Short fiction, philosophical essays, "inspired by ... country music" short stories, "top 10 country songs" lists ... , "country music artists of the month," and everything country music.
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I have been a country music fan for many years. When I was a kid, listening to tini-bop, the nasally twangs of Willie Nelson seemed almost comedic. However, in my years I have grown and so have my musical tastes. I began listening to country when I discovered Garth Brooks. Now I enjoy almost all country music has to offer. From George Strait to Chris Stapleton, I have found music I can relate to and enjoy.
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Have a very, merry merry Christmas and a happy new year!
inspired by "Am I the only one?" by Dierks Bentley
He woke up this morning with the
cool air against his face. Yesterday had
been a pivotal moment in his life, he had graduated high school as he and his
family had always hoped. They all had
celebrated the occasion with a party to honor his accomplishment. He was the first in his family to be awarded
such a distinction.
Yesterday, he and his friends
enjoyed the high school graduation ceremony by throwing their maroon cap in the
air as which is the tradition. However, the
next day the celebration was just to begin.
The time had come to be initiated
into the working-adult world. Yet,
something had been forgotten.
After his morning coffee, he put
on his gym clothes. It was about eleven
in the morning when he got home from his workout. Showering and putting on his house clothes,
he realized the festivity which would accompany the summer.
Unpacking freight for a hardware
store was good work. It liberated the
night hours for the social activities which would mark his entire summer.
When he returned home from work,
he put in his favorite CD and jumped into the shower. After all the festivities and parties with
his family it was time to celebrate his last summer of youth with his friends.
In preparation for the night to come, the music played to full-volume. His favorite CD, The Essential Elvis Presley, invigorated his senses.
He didn't need to call any of his
friends on the telephone. He knew where
they would all meet-up tonight. It was
the local bar where they would meet most weekends.
The music his apartment blared,
shaking the walls. He brushed his teeth
and put on clean clothes. He pulled a
beer out of the refrigerator; it was part of the ritual marking the beginning
of the weekend.
His taxi-cab arrived and he paid
the cab driver for the eight mile trip down the street to the hangout. It
cost him twelve dollars out of his pocket plus a three dollar tip.
Not quite dusk, the blaring light
from the sun stung his eyes.
He opened the door to join the
party that had already begun. The dark,
barroom beckoned upon him a cool breath of relaxation.
George’s friends, Jonathan and
Michael, were already sitting at the bar. With a pleasant buzz from the beer he had at
his apartment, he ordered himself another beer which he would nurse for the
next hour. He took out a five dollar
bill to put some music on the jukebox.
With an extended thump and a loud
blare the music began, exciting and energizing the barroom. The blues-guitar strings and heavy drumbeat infused
the barroom with energy.
As if scripted and on cue, three
college girls passed by George and his entourage, casting an enticing glance in
their direction.
The night went on. George drank his beers slowly and enjoyed the
music and the company of his friends.
The celebration was highlighted by their moderate drinking which did not
cross the line into drunkenness.
When George arrived, he had
noticed a host of girls. Most of these
girls were quite attractive, yet all seemed to be out of his reach. As the night drew on, however, his focus turned
to a less pretentiously beautiful girl across the bar who had also been trying
to get his attention most of the night.
He sat with his friends at the
bar. The three of them shared
conversation that matched the atmosphere.
George kept an upbeat supply of music playing on the jukebox. He gazed the barroom wondering if this night
would end like most.
“The barmaid is always
friendly.” He knew she was not
interested in any of the usual patrons.
“Too bad, she seemed like a very nice girl. Pretty smile, too.” Gazing upon her was always welcomed in the
situation which would oftentimes, otherwise become mundane.
He continued to look around the
room. “There she is, she looks like the
type of girl I would like.” She was the
girl across the bar that had been at the bar all night. “We could take it slow and see what
happens. No pressure, just a friendly
dance. Is she smiling at me?”
The night carried on. He thought that with one more beer he may
have the courage to walk over and talk to her.
He made eye-contact back at
him. It was not a seductive look, but
more of a flirtatious look. She seemed
very welcoming and he hoped for the best.
He walked up to her and asked her to dance.
They danced a few dances and
shared a drink. She left the bar, vowing
to meet again next Friday night.
He had another drink and got in
his cab to go back to his apartment. He
went alone, but with a promising request for the weekend to come. He got back to his apartment and watched
television before he laid down for sleep.
It had been a good night at the
bar which had ended uneventfully, but with optimism for the near future.
Awakening the next morning he
enjoyed a hot cup of coffee with the cool morning air. So soon after graduation, he was to enjoy the
summer and wait for better work after the summer would end. The job unpacking freight offered enough
money to live off presently.
He sipped another cup of coffee
and welcomed the day to come. Next
weekend would bring with him other possibilities.
Country music
and beer reach out to each other as do country music and boots. Honkey-tonk barrooms featuring cowboy hats
and boots along with good country music and beer are one of the reasons that
country music is as popular as it is today.
Drinking songs,
featuring whiskey and beer, are a part of the soundtrack of many country music
listeners lives. Whether it is sad
drinking songs, party-drinking songs, or country songs with a comedic flare,
many of these songs feature beer as the center piece to the emotion laid down
in the music.
Many country
singers have made their mark on the country charts with drinking songs including
Garth Brooks, with his barroom anthem, Friendsin Low Places, and Alan Jackson with his duet with Jimmy Buffett, Five o’clock somewhere. These songs, in addition to scores of other
country music hits, have helped to define country music as the working-man’s
blues.
In modern-day
country music, a whole new generation of country singers has helped to bring
the tradition of country music to a much wider audience featuring an entire
slew of country music drinking songs.
Jason Aldean, Dierks Bentley, and Luke Bryan have done so brilliantly
with chart toppers and huge hits.
Beer songs,
however, are some of the most notable of country songs. As primary examples of country drinking
songs, these songs highlight listeners sitting at a bar, siting in their
backyard, or at a party while listening to country music and drinking beer.
The songs that
I have chosen for this “Top 10 … Country Songs” list reflect not only country
hits, but also some of my favorites that may have fallen in below the
radar. These songs contain hits from
recent decades, recent years, as well as current hits on today’s country music
radio.
Hopefully you
will enjoy some of your favorite songs and I hope you also discover new songs
to add to your library.
Number 10: Tear in my beer by Hank Williams & Hank Williams Jr.
This song,
electronically re-recorded with Hank Williams Jr. from the original recording
by Hank Williams, is half-comedic and half-tragic. Recollections of nights of sad drinking
surface in the hearts many of its listeners when it is played. It helps to establish a base between beer
and country music.
Brooks and Dunn, at
the forefront of country music for more than 20 years, have released many
iconic country music songs before their recent break-up. These songs include heart-wrenching ballads
as well as songs fitting every niche that can be found in country music. This song celebrates drinking beer while
enjoying barroom life. It is done so by
with the trademark loud-vocal, up-beat edge for which the group is known.
This recent hit by
Kip Moore is a pure, party country song about nothing but beer and having a
good time. The backdrop set with the
lyrics is a long night of partying with a long awaited date. This song has helped this recently discovered
country music singer to gain fame in his time on country music radio.
Number 7: Beer for my horses by Toby
Keith & Willie Nelson
This song,
reminiscent of the Old West in America, pairs Toby Keith, a superstar in this
generation, with Willie Nelson, a superstar for many generations. “Whiskeyfor my men, beer for my horses,” is the triumphant lyrics sang when the
villain is caught. The song serves as a
party song, with a patriotic reverence of America of old.
This song, once
again, pairs two different superstars from two different eras. Garth Brooks is the definitive country music superstar
of all-time; crossing over on to the top of the all-genre charts while
maintaining true to his country roots.
George Jones, a legend himself, especially among country music stars but
also among country fans, sings with Garth Brooks in this song. The song, featuring beer as the center piece
to a larger party, is one that country fans can relate.
A mellower,
heart-broken version of a “song about beer,” this song highlights a hard night
of drinking in memory of an ended relationship.
Sitting at the bar and not thinking about much, helps a man to recover
and start to regroup after such a break-up.
This song invites its listeners to share in this sentiment.
No gimmicks, no
tragedy; this is simply a song about have a beer while enjoying a long
vacation. Upbeat, with catchy lyrics, it
serves as both a mood setter at a bar and a back-beat at all other times. Kenny Chesney has released many hit songs; this
is another to add to his extensive collection.
Number 3: Beer and Bones by John Michael
Montgomery
This song, a big
hit for the singer in the early 1990’s, is comedic yet tragic. If you haven’t heard the song, take a
listen. I am sure that as a country
music fan, you will enjoy this song. The
satirical, lyrical take-off on slang fits perfectly with anybody that can
remember such a night of drunkenness.
Number 2: Good at drinking beer by Billy
Currington
This song is about
drinking beer, drinking beer, and more drinking beer. A party favorite, this song is true to Billy
Currington’s style which is iconic of country music in a very traditional style. The mellow approach to country music that this
song brings with it, refreshes it’s listeners with a breath of air quite unique
on today’s country music radio.
Number 1: I like girls that drink beer by
Toby Keith
This song, reminiscent of my college days reminds me of one of the
reasons I like women. A simple, barroom jukebox
song, this song is fun in a poignant way.
Girls that have fun, (i.e.) girls that drink beer, alongside with college
drinking buddies, created a party that was unrivaled every weekend while I was
in college. I like pretty girls, I like
smart girls, but most of all, I like girls that drink beer.
Toby Keith, since his first release, which went number one, I should have been a cowboy, has been a
perennial favorite among country music fans.
In his career, which began that year in 1993, he has released 19 hits
that reached number one. He is as
popular today as he has ever been. His
music, mostly with a hard-edged country feel, has created for him a large fan
base which has helped him to sell more than forty million albums.
Toby Keith has received more than thirteen major awards for his music,
including the ACM’s Entertainer of the Year in 2002 and 2003. His most recent, most notable award came in
2012 for “Red, Solo Cup” as “Country Music Video of the Year” in 2012 from the
Country Music Association.
Take a listen to this song and see how you like it. Released in 2012, it only reached number 18
on the charts, yet it is very appealing among those who can relate to it.
I hope you have enjoyed this “Top 10 Country
Songs … Songs about beer” list. I hope
you have discovered new songs of which you were unaware of, and others that are
among your favorites.
You are most welcome to
leave comments and to share this list with friends. Keep an eye open for new “Top 10 Country Songs …” features in the
future.
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