Posted on 06/04/2013 6:14:10 AM PDT by Zionist Conspirator
There are a lot of strange songs out there. But how many strange country songs are there? (By "country" I include "hillbilly," "western," "western swing," and "bluegrass," but not "folk" simply because there are oodles and oodles of bizarre folk songs). For the most part country is the sane, genre, the level-headed genre, the "plain folks" genre. But I've found a country song that is disturbing and bizarre, and I'm sure some of you have found others as well.
Many years ago on the old Porter Wagoner TV show I saw Porter perform a song he had written but wished he hadn't. He apologized for the strange song then introduced Speck Rhodes for his comedy segment, and Speck teased him unmercifully. It was a hoot.
Anyway, this Porter Wagoner song was The Rubber Room, and Porter (if I remember correctly) said he realized that the song could be disturbing to people who had loved ones who were institutionalized. That was the first and, until recently, the only time I had ever heard the song.
The other day I did a search for this song and found the original record on YouTube.
But apparently in later years he changed his mind about the song because I also found this video of Porter the year he died performing it live. He's almost 80 years old, and it's just him singing accompanied by nothing but two acoustic guitars (his and Marty Stuart's). This time (unlike the record) there are no electronic sound effects to augment the performance. It's so sparse I think it's more emotionally stirring than the original recording.
And oddly enough, I've found that there are several covers of the song by younger artists who weren't even around when I heard Porter sing the song on his TV show. Apparently it's considered shocking and "edgy."
Well . . . this is my candidate for weirdest/most bizarre country song. Does anyone else have one? (Again, folk songs don't count simply because so many of them are bizarre.)
It's Rocky Racoon, written by Paul McCartney and performed by The Beatles. From the album, The Beatles (better known as the White Album).
Bubba's Inconvenience Store
(Bett Butler)
Drop Kick Me Jesus (Through The Goal Posts Of Life.)
(Paul Charles Craft)
He Went To Sleep and The Hogs Ate Him (Now Claude's Gone Forever)
(Nathaniel Nathan, Gene Redd & Ray Starr)
Homer & Jethro played at the grand ole Opry.
They must be country.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3eYIa9ZTCLQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ykXYudycMc0
We all got a hillbilly bone buh buh buh huh bone.
Brother Goodman wrote many a great song on his own, but Steve Goodman and John Prine were co-writers of You Never Even Called Me by My Name.
Slim Whitman and Indian Love Call. Besides being so hilariously stupid, it can explode Martian heads.
Lyrics:
Dumb Ass Love Song
You didn’t get that part in the commercial
Honey, I don’t know what to say
I know you’re talented and you work so hard
Hell I never cared for Arby’s anyway
If we go down to the Sunset Strip
No one will know who we are
So let’s just stay inside drink a box of wine
And I will play you this song on my guitar
I know how it feels to feel unwanted
Like you did it all right so why is every thing wrong
And it seems like the only one who wants you
Is some redneck who sings weird country songs
But someday they’ll kill to take your picture
Even when you don’t want ‘em to.
And I hope you will remember
Who wrote this dumb ass love song for you
You come to see me in a coffee shop
There ain’t much glamour in an open mike
I’m singing to you, some crazy homeless dude,
And a teenage poet all pissed off at life
I write songs about a crazy world
And sometimes it seems absurd
To even bother singing them out loud
When you’re the only one that know the words
But someday things will be different
When both our ships come in
They’ll make a documentary about me
And what a genius I’ve always been
And college girls will want to rip my clothes off
(No they won’t)
And you’ll be so jealous when they do
(No seriously you have nothing to worry about)
I hope you will remember who wrote this dumb ass love song for you
[I know, I know...some songs are MEANT to be forgotten, not recalled!]
"Redneck Hippie Romance"
and
"Greasy Grit Gravy."
All star band/players left to right
Scott Vestal on banjo (with Sam Bush Band)- carries Eddie Van Halen’s lead riff on the chromatic banjo runs.
Rob Ickes 4 time IBMA dobro player of the Year, and with the great Blue Highway Band of bluegrass. Smokin’ hot dobro player, blues grass.
Brad Davis- lead acoustic-super pro Nashville guitarist, for Dolly Parton, Patti Loveless and hundreds of others.
And... it looks like Jon Jorganson the Django gypsy jazz guitarist (prior to that w/ Elton John) on mandolin.
Fiddler— looks like Jon’s jazz fiddle player— ala Stephane Grapelli.
With some tweaking this is a cool version of “Jump”.
Dave looks a little uncomfortable— not bluegrass jump routines worked out. But having fun, the main point.
The B side: “I think I’m a Lesbian,too, honey”
“If a tree fell in the forest, and I didn’t hear it would I still be wrong?”
Vince Gill:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WsJdK-EJuKg
There is the hard to find country song used in the science fiction/dark comedy movie Dark Star (1974), written by the director, John Carpenter, entitled Benson, Arizona. Performed by John Yager, who though not a professional musician did an impressively good job sounding like one.
The movie is about a spaceship sent out into the vast unknown of space, to destroy “unstable planets” that could interfere with eventual human colonization. However, their mission is endless, the ship has been damaged, and they have been mostly abandoned and forgotten on Earth. Their pilot likes to listen to country music, but it is futuristic country music.
Benson, Arizona
A million suns shine down
But I see only one
When I think I’m over you
I find I’ve just begun
The years move faster than the days
There’s no warmth in the light
How I miss those desert skies
Your cool touch in the night
CHORUS:
Benson, Arizona, blew warm wind through your hair
My body flies the galaxy, my heart longs to be there
Benson, Arizona, the same stars in the sky
But they seemed so much kinder when we watched them,
you and I
Now the years pull us apart
I’m young and now you’re old
But you’re still in my heart
And the memory won’t grow cold
I dream of times and spaces
I left far behind
Where we spent our last few days
Benson’s on my mind
(CHORUS)
Jon Ims - ‘the big one’ performed here in Kerrville
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_qAbCSOu_M
Ims is the guy that wrote ‘she’s in love with the boy’
which was a big hit for Trisha Yearwood
That was the Beatles: “Rocky Radcoon” and not all that weird, just a spoof of country, you done me wrong song.
I Want To Kiss Her But...
She Won't Let Me!
Man I have to bookmark this thread, it’s got me laughing out loud.
Where's The Dress? (Moe Bandy and Joe Stampley)
Country Hos-Drunk and Disorderly
"I Want To Whip Your Cow (Show me how, show me how)"
Sorry, “raccoon” All sorts of mis definitions for that typo.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.