One of the things I've always loved about country music is its sense of humor.
With all the death, doom, gloom, and destruction going on it's great to be able to smile again, and or have a hearty laugh while listening to a song. A funny country song can give you a chuckle! Sometimes they are called parody tunes, and those have existed for a hot minute dating back to Mozart, but this blog post is not about parody songs.
I actually was thinking about Miss Loretta today, and started laughing out loud when I remembered "You're The Reason Our Kids Are Ugly".. Has that ever happened to you? Out of the blue, you'll just remember a song, and it brings a smile to your face? That was certainly the case this time around.
The song was first recorded by the songwriters in 1977. L. E. White & Lola Jean Dillion.Lola Jean wrote a handful of songs that were recorded by Loretta, and Reba. L.E. White started his career as a Fiddler for Bill Monroe in the 1950's. He ultimately worked w/ Conway for several years where he established, and managed Conway's publishing company. One of White's songs "After The Fire Is Gone" won a Grammy for Conway, and Loretta. But here's the song that inspired this blog post today.
You're the Reason Why Our Kids Are Ugly precipitated a spiral down the rabbit hole as I then started thinking about all the songs I knew that have funny titles. And of course "Drop Kick Me Jesus" just had to make an appearance here. The song can easily be dismissed as a novelty tune for those with less fine tuned ears. But, in actuality, the song deals with some serious issues in a very simple way. I would say, that is one of the true hallmarks of a well crafted country song.
Dropkick me, Jesus, through the goalposts of life
End over end, neither left, nor the right
Straight through the heart of them righteous uprights
Dropkick me, Jesus, through the goalposts of life
In a time where the lines between faith, and politics can be blurred, the verse says I'm not counting on man, but on you Jesus to get me through life. It also throws a little shade on the upright self-righteous that might not accept the singer, if the Lord himself doesn't touch their hearts. Another interesting factoid is I do believe this is the only soccer themed country song.
The song was written by Memphis native Paul Craft. Paul has quite an impressive song catalog with top artists such as Willie Nelson, Linda Rondstadt, and The Eagles. My favorite however is Brother Jukebox.. Yes, it was written by the late Paul Craft. Paul said his momma did not like Jesus, and kick me at such close proximity in a song. There had to be something wrong with that. But Elvis Costello, and former President Bill Clinton did not see it that way, and name the song as one of their favorites.. Drop Kick Me Jesus was first recorded by Bobby Bare, and released as a single from his 1976 "The Winner, and Other Losers" album. The song peaked at number 17 on Billboard's U.S. Country chart.
Cowboy Jack Clement might not be a household name to some. But the Texas native was instrumental in bringing some of the finest talent to the ears of music fans everywhere. The Cowboy started his career at the famed Sun Studios in Memphis. A gifted producer/engineer, he was also a fine writer. He is credited with convincing George Jones to record She Thinks I Still Care.The list of his musical discoveries, and collaborations are a literal who's who in music: Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Charlie Rich, Waylon Jennings, Charley Pride, Townes,and Johnny Cash among many others.
Cowboy Clement is responsible for our next silly song titles entry by way of Johnny. Flushed From The Bathroom of Your Heart was first recorded in 1963 by Archie Campbell. Archie is probably best known for his work on Hee-Haw. Johnny Cash performed the song in 1968 while entertaining the inmates at Folsom Prison. The song was never released as a single, but was included in the subsequent Johnny Cash At Folsom Prison release. The lyrics pure hilarity, clever, and heartfelt at times. My favorite line is:
In the theater of your love I lost my part..
Blind dating tends not to end well, and this song is a living testament to that fact. There are exceptions, but this song is about the not so positive results. Written by Larry Kingston, who again is not a household name as many songwriters are not. He had album cuts from Porter Wagoner, George Jones, Vern Gosdin, Don Williams, Mark Chesnutt, Johnny Paycheck and Reba among many others. One of Larry's biggest hit was the Pittsburgh Stealers recorded by The Kendalls. In 1978, the song reached number six on Billboard.
In 1967, "I Wouldn't Take Her To A Dogfight" was recorded by Charlie Walker, and included in his fifth album "Don't Squeeze My Sharmon". The single was a top 40 hit peaking at number thirty three. It was also a fan favorite, and Charlie almost always included it in his show. It was one of his highest charting songs. Larry passed on in Nashville on February 20, 2005.
Miss Daryle Singletary! He was one of the new traditionalists that made a difference in the
middle 90s, and beyond. Daryle had a very naturaly rich baritone easilly comfortable in traditional country. In my humble opinion, one of the truly great voices in country music.
I'm Living Up To Her Low Expectations was the lead single from his self-titled debut "Daryle Singletary". The album was co-produced by the legendary James Stroud, and Randy Travis.
The song was written by Bob McDill who has at least thirty number ones to his songwriting credit. But my favorite Bob McDill tune is of course "I'm Not That Good At Goodbyes" recorded by the one, and only Lefty Frizzell.
I'm Living Up To Her Low Expectations was also co-written by Tommy Rocco. Tommy co-wrote one of my all-time favorite George Strait songs: "Let's Fall To Pieces Together". I'm Living Up To Her Low Expectations is a fun, and silly song about making having fun a priority over work, self-improvement, and anything else that can make you a better person. The singer has given up his night school class, and getting to work on time because maybe he was doing it for her anyway. Now that she's gone it doesn't matter anymore.
Or maybe the inverse is true.. He tried so hard to make progress, but at the end it didn't even matter. So now what he has left is having as much fun as he can. Either way, the title is a clever take on words, and the song is almost impossible not to dance to, if you are so inclined. The song was a top forty hit for Daryle.
You can take her out to the time of her life
Give her good Napolean Brandy
But you're never gonna make that woman your wife
Unless you tell her lies and feed her candy
Tell her lies and feed her candy...
Words fail me when I attempt to write about Leon Payne. What an amazing tunesmith despite
blindness, and poverty. In his short career, he wrote songs that were hits for some of the very best in popular music. Elvis, Willie Nelson,George Jones, and even Hank Williams benefitted from Leon's incredible gift.. Leon liked writing under pseudonyms like Pat Patterson, and Joe McCracken, and the latter is credited with writing our next silly country song titles entry.
Tell Her Lies, and Feed Her Candy was originally recorded by Charlie Walker in 1964 as a radio single. It didn't chart, and was not originally included on an album. But the song is so much fun to dance to, and catchy. Jim & Jessie, Jerry Douglas, and even Porter Wagoner have all recorded the song. I would love to hear a fresh take on this song as it certainly would be a great song to do live. The registered title is Tell Her Lies, and Give Her Candy, and lists Pat Patterson as the songwriter, and in other areas it's listed under Joe McCracken..
Joe, Pat, Leon it all sums up to good solid country music. Give it a listen..
Just the title of this song brings a smile to my face. Released in 2005, Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off was Joe Nichols' second number one, and a crossover Top 40 hit. Written by Gary Hannnan, and John Wiggins, the story is about a woman who apparently finds it hard to keep her clothing on when she drinks tequila. We may have all known someone like that, lol..
The song has surpassed the 1Million performance milestone which is quite a feat. If you are a 90s kid, you might remember co-writer John Wiggins from his duo days with his sister Audrey.
You also might have heard another great song from co-writer Larry Hannan by way of Montgomery Gentry "Back When I Knew It All"..
Joe has a fine new album out y'all. Check it out here. And, if you want to smile for a while check out the video to Tequila Makes Her Clothe Fall Off below. We need more fun songs y'all.. Helps keep those endorphins pumping! :)
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