In the midst of an intense conversation centered around Barak, bacon bras, and Battlestar Galactica, I asked Mr. Blues what the focus of my musical post this week should be and awaited his usual brilliance.  After less than two seconds thought, he reminded me that I’d yet to talk about the sounds of my musical roots… country music.  Of course, he went on to suggest Cowboy Troy, but I’ll forgive him for that lil slip up because he was right.  After four months of talking about music on Thursdays, there have been no country music posts. Sure, there was a song here and there but nothing substantial.  So in order to rid myself of the shame I feel, I plan on rectifying this issue today.

Growing up in southeast Arizona radio stations were few and far between.  We really only had a couple of options to choose from that didn’t play Tejano and Mariachi music, and all of those English-speaking stations played country.  (Strangely enough, it’s not that different today.) So when I got tired of listening to my parents’ music and the tapes I had managed to swipe from my dad’s Willcox Middle School Student Council Dance collection, country was my only option.  There were even times I was forced to resort to listening to K-HILL AM 1250, the old Country & Western station, out of Willcox because the Contemporary Country station had fizzled into static.  It’s no wonder I wanted to be Crystal Gayle as a little girl.

Even though my circumstances didn’t allow many other musical choices, country music would have still found a home in my soul because of the rich story-telling that takes place in its four minute songs.  Always a sucker for sad songs, hearing ballads like George’s “He Stopped Loving Her Today” and Willie’s “You Were Always On My Mind” solidified my appreciation for this genre.  For most of my school days, we drove anywhere from 25 to 45 miles to school and much of that time was spent listening to the radio and singing along.  Zac loved the honkytonk sounds of Junior Brown and Joe Diffie, while Mom was partial to Anne Murray and Vince Gill.  I, on the other hand, would sing any and every song that came on despite my mother’s horror that her baby was singing about booze and sleeping with someone other than your spouse. Oopsies!

As I dug through my 250+ gigabyte music collection this morning looking for my favorite country songs, I realized that choosing less than 1,000 songs was next to impossible.  I mean my favorite Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Tim McGraw, Wynonna, and Brooks and Dunn songs would at least be a hundred songs, and there’s just not enough time or internet for that kind of collection.  So instead, my country music playlist includes a handful of some of my favorite story songs over the past fifteen years.  Maybe you’ve heard them, maybe not.  But to me, these songs showcase exactly what brings be back to my country roots even after I’ve left the land of cowboys, pick-up trucks, and rodeos.  Just remember… you can take the girl out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the girl.

George Strait - Run: “There’s a shortcut to the highway out of town. Why dont you take it. Don’t let that speed limit slow you down. Go on and break it.”

Bryan White - Not Supposed To Love You Anymore: No lie, Bryan White might have been my original musical crush. Awww the teenage years. “Now I’m writing you this letter. And it’s killing me tonight. That I agreed when you believed it wasn’t right. And I couldn’t sleep up on the bed. So I’m down here on the floor. Where I’m not supposed to love you anymore.”

Trisha Yearwood - The Song Remembers When: “I guess somethin’ must have happened. And we must have said goodbye. And my heart must have been broken. Though I can’t recall just why. The song remembers when.”

Kim Richey - I Know: “I should fix the lock, feed the cat. Count my blessings, all of that. Get a grip, and get a clue. Get up and forget about you.”

Keith Urban - You’ll Think Of Me: “It seems the only blessing I have left to my name is not knowing what we could have been, what we should have been.”

Brad Paisley w/ Allison Krauss - Whiskey Lullaby: Cried the first time I heard this song. “We found him with his face down in the pillow. With a note that said I’ll love her till I die. And when we buried him beneath the willow. The angels sang a whiskey lullaby.”

Kenny Chesney - Anything But Mine: “And in the morning I’m leaving, making my way back to Cleveland. So tonight I hope that I will do just fine. And I don’t see how you could ever be anything but mine.”

Rebecca Lynn Howard - Forgive: “In the time that it would’ve took to say “Honey I’m home, how was your day”. You dropped a bomb right where we live. And just expected me to forgive.”

Scotty Emerick - I Can’t Take You Anywhere: “You’ve been a part of my life so very long
It’s hard for me to believe sometimes, you’re really gone. I tuck your memory away in my special hiding place, just hoping no one can tell by the look on my face, that you’re still in my heart, always on my mind. A part of my everyday. ”

Trisha Yearwood - On A Bus To St. Cloud: “On a bus to St. Cloud, Minnesota, I thought I saw you there with the snow falling down around you like a silent prayer.”

Willie Nelson w/ Bonnie Raitt - You Remain: “There’s old house key in a kitchen drawer to the door I cant unlock no more. Sometimes I hold that key real tight. But what do you do after goodbye.”

Vince Gill - Tryin’ To Get Over You: “You could have given me a million reasons why. But it wouldn’t change a thing. You said it all when you said goodbye. You took off your wedding ring.”

Jamie O’Neal - There Is No Arizona: “She got a postcard with no return address, postmarked Tombstone. It said “I don’t know where I’m goin’ next but when I do I’ll let you know”
May, June, July, she wonders why she’s still waiting, she’ll keep waiting.”

Cyndi Thompson - What I Really Meant To Say: “It took me by surprise when I saw you standin’ there close enough to touch breathin’ the same air.”

LeAnn Rimes - I Probably Wouldn’t Be This Way: “Got a date a week from Friday with the preacher’s son. Everybody says he’s crazy. I’ll have to see.”

Dixie Chicks - You Were Mine: “I Can Give You Two Good Reasons to Show You Love’s Not Blind. He’s Two And She’s Four, And You Know They Adore You. So How Can I Tell Them You’ve Changed Your Mind.”

Rascal Flatts - These Days: “I wake up in tear drops. They fall down like rain. I put on that old song we danced to and then I head off to my job. Guess not much has changed.”