I have a confession to make.
It’s a startling confession and it may have some of you questioning if you even really know me.
Heck…it has me questioning if I even really know myself.
There are certain things I have always known to be true about myself, and I am shaken to the core to find that one of those things is no longer true.
It started out as a mistake.
An accident, really.
But then it took hold and I can’t seem to shake it.
I figure the best way to deal with a demon is to face it head on, so here it is…
I like country music.
There, I said it.
See, I have lived my whole live in New Jersey, 45 minutes outside of NYC.
I’m an 80’s Jersey Girl and I grew up on hair bands and heavy metal.
I have always said that I like every kind of music…except country.
Granted, my exposure to country music was limited to my high school youth group trips to Appalachia and drunken frat boys in college belting out “I Got Friends in Low Places,” but that was enough for me to decide that country wasn’t for me.
Until last week.
I was driving in the car and it was one of those awful radio times when every single station is at a commercial and all you want to do is sing something.
So, I set the radio to scan.
Talk, talk, talk, talk, wait!
I stopped at some lovely little tune about some woman whose mother was telling her to suck it up and put on some make-up and quit whining about the guy that she just lost.
I stayed and listened to the whole thing, because really, whose mother hasn’t been critical of them in their lives?
Sorry, Mom…but you know it’s true.
That song ended and another started.
Some duet where the couple has broken up and each of them is talking about how hard it is to make it look easy to go on without the other.
I’m a huge fan of forbidden/unrequited/lost love stories, so I listened to that one, too.
By this time, I had reached my destination, so I got out and went about my business.
But, when I got back in the car, the station started back up and I didn’t even bother to change.
Song after song after song…all country.
Each one telling a different story that sucked me in.
None of them were deep, earth-shattering revelations.
You couldn’t really dance to any of them.
I wouldn’t say any of them were in my top 100 favorites of all time.
But they hooked me.
And…and…
And I programmed the station into my radio and now…I’m a frequent listener.
I don’t believe this changes me.
It doesn’t make me a bad person.
My lifetime membership as a Jersey Girl will not be revoked.
It’s just time for a little redefinition of who I am.
I’m a girl who likes all kinds of music…even country.
You are not alone. I did the same thing about a month or so ago. 94.7, right? It has surprisingly become one of my favorites. Who knew?
Comment by Stacey Maisch — March 7, 2013 @ 7:41 am |
Stacey…YES! 94.7! Too funny.
Comment by abozza — March 7, 2013 @ 8:04 am |
So does this mean you now have friends in low places where the whiskey drowns and the beer chases the blues away? I’m a bug believer in knowing when to hold them, knowing when to fold them, knowing when to walk away and knowing when to run.
Remember above all else, you don’t have to fight to be a man, even if Lucille leaves you with four hungry children and a crop in the field.
Deep Peace
Comment by Jeff — March 7, 2013 @ 7:57 am |
🙂 🙂 🙂 Thanks for the laugh!!!
Comment by abozza — March 7, 2013 @ 8:05 am |
Simple truths expressed in heartbreaking and emotional ways. I have always enjoyed the stories told in these songs. Have you listened to Garth Brooks’ “The Thunder Rolls” and “Unanswered Prayers”?
Comment by Mary Anne — March 7, 2013 @ 11:39 am |
No, but you can be sure I’ll check ’em out!
Comment by abozza — March 7, 2013 @ 11:41 am |
Welcome to the dark side! LOL……
Comment by Kim W — March 7, 2013 @ 2:22 pm |
The dark side is right. This morning, on the way to work, Monkey Girl said “Mom…is this country???”
Comment by abozza — March 7, 2013 @ 2:56 pm |
Welcome to the real world, Amy. I never cared for Country either until I heard KT Oslin back in the 80’s and then Dolly. What can I say but I was hooked forever more. And what a ride of storytelling at its best it has been. I think that is the clincher–great stories told in a way that gets right to your heart. IF ever you get the chance you HAVE to see Dolly, in person–nothing like the Queen of Country up close and personal :0) And my little secret–I love classical right along with it, but for different reason :0)
Comment by Carla — March 7, 2013 @ 7:37 pm |
🙂
Comment by Amy — March 7, 2013 @ 7:54 pm |
Don’t be embarrassed. Country music is mainstream now. (Says the small town, country-loving hick.)
Comment by Amy — March 7, 2013 @ 9:10 pm |
Embarrassed…no. Surprised…definitely. 🙂
Comment by abozza — March 7, 2013 @ 9:22 pm |