Unique Song Subjects

[sabre14]

What are some songs past and present that have a rather unique subject? In other words, subjects you just don't usually hear in a country song?

Billy Dean - "Race You To The Bottom"
Phil Vassar - "Bobby With An I"
Mark McGuinn - "Mrs. Steven Rudy"
Faith Hill - "Stealing Kisses"
Kenny Rogers - "The Ten Years (Superman)"
Matt Jenkins - "King Of The Castle"
Tim McGraw - "Do You Want Fries With That"
Little Big Town - "Girl Crush" (we've seen jealously before but not with a clever twist like this)
Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband - "Banjo Boy"
Cody McCarver - "Red Flag"

If someone mentions a song that you know has another with the same subject, then quote them.

[Ten Pound Hammer]

Tim McGraw - "Indian Outlaw" (rebellious Native American who gets all the tribal girls)

Ray Stevens - "It's Me Again Margaret" (obscene phone calls)

Rod Hart - "CB Savage" (policeman who uses a gay lisp to fool truckers)

Big & Rich - pretty much anything off their first album

The Kentucky Headhunters - "Dumas Walker" (old man who shoots marbles and owns a store)

Kevin Fowler - "Pound Sign (#?*!)" (probably the only time someone has lampshaded the use of symbols for swearing)

Sturgill Simpson - "Turtles All the Way Down" (I have no earthly idea what it's about, just that it's way too deep for me; anyone wanna explain?)

John Michael Montgomery - "Nothing Catches Jesus by Surprise" (I also have no idea what it's even about, but I don't think it's nearly as deep)

[sabre14]

Sept 6, 2015 23:54:29 GMT -5 Ten Pound Hammer said:

Big & Rich - pretty much anything off their first album

I give you the entire second-half of "Real World"...'green green grass and a rubber Russian bimbo'...

Also, I don't know if they're exactly "unique" but I still struggle with what "When The Stars Go Blue" and "Red Umbrella" are about.

[someguy]

Reba McEntire - "She Thinks His Name Was John"
Blake Shelton - "Ol' Red"

[Ten Pound Hammer]

Billy Currington's "Doughnut" is the only song I know of that's about pastries. (Had to do it.)

[Deleted]

Gary Allan- "Nickajack Cave" (talks about Nickajack Cave, the place where Johnny Cash went and got clean afterwards. I'm pretty sure this place is underwater now? I don't know, don't quote me on it)

Eric Church- "Lightning" (song about a death row inmate and his perspective on his last final moments of life)

Toby Keith- "Red Solo Cup" (it's stupid....but unique lol)

And them there's tons of alt stuff that is pretty unique

[Todd]

Guy Clark - "Homegrown Tomatoes"
It's the only I song I know about tomatoes.

[Deleted]

"Top Of The World"

A song from the prospective of a man who has passed on and is looking back at his life and regrets.

"Not Ready To Make Nice"

I don't think Country music has had a song like this before (or since) this was released in 2006.
It's perhaps the only song I can think of that was written because the artist (s) were effectively disowning Country music, and it's the one that is associated with Country's biggest downfall ever.

Kacey Musgraves- Follow Your Arrow

No explanation needed.

[Andy]

Lots of instances in the non-mainstream areas of country. Some of my favorite examples off the top of my head:

Chris Knight - "Love and a .45" (policeman and prostitute find they have a common bond in their struggles and form an unlikely romance)

Dallas Wayne - "I'm Your Biggest Fan" (an obsessed fan begins to take things a little too far in his correspondence with his favorite female singer)

Guy Clark - "Soldier's Joy, 1864" (a Civil War soldier gets shot in the leg and has to endure the aftermath, this song will make you appreciate 21st century medicine)

Justin Townes Earle - "Midnight at the Movies" (a song about, well, being at the movies at midnight)

Kris Kristofferson - "Blame It on the Stones" (a hilarious critique of hypocritical self-proclaimed moral guardians)

Lyle Lovett - "Pontiac" (a portrait of a disenchanted elderly World War II vet pondering his past and future)

Ray Wylie Hubbard - "Snake Farm" (narrator has a torrid affair with a reptile house worker)

Robert Earl Keen - "Whenever Kindness Fails" (a murderous train robber boards a dining car in 1891 with deadly results)

Steve Earle - "Ben McCullough" (signing up to fight for the Confederacy in the Civil War)

Sept 6, 2015 23:54:29 GMT -5 Ten Pound Hammer said:

Sturgill Simpson - "Turtles All the Way Down" (I have no earthly idea what it's about, just that it's way too deep for me; anyone wanna explain?)

I'll take a stab at this. Not 100% sure if this is right (or if there is necessarily a 'right' answer), but here's basically my interpretation:

The song begins with him describing his various religious experiences. He's encountered Jesus, got in trouble with the devil, received wisdom from Buddha, and thinks God is in his life. He knows though, that no matter what is or isn't true, we're all going to grow old and die, so all we can do is enjoy ourselves and be kind to one another while we're here. He then introduces his experiences with hallucinogenic drugs, which he says allows his mind to travel to a place "far beyond this plane" otherwise inaccessible, and he metaphorically describes their effect as if "reptile aliens" cut him open and removed all his pain. Here he's trying to describe the novelty and otherworldliness of his experience. He then states religion causes a lot of problems and in-fighting among the human race. He's tried to understand it all by taking drugs, but ultimately love's "the only thing that ever saved [his] life." No one has the answers to any of the big questions in life, so to fight or debate about it is essentially pointless. Basically, the song says we should be nice to each other and don't fight over religion and stuff. I probably got at least one thing wrong, but there's my take.

[sabre14]

In reference to the food thing, Johnny Cash had a song called "Strawberry Cake" which I believe is really about drugs but the lyrics talk about the narrator trying to get him some strawberry cake.

[Andy]

I don't think I've ever heard it but IIRC Kenny Chesney has a song called "Key Lime Pie."

[sabre14]

Sept 7, 2015 22:32:00 GMT -5 Andy said:

I don't think I've ever heard it but IIRC Kenny Chesney has a song called "Key Lime Pie."

Lol, that's actually my favorite song from Kenny's Be As You Are album. I downloaded it as a stand alone track when the album came out simply because Key Lime Pie is my favorite flavor of pie. :)

[Ten Pound Hammer]

Sept 7, 2015 22:27:44 GMT -5 Andy said:

Sept 6, 2015 23:54:29 GMT -5 Ten Pound Hammer said:

Sturgill Simpson - "Turtles All the Way Down" (I have no earthly idea what it's about, just that it's way too deep for me; anyone wanna explain?)

I'll take a stab at this. Not 100% sure if this is right (or if there is necessarily a 'right' answer), but here's basically my interpretation:

The song begins with him describing his various religious experiences. He's encountered Jesus, got in trouble with the devil, received wisdom from Buddha, and thinks God is in his life. He knows though, that no matter what is or isn't true, we're all going to grow old and die, so all we can do is enjoy ourselves and be kind to one another while we're here. He then introduces his experiences with hallucinogenic drugs, which he says allows his mind to travel to a place "far beyond this plane" otherwise inaccessible, and he metaphorically describes their effect as if "reptile aliens" cut him open and removed all his pain. Here he's trying to describe the novelty and otherworldliness of his experience. He then states religion causes a lot of problems and in-fighting among the human race. He's tried to understand it all by taking drugs, but ultimately love's "the only thing that ever saved [his] life." No one has the answers to any of the big questions in life, so to fight or debate about it is essentially pointless. Basically, the song says we should be nice to each other and don't fight over religion and stuff. I probably got at least one thing wrong, but there's my take.

So in other words you have to be both a stoner and a member of freaking MENSA to understand this song. Or just be Sturgill Simpson. I STILL have no idea what the song is about even after reading your analysis because nothing is within a thousand light years of my personal experiences.

That's why I don't like alt country much. Songs like this that are so hyper-specific and seem to have no takeaway whatsoever unless you're the one singing them. It's all just a bunch of intellectual navel gazing.

[.indulgecountry]

David Nail - "The Secret," "Looking for a Good Time"
Deana Carter - "Did I Shave My Legs for This?"
Dolly Parton - "The Bridge," "Me and Little Andy," "Gypsy, Joe, and Me," "Evening Shade," "Applejack," "Joshua," "He's Alive," "Down from Dover," "These Old Bones," "It's All Wrong, But It's Alright"... she has so many that could fit, lol.
George Strait - "All My Ex's Live in Texas"
Gretchen Wilson - "If You Want a Mother"
Jamie O'Neal - "Devil on the Left"
Jewel - "Fading"
Jimmy Wayne - "Kerosene Kid"
Jo Dee Messina - "Biker Chick," "Delicious Surprise (I Believe It)"
Joey + Rory - "Josephine," "Heart of the Wood," "Good Truck," "The Horse Nobody Could Ride"
Josh Turner - "You Don't Mess Around with Jim," "The Way He Was Raised"
Kellie Pickler - "The Letter (To Daddy)"
Lee Ann Womack - "Twenty Years and Two Husbands Ago"
Little Big Town - "Welcome to the Family"
Lorrie Morgan - "War Paint"
Maggie Rose - "Preacher's Daughter"
Miranda Lambert - "Fine Tune," "Gravity Is a Bitch," "Priscilla"
Rascal Flatts - "Why"
Reba McEntire - "Fancy," "Maggie Creek Road," "She Thinks His Name Was John"
Sara Evans - "Coalmine," "The Week the River Raged"
Sarah Johns - "He Hates Me"
Sugarland - "Mean Girls"
Sunny Sweeney - "Used Cars," "Backhanded Compliment"
Trisha Yearwood - "Who Invented the Wheel"
The Wreckers - "Crazy People"

[carrieidol1]

The subject of Carrie's "Little Toy Guns" may not be that unique, but the perspective the song is written from is pretty unique.

[bboat11]

Sept 8, 2015 10:19:05 GMT -5 .indulgecountry said:

Dixie Chicks - "The Bridge," "Me and Little Andy," "Gypsy, Joe, and Me," "Evening Shade," "Applejack," "Joshua," "He's Alive," "Down from Dover," "These Old Bones," "It's All Wrong, But It's Alright"... she has so many that could fit, lol.

Unless they have some kind of hidden career I never knew about, these are almost certainly not Dixie Chicks songs! 

[.indulgecountry]

Sept 8, 2015 11:05:01 GMT -5 bboat11 said:

Sept 8, 2015 10:19:05 GMT -5 .indulgecountry said:

Dixie Chicks - "The Bridge," "Me and Little Andy," "Gypsy, Joe, and Me," "Evening Shade," "Applejack," "Joshua," "He's Alive," "Down from Dover," "These Old Bones," "It's All Wrong, But It's Alright"... she has so many that could fit, lol.

Unless they have some kind of hidden career I never knew about, these are almost certainly not Dixie Chicks songs! 

Oops, it should say Dolly Parton. :kii:

[Andy]

Sept 8, 2015 0:41:12 GMT -5 Ten Pound Hammer said:

So in other words you have to be both a stoner and a member of freaking MENSA to understand this song. Or just be Sturgill Simpson. I STILL have no idea what the song is about even after reading your analysis because nothing is within a thousand light years of my personal experiences.

That's why I don't like alt country much. Songs like this that are so hyper-specific and seem to have no takeaway whatsoever unless you're the one singing them. It's all just a bunch of intellectual navel gazing.

Well, I'm not a stoner, nor will I ever be mistaken for a genius. I won't pretend to understand every aspect of "Turtles", but I don't feel the song is that impenetrable. To each his own, though. I'm not even that big of a fan of the song in the first place (it's probably my least favorite track on Metamodern Sounds).

I'm not sure I understand your point about alt-country being hyper-specific. Many of the mainstream country songs commonly acknowledged as being among the greatest of all-time, from "El Paso" to "Harper Valley PTA" and "He Stopped Loving Her Today" and "He Thinks He'll Keep Her" and "Fancy" and "Travelin' Soldier", describe very specific people and situations that (I presume) the majority of people can not personally relate to. To me, one of the best and most enriching aspects of music (and art in general) is being able to see things from the perspectives of people in times, places, and situations that are different than mine. I don't have to be able to personally relate to a song to get something out of it, but if you feel differently, that's cool.

(If you're interested in continuing this discussion, perhaps we should move it to the Alt-Country or some other more appropriate thread, lest we further hijack sabre14's excellent thread.)

[Andy]

Jeff Bates - One Second Chance (about being released from prison and re-acclimating into society)
Mary Chapin Caprenter - Halley Came to Jackson (about Halley's Comet)

[tim]

Sept 8, 2015 12:40:37 GMT -5 Andy said:

Sept 8, 2015 0:41:12 GMT -5 Ten Pound Hammer said:

So in other words you have to be both a stoner and a member of freaking MENSA to understand this song. Or just be Sturgill Simpson. I STILL have no idea what the song is about even after reading your analysis because nothing is within a thousand light years of my personal experiences.

That's why I don't like alt country much. Songs like this that are so hyper-specific and seem to have no takeaway whatsoever unless you're the one singing them. It's all just a bunch of intellectual navel gazing.

Well, I'm not a stoner, nor will I ever be mistaken for a genius. I won't pretend to understand every aspect of "Turtles", but I don't feel the song is that impenetrable. To each his own, though. I'm not even that big of a fan of the song in the first place (it's probably my least favorite track on Metamodern Sounds).

I'm not a stoner either, and while I can understand the initial confusion by the title of the song I'd say at least enlighten the mind first versus automatically applying such a label it. "Turtles" was at first one of my least favorite songs by Sturgill, but I've since come around to it. The fact that he can turn a subject like that into a song is what truly displays the man's talent. That is what makes it unique, not the fact that you have to be stoned to listen to it.

[Ten Pound Hammer]

@tim, I've continued the discussion on Turtles in the Alt/Americana thread.

Also, I would bet that "Little Red Rodeo" is the only time anyone has ever name-dropped ANY model of Isuzu.

[dm2081]

A few from Brad Paisley: "Water"" "Welcome to the Future" and "Online".

[Andy]

Ronnie Dunn - Cost of Livin' (the song is framed around a job interview)
Tracy Lawrence - The Questionnaire (husband reads magazine questionnaire his wife had filled out)

[firefly]

Martina McBride-Concrete Angel (child abuse)

[Kat5Kind]

Sept 24, 2015 5:31:45 GMT -5 firefly said:

Martina McBride-Concrete Angel (child abuse)

Alyssa Lies-Jason Michael Carroll is about that too.