TEMA: LETRAS POLÉMICAS DE CANCIONES COUNTRY

Creo que ha llegado el momento de ir juntando todas aquellas canciones en cuyas letras haya una crítica al "nuevo country", seguro que podemos reunir unas cuantas...

IF THAT'S COUNTRY de DALLAS WAYNE/ ROBBIE FULKS

Año 2000, Dallas Wayne regresa de su periplo en tierras finlandesas, dice que cuando volvió no se imaginaba cuánto habían cambiado las cosas, que lo que llevabas escuchando y haciendo toda la vida de repente se llamaba alt, "When I came back here, I honestly didn't know how much things had changed, the stuff you've been doing your whole life is suddenly called alt. I'm slightly confused. But I'm easily befuddled". Y de todo ello nació esta canción, llena de humor, referencias… una crítica en toda regla co-escrita junto a R.Fulks. Es conocido el desprecio de R.Fulks por todo “ese nuevo country” y su industria y su particular sentido del humor, para muestra su canción “Fuck This Town” refiriéndose a Nashville.



V.1
WELL, YOU’VE CALLED MY KINFOLK TRASH ALL THEIR LIVES
AND I’M A CHIP OFF THE HEAP, ASK ANY ONE OF MY EX-WIVES
I’M A SOCIAL DRINKER, AND I STAY SOCIAL ALL I CAN
I’M A DEER-SNUFFIN’, CHAIN-SMOKIN’, SIMPLE KINDA SOUTHERN MAN

V.2
FIRST YOU GUT OUR FARMS, STRIP-MALL ALL THE FIVE-AND-DIMES
THEN YOU TAX OUR SO-CALLED SINS, CALL OUR PLEASURES A CRIME
NOW YOU’RE TURNIN’ OUR MUSIC INTO SOME STRANGE ELEVATOR NOISE
THINK IT’S TIME FOR US TO WIN ONE BACK FOR THE GOOD OL’ BOYS

CH.1
YOU CAN PAINT STRIPES ON A BILLY GOAT/CALL IT A TIGER IF IT FLOATS YOUR BOAT
YOU CAN MAKE A STAR OF A TEENAGE GIRL
BUT ONE MILLION DOLLARS WON’T MAKE HER MERLE
LASER BEAMS, NAVEL RINGS, AND A PRETTY FACE MIGHT BE SOMETHING
BUT YOU CAN KISS MY OZARK ASS, IF THAT’S COUNTRY

V.3
THERE’S A CERTAIN SONG THAT’S GOT MY LOCAL STATION STUCK
IT’S GOT A STEEL GUITAR, AND I BELIEVE IT MENTIONS A TRUCK
BUT THE SINGER DON’T SOUND LIKE HE EVER WORKED A STICK SHIFT
SOUNDS MORE LIKE BAD PHIL COLLINS WITH A HICK FACELIFT

V.4
NOW I AIN’T DENYIN’ THEM SUBURBAN MOMS THEIR FUN
BUT DON’T YOU TRY TO TELL ME IT’S THE WAY HANK WANTED IT DONE
YOU BETTER KEEP YOUR MONEY-GRUBBIN’ HANDS OFF THE POOR MAN’S SONG
AND MAKE SURE CHRIS GAINES STAYS THE HELL OFFA MY FRONT LAWN

CH.2
YOU CAN TAKE AN EAR FROM A BARNYARD SOW/MILK IT ‘TIL IT TURNS INTO A CASH COW
YOU CAN LEAD A CHICK TO A WATERING-HOLE
BUT YOU CAN’T MAKE HER DRINK ‘TIL SHE GETS WHITE SOUL
MIGHT BE ROCK, MIGHT BE SCHLOCK, MIGHT BE THE BEATLES OR MONKEES
BUT YOU CAN KISS MY OZARK ASS, IF THAT’S COUNTRY



MURDER ON MUSIC ROW de LARRY CORDLE
Fue escrita por Larry Cordle y grabada en 1999 junto a su banda de bluegrass, Lonesome Standard Time, en el 2000 fue premiada como la mejor canción del año en los International Bluegrass Music Awards.


La letra es una crítica a la nueva tendencia que había llegado a la música country, esos sonidos pop que aparecieron para llegar al gran público y empezaron a cambiar las cosas, los sonidos, ritmos e instrumentos tradicionales se dejan de lado, hasta los looks cambian, gente como Hank Williams, George Jones, Merle Haggard dejan de escucharse en las emisoras, simplemente no encajan dentro del “nuevo country”.
Pero el verdadero éxito de esta canción llega cuando dos de los grandes George Strait y Alan Jackson la tocan en directo en los CMA Awards, en el 2000 la grabaron en el álbum Latest Straitest Hits y aunque nunca salió como single no paraba de sonar en las emisoras. En ese mismo año ganó el premio al mejor evento del año en los Country Music Association’s Award y en los CMA el premio a la mejor canción del año.



Nobody saw them running
From 16th Avenue
They never found the fingerprints
Or the weapon that was used
But someone killed country music
Cut out its heart and soul
They got away with murder
Down on music row

The almight dollar
And the lust for worldwide fame
Slowly killed tradition
And for that, someone shouldhang ("Ahh, you tell 'em Alan")
They all say "Not Guilty!"
But the evidence will show
That murder was committed
Down on music row

For the steel guitars no longer cry
And the fiddles barely play
But drums and rock 'n' roll guitars
Are mixed up in your face
Ol' Hank wouldn't have a chance
On today's radio
Since they committed murder
Down on music row

They thought no one would miss it
Once it was dead and gone
They said no one would buy them ol'
Drinkin' and cheatin' songs ("Oh, but I still buy 'em")
Well there ain't no justice in it
And the hard facts are cold
Murder's been committed
Down on music row

For the steel guitars no longer cry
And you can't hear fiddles play
With drums and rock 'n' roll guitars
Mixed right up in your face
Why the Hag wouldn't have a chance
On today's radio
Since they committed murder
Down on music row

Why they even tell the Possum
To pack up and go back home
There's been an awful murder
Down on music row

En 2006 Dierks Bentley y George Jones grabaron una versión incluída en el álbum “Songs of the Year 2007”.



*Music Row es una zona situada al sur-oeste de Nashville donde se concentran la mayoría de los negocios relacionados con la música.

Aquí tenéis una realmente combativa. O quizá hay que decir que cuenta las cosas tal y como son…

Tampoco olvidar el detalle que las iniciales del título coinciden con CMA.

COUNTRY MY ASS de Dale Watson



He ain't even near twenty, but he says he's seen plenty of hard times,
'Cause he's been on his bus for five days and in his hotel for five nights.
And his satellite dish is broke and the new band is treatin' him mean. (Yeah, I know.)
And there's still another week to go: he misses that karaoke machine.
Hey, that's country, my ass,
Who do they think we am?
Force-feed us that shit.
Ain't you real tired of it?
Tell 'em, stick it up high,
Where the sun don't shine.
Get pissed, an'get mad,
'cause that's country, my ass.

Now, she's out there too, she's got her own secrets too. (Shhhh, don't tell nobody.)
She can't sing a lick and in a bucket, she couldn't carry her tunes. (Now wait a minute.)
She's pretty as a picture and she sure got a nice set of...wits. (Yeah.)
And she misses her producer slash boyfriend who seduced her, er produced her a hit.

Hey, that's country, my ass,
Who do they think we am?
Force-feed us that shit.
Ain't you real tired of it?
Tell 'em stick it up high,
Where the sun don't shine.
Get pissed, an'get mad,
Tell 'em that's country, my ass.

Instrumental break.

Now don't get me wrong, to each his own I believe.
But they've took the soul out of what means a whole lot to me.
'Cause I can see Hank and Lefty, they're spinning around in their graves.
And if they were here now, I think y'all know what they'd say. (Don't you?)
(What they'd say?)

Country, my ass,
Who do they think we am?
Force-feed us that shit.
Ain't you real tired of it?
Tell 'em stick it up high,
Where the sun don't shine.
We're pissed, we're mad 'cause that's country, my ass.
We're pissed, we're mad 'cause that's country, my ass.

Muy buena también la de Dale W., pues nada animaros que todavía quedan unas cuantas...

Ah, lo de las siglas es verdad, no me había dado cuenta...

Genial la cancion :MURDER ON MUSIC ROW de LARRY CORDLE
En la version que hacen Strait y Alan Jackson, no se si os habeis dado cuenta que Alan casi no llega a tiempo al micro y al principio esta un poco "afectado".Por otro lado Starit esta genial.
En la version de Bentley y G.Jones (The Posum sino me equivoco¿?) es una pena que George este tan casacado(debe tener 1500 años ya) pues me parece una cancion perfecta para el.
En fin genial el tema...es un "arrastrado" de los que me gustan.
Mil gracias ¡¡¡
Carlos

Muy buena la de Watson, da gusto.
Os adjunto una de Mel Tillis que es de la misma linea critica ...


Saludos
Carlos