Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music
Music Podcasts
Have you always thought there was something special about 80s and 90s country music that you've never been able to put your finger on? Why does this music stand out? Well, let's don our cowboy hats, adjust our oversized belt buckles, tease that hair, and see if we can get the bottom of it, by picking apart one song at a time.
Location:
United States
Genres:
Music Podcasts
Description:
Have you always thought there was something special about 80s and 90s country music that you've never been able to put your finger on? Why does this music stand out? Well, let's don our cowboy hats, adjust our oversized belt buckles, tease that hair, and see if we can get the bottom of it, by picking apart one song at a time.
Language:
English
Episodes
Dissecting "Straight Tequila Night" by John Anderson
4/29/2024
We take a shot of an all-time classic, John Anderson's "Straight Tequila Night". Anderson's signature breathy vocals anchor a particularly textural take on neotradional honky-tonk, but why does this song have a certain uncanny sound, and what does the number 440 have to do with it?
Duration:00:31:56
Dissecting "Lost and Found" by Brooks & Dunn
4/15/2024
We search through another early Brooks & Dunn hit, 1992's "Lost and Found". It's all about the flow, as this song always seems to take us exactly where we want to go, measure after perfect little measure. But we already knew Kix Brooks could write a great cut, so how exactly does this one nail the feeling of a frantic search, and what does Brooks & Dunn's signature honky-tonk sound have to do with it?
Duration:00:25:48
Dissecting "Honey, I'm Home" by Shania Twain
4/1/2024
90s icon Shania Twain takes us right back to the world of 90s feminism with her half-arena-rock / half-honky-tonk hit, "Honey, I'm Home". Twain played big, and this song plays big, but where we do get irony in her particular brand of subversion, and what musical touchpoints does this song have with a couple of hits from 20 years before?
Duration:00:26:57
Dissecting "One Man Woman" by The Judds
3/18/2024
We look at how The Judds bring their acoustic-with-attitude vibe to the sultry, electric piano-infused "One Man Woman". Slow, dark, and bluesy is the order of the day on this late-career Judds single, but what does a sonic atmosphere like that have to do with the lyrics' insistence on monogamy?
Duration:00:23:08
Dissecting "Smoky Mountain Rain" by Ronnie Milsap
3/4/2024
We take a ride with a legend in his prime in this episode on Ronnie Milsap's 1980 classic "Smoky Mountain Rain". The connection to Elvis's "Kentucky Rain" is multifaceted and deep, but how does this song use theatrical drama to color its image of a country music cliche? And what happens when you ask Ronnie Milsap to make the thunder roll?
Here a couple of videos that are referenced in the episode:
Smoky Mountain Rain on Austin City Limits: https://youtu.be/p0ZpytVUElU?si=5K88u9cBUqbjPUGl
Source of the Elvis story: https://youtu.be/0I7v2zx6ttM?si=Jyv22w9sJ34dPhwx
Duration:00:33:33
Dissecting "Love, Me" by Collin Raye
2/19/2024
In this episode, we look at how Collin Raye's signature song, "Love, Me" kept it gentle sentimental. Everything contributes, from the memorable acoustic guitar intro to Raye's smooth, sweet tenor vocals. But what do stoic farmers have to do with it? Also, who remembered that this recording had an electric piano?
Duration:00:27:10
Dissecting "Better Things to Do" by Terri Clark
2/5/2024
Terri Clark tells her ex where he ranks in no uncertain terms, with her debut hit, "Better Things to Do". Or does she? There's plenty of 90s attitude here, but what details in these lyrics hint that something else may be going on?
Duration:00:23:13
Dissecting "Carrying Your Love with Me" by George Strait
1/22/2024
Melton finally gets to take on the King, by way of his 1997 hit "Carrying Your Love with Me". Everything works in this perfect little country song, but how does it all work together, and what is it about George Strait's simple delivery that connects so well not only with the song but also with us?
Duration:00:25:05
Dissecting "I Feel Lucky" by Mary Chapin Carpenter
1/8/2024
We continue to explore the quirky side of Mary Chapin Carpenter, and of early 90s country, with her Grammy-winning 1992 hit "I Feel Lucky". So what is it besides the Dwight Yoakam and Lyle Lovett reference that makes this song so much fun, and what does the long history of country "outlaws" have to do with it?
Duration:00:22:05
Dissecting "Christmas in Dixie" by Alabama
12/25/2023
For Christmas day, we went with the perfect song about Christmas night: Alabama's 1982 classic "Christmas in Dixie". The joyful yuletide setting is plenty explicit in the song, but what subtly bittersweet threads have also been knit into this comfy Christmas sweater?
Duration:00:29:30
Dissecting "John Deere Green" by Joe Diffie
12/11/2023
We plow through one of Melton's all-time favorite's, Joe Diffie's and Dennis Linde's 1993 classic: "John Deere Green". The tongue-in-cheek Mayberry tone carries over from "Bubba Shot the Jukebox", but how exactly does this one celebrate simplicity with an assertion that never flaunts its rural contentment?
Duration:00:17:52
Dissecting "On the Other Hand" by Randy Travis
11/27/2023
They don't get much more classic than Randy Travis's major label debut single, 1985's "On the Other Hand". We could have spent the whole episode on Travis's understated vocals (we practically do!), but what other elements of the song cause us to find ourselves rooting for a man who has already gone a few steps too far?
Duration:00:27:08
Dissecting "Bubba Shot the Jukebox" by Mark Chesnutt
11/13/2023
Mark Chesnutt balances funny and disturbing with the of-its-time 1992 hit "Bubba Shot the Jukebox". It's a Dennis Linde composition, so we can expect a tongue-in-cheek tone, but how does this one mix peril with absurdity to stay just on this side of too far?
Duration:00:24:59
Dissecting "Killin' Time" by Clint Black
10/30/2023
We finally get to a classic from Clint Black's era-defining (and we're not exaggerating here) 1989 debut album, its title track no less: "Killin' Time". But we're not just filling 24 minutes: What are the puzzle pieces that make this song cross that line from great to classic, and why do they fit together so naturally?
Duration:00:24:30
Dissecting "Down at the Twist and Shout" by Mary Chapin Carpenter
10/16/2023
Mary Chapin Carpenter's ode to her favorite Bethesda haunt is one of the most infectious country songs of the early 90s. But what exactly made "Down at the Twist and Shout" strike such a strong Cajun chord, and what exactly is she saying anyway?
Duration:00:16:04
Dissecting "Party Crowd" by David Lee Murphy
10/2/2023
David Lee Murphy shows us what it was like in 1995 to hang out with the "Party Crowd"... or does he? What's going on below the surface of this honky-tonk celebration, and what do "Neon Moon" and "The Thunder Rolls" have to do with it? I bet you thought this one was straightforward, didn't you? Listen to see if you agree with Melton that there's something deeper here.
Duration:00:17:15
Dissecting "Honky Tonk Man" by Dwight Yoakam
9/18/2023
Dwight Yoakam's influences are readily apparent in this early neotraditionalist cover of Johnny Horton's "Honky Tonk Man". Hank, Cash, Elvis, and of course Buck Owens are all in there, but what thematic material has Yoakam also imported from the mid-20th century?
Duration:00:24:11
Dissecting "Soon" by Tanya Tucker
9/4/2023
Tanya Tucker reminds us that there is more than one point of view to a country cliche, beating Sugarland to the punch while doing so, in her early 90s hit "Soon". We didn't just start liking cheating songs or anything, but what is it about the melody and harmony on this particular one that leaves us feeling so unsettled?
Duration:00:24:35
Dissecting "Unanswered Prayers" by Garth Brooks
8/21/2023
Garth Brooks finds the best kind of disillusionment at his high school homecoming in his 1990 hit "Unanswered Prayers". Nostalgia reigns in this early example of Brooks's sweet spot, but what is it about his brand of neotradionalist country music that keeps this song so gloriously local as we wistfully revisit it all these years later?
Duration:00:28:18
Dissecting "From This Moment On" by Shania Twain with Bryan White
8/7/2023
Shania Twain takes us back to the diva days of the late 90s with pop-country powerhouse, 1997's "From This Moment On". Of course, we're still suckers for the soaring vocals and dramatic key-changes, but is there something more that keeps this nuptial classic in our collective consciousness?
Duration:00:22:39