delights. “Kath,” I asked my daughter, “have you heard the one about going through hell and not looking back?” “Yes, Mom,” she replied. “That’s the number one song of the year. And Rodney Atkins has another good one; listen for ‘Watching You.’” I did, and what a treat. I recommend it to all parents concerned about their children’s social development.
Another discovery was the tune by Josh Turner. I am pleased to report others have enjoyed the song as well. “Would You Go with Me” quickly climbed to the top of the music charts. Some even say it is his biggest hit yet. That song, in fact, brought him a Grammy Award nomination for Male Country Vocal Performance of the Year.
This propensity for country music I should have recognized much earlier. Although I certainly have no rural roots, over the years the homespun melodies of Nashville and beyond have been some of my favorites. The year I got married, Tammy Wynette offered me good advice: “Stand by Your Man.” And I did. In the 1980’s, with young offspring all around, I danced aerobically in the local Knights of Columbus hall to the rhythm of Dolly Parton’s hit, “Nine to Five.” And these days, with any encouragement, I will break out in song with a rendition of Crystal Gayle’s “Don’t It Make My Brown Eyes Blue” or my all-time favorite, Patsy Cline’s “Crazy.” When my new iPod is up and running, several versions of that song will definitely be included in my playlist.
How do I explain the sudden appeal of country music? How does anyone explain one’s first love or why it lasts so long? My unrequited crush on Gene Autry lasted for years. America’s first singing cowboy—and probably our first multimedia star—had me not with “hello” but with “You Are My Sunshine” and “Back in the Saddle Again.” And then he went on to serenade me with “Here Comes Santa Claus," “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Peter Cottontail," and “Frosty the Snow Man.”
Without even knowing it, my country and western inclination had been firmly established. Happy am I to have rediscovered the flag-waving and, sometimes, heart-wrenching musical creations. Even the polished sophistication of high-tech studios can’t intrude upon the simple melodies and their messages of love and heartbreak, home and war.
In the performing arts our souls are moved by the aesthetics of sight and sound. Ralph Waldo Emerson once said that “if eyes were made for seeing/Then beauty is its own excuse for Being.” I make no excuses to my fellow urban dwellers for my resurrected delight in down-country.
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