Category: Music

Good Ole Boys Like Me

Good Old BoysWhile recently re-watching the movie Primary Colors (1998) for the umpteenth time, I noticed a song I had never really noticed before.  It occurs after John Travolta’s character Gov. Jack Stanton meets with Larry Hagman’s Gov. Fred Picker.  In a key scene near the end of the movie that was directed by Mike Nichols, Stanton walks away from Picker’s southern mansion singing a song.

Stanton then says how he loves the song, in particular a line about the Williams boys, Hank and Tennessee.   He expounds, “The picture ain’t never complete without old Tennessee.”  The song is “Good Ole Boys Like Me.”

I can still hear the soft southern winds in the live oak trees
And those Williams boys, they still mean a lot to me
Hank and Tennessee
I guess we’re all gonna be what we’re gonna be
So, what do you do with good ole boys like me?

The song captures the charm of Travolta’s character, who is based upon Bill Clinton during his race for the presidency.  It also shows the politician’s embrace of Southern culture.

The Song

Bob McDill wrote “Good Ole Boys Like Me,” a song that stacks together images of Southern culture.  The images range from a Civil War general to great American novelists like Thomas Wolfe.

McDill initially offered the song to Kenny Rogers, who found it too literary.  So, Don Williams recorded the song and created a classic.

Other people mentioned in the song are DJ’s like Wolfman Jack and John R., the latter of whom McDill listened to as a kid on WLAC radio out of Nashville.  McDill found inspiration to write the song with images of Southern culture while reading the novel A Place to Come To, by Robert Penn Warren.

McDill tells more about the story behind the song in the video below.  Check it out.

Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Lou Reed Inducting Dion Into Rock Hall

    In early 1989, Lou Reed inducted Dion into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with a short poetic introduction, followed by Dion’s short funny recollections.

    Dion Rock Hall

    On January 18, 1989, one great singer-songwriter associated with New York inducted another great singer-songwriter also associated with the city into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  Lou Reed, injecting poetic words as only he could do, inducted Dion DiMucci into the Rock Hall.

    In the video below, listen to Reed describing the influence of Dion and his music, “Bronx Soul.”  Reed does it with language only he would use, all while reading from a sheet of paper that those of us who were around in 1989 recognize as continuous computer paper with holes on the side, printed from a dot matrix printer.

    Then, a happy Dion takes the stage to accept with a short funny speech.

    The “Phil” that Dion mentions is legendary producer Phil Spector, including a reference to Spector’s production of Dion’s 1975 album Born to Be with You and the producer’s notorious reclusiveness.  Subsequently, Spector’s strange behavior would lead to him being convicted of murder in 2009 and going to prison where he died from complications due to Covid in January 2020. The “Bruce” he mentions is, of course, Bruce Springsteen. Check it out.

    The 1989 induction ceremony was one for the ages. Other performers inducted in addition to Dion included The Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder, and Otis Redding.

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    John Legend: Bring Me Love This Christmas

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    ‘Cause I deserve you here;
    Bring me love this Christmas,
    ‘Cause I’ve been good this year.

    Here’s wishing you are surrounded by love this holiday season.

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    Video of the Day: Brandi Carlile’s “Party of One”

    Party of One

    Brandi Carlile’s new song “Party of One” is a rare treat, taking an adult look at relationships, getting beyond dreamy love or angry hate.
    The singer has been through arguments with a lover and has survived hostilities, “You should always let the sun go down on your anger /
    Let it burn you to sleep.” But at the end of the day, through all of the fighting, the singer knows they will remain together

    Oh your constant overthinking and your secretive drinking,
    Are making you more and more alone;
    And girl, you can slam the door behind you,
    It ain’t ever gonna close;
    Because when you’re home, you’re already home.

    At the end, the singer repeats “I am yours” over and over again. Real relationships have fights, but hopefully the two can still find a way to come together.

    The official video for “Party of One” features Elisabeth Moss and Nicole Disson. Carlile specifically sought out Moss, the star of The Handmaid’s Tale, for the video.  And Moss also ended up producing and serving as creative director.

    Carlile originally wrote the song about the domestic pressures on same-sex relationships. And putting the song with the visuals of two women lovers in the video further reinforces the inclusiveness and universality of the message. Check it out.

    “Party of One” is the closing track of Brandi Carlile‘s album, By The Way, I Forgive You (2018).

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