answered: They Don’t Listen To My Tunes Over the course of a weekend (

  

They Don’t Listen To My Tunes
Over the course of a weekend (or other two to three day period), you must watch and listen to the following retro Country & Western songs on YouTube paying special attention to the lyrics. You must listen to and watch the videos for all 20 songs ONE time. You must listen to and watch the videos of 15 of these songs a SECOND time. You must listen to and watch the videos of 10 of these songs a THIRD time to determine which 3 songs you liked the BEST and why and what 3 songs you liked the LEAST and why. These likes and dislikes will be PART of Key Point # 1. Key points are listed at the end of this 20 song playlist. Also, please note the following:
Unlike many contemporary songs, retro country and western music is all about the quality of the singer’s voice, the instrumental accompaniment, and the narrative or story being told. Please focus your comments on these 3 areas and be specific. It’s NOT enough to say that you liked/disliked a singer’s voice, the musical accompaniment, or the story being told. You must explain why.
Remember videos are secondary in this genre of music (some of the older songs on the playlist don’t even have an accompanying video – instead what you see is a recording of a live performance) and should not be a major part of your analysis.
1. Coal Miner’s Daughter by Loretta Lynn.
2. Stand By Your Man by Tammy Wynette.
3. Goodbye Earl by The Chicks.
4. Bed of Rose’s by The Statler Brothers.
5. What’s Your Mama’s Name, Child? by Tanya Tucker.
6. Any Man of Mine by Shania Twain.
7. The Master’s Call by Marty Robbins.
8. Devil Went Down To Georgia by Charlie Daniels Band.
9. Devil Comes Back To Georgia (The Sequel) by the Mark O’Connor Band.
10. You’ve Got To Stand For Something by Aaron Tippin.
11. Ode to Billy Joe by Bobbie Gentry.
12. Seminole Wind by John Anderson.
13. Coat Of Many Colors by Dolly Parton.
14. The Night The Lights Went Out In Georgia by Reba McEntire.
15. Bobbie Ann Mason by Rick Trevino.
16. Ring of Fire by Johnny Cash.
17. You’re My Jamaica by Charley Pride.
18. Halley Came To Jackson by Mary Chapin Carpenter.
19. The Battle of Kookamonga by Homer and Jethro.
20. Lord Mr. Ford by Jerry Reed.
You MUST watch the links published below as I have selected some of them for specific reasons such as the imagery used to depict Jesus Christ in The Master’s Call. Btw, Jesus is the Master referenced in that song. He was commonly referred to as Master in the Old Testament by His disciples and others.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f9eHp7JJgq8. Coal Miner’s Daughter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f2KP9fYZUWA. Stand by Your Man.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gw7gNf_9njs. Good-bye Earl.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yraN72VpOS8 Bed of Roses.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfjraLge1gk What’s Your Mama’s Name Child?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8N2k-gv6xNE Any Man of Mine. Shania Twain.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UWPwR5mpMmI Master’s Call.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sh7BZf7D5Bw. Devil Went Down To Georgia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xI-EH-RCrAw&list=RDxI-EH-RCrAw&start_radio=1. Devil Comes Back To Georgia (The Sequel).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_s-Qk07KxA. You’ve Got to Stand for Something.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsGZv-qHZF8 Ode to Billy Joe.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6cR-h8FU7rI. Seminole Wind.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pr1P4r8K7h0. Coat of Many Colors.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V5Mwr-qnMqw. Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKA_o5_Yx6g Bobbie Ann Mason.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGM_Wbc5jCY Ring of Fire.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Shv5hcp6yw You’re My Jamaica.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Om3j8VP1oCI. When Halley Came to Jackson.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0UiBKvT64c The Battle of Kookamonga.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jOMcAlO7rQ. Lord Mr. Ford.
Bonus Songs (Not Country and Western Tunes)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JtDbaqODgOk Follow the Drinking Gourd (song about the Underground Railroad).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJyVB_sqh3E Shame and Sorrow for the Family (a Calypso song I enjoy – the singer, Sir Lancelot, lived to be almost 100 and has an incredible story).
In your presentation, please address the following topics as your 4 key points:
a. Why did you choose this activity AND what made the 3 specific songs you liked the best stand out to you in positive ways, what made the 3 specific songs you liked the least stand out to you in negative ways?
b. What did you learn about the retro country and western music co-culture from listening to these songs and watching the accompanying videos? Please include specific song lyrics and video imagery in your analysis.
c. How has your participation changed your perspective regarding the retro country and western music culture? Or has it? Why? Why not?
d. Mandatory Questions. Please select one of the questions listed below to answer irrespective of your top 3 favorite and top 3 least favorite lists:
1. The character of Johnny in The Devil Went Down To Georgia and the Devil Comes Back To Georgia songs. Do you find him heroic and/or flawed AND does your perception of him change from the original song to the sequel? Why or why not?
2. In Seminole Wind do you believe John Anderson is engaging in cultural appropriation considering the overall message of the song is to warn of the current danger to the Everglades from land developers and other people who wish to harm the land (and given that the Seminoles would likely agree with this message)? Why or why not?
3. In “Bed of Roses” the Statler Brothers depict Rose as a sympathetic older woman (about 35) who runs a successful business frowned upon the most of the other townspeople (who are depicted as hypocrites) and who took in a young male from the street who was a teenager (just turned 18) and possibly chaste (this bed of Roses that I lie on…she…wiped away my childhood…taught me to be a man). Do you see Rose similarly as a positive character? Why or why not?
If Rose had been Rod (a male character) and the possibly chaste 18 year old a female, would that change your opinion of the character (Rod)? Why or why not?
4. Is Coat of Many Colors a Christian song, a Jewish song, a Muslim song, or does it transcend all 3 religions? Why? Justify your answer. HINT: You may wish to examine the Bible, the Torah, and the Quran.
5. Let’s delve into the curious case of Homer and Jethro, who were sometimes called “The Thinking Man’s Hillbillies” or the clown princes of country music due to their parodies of famous country and western songs. Indeed, they would be elected to the Country and Western Music Hall of Fame largely for their comedic works.
Their song, “The Battle of Kookamonga” is clearly a satirical riff on Johnny Horton’s historical chart topper, “The Battle of New Orleans,” which took place at the end of the War of 1812. Defenders of Homer and Jethro say that “The Battle of Kookamonga” is lighthearted fun and should not be taken seriously. Indeed, as a child, I enjoyed hearing the song when it was on the radio or my mom put it on her record player.
But as I grew older, I began to see a darker side to “The Battle of Kookamonga” and to Homer and Jethro in general. We are introduced to the women in the song as Girl Scouts swimming naked in a lake before being rousted out of the water and chased through the woods by a group of Boy Scouts with their hormones raging. The Boy Scouts are ultimately denied their prize (the Girl Scouts are totally objectified in the song and reduced to being nothing more than a McGuffin or plot device) when the women, still naked, are taken prisoner by adult men with guns (a detachment of United States Marines). Today, this sequence of events strikes me as being disturbing and dark especially for a song presented as nothing more than an entertaining romp.
What are your thoughts here? Tell me if you think I’m spot on or if I am overthinking the subject and why.