BONAFIDE COUNTRY TUNES AND A LONE DOVE’S MUSINGS

MUSICAL MILESTONES 3 Minutes

MAMMAS, DON’T LET YOUR BABIES GROW UP TO BE COWBOYS by WILLIE NELSON

In just under three minutes, this classic songwriting feat gives us insights into the mind and heart of millions of cowboys who presently live and those who came before them. It’s akin to taking stock of generations of men.

Whether he’s singing it as a solo showcase or with his Highwaymen compatriots and Merle Haggard, Mr. Nelson’s words flank truth about the essence of independence and solitude that the country entails for its fabled inhabitants.

Putting them beyond the myths and legends, this is a sobering and utterly unforgettable portrait of individuality coexisting with social etiquettes. It’s bittersweet.



GRANDPA( TELL ME ‘BOUT THE GOOD OLD DAYS) by THE JUDDS

This is gentle, practical songwriting evincing the affectionate permanence of our elders’ infuence on our lives.

Mother-daughter duo Wynonna and Naomi Judd gives this a meta touch as the union of generations helps both women to absorb the lyrics and the sublime melody to design expert harmonies. It is a quest for comfort and shelter pitted against the alienating forces of the modern world.

Every time I listen to it and am soothed by its guitar strums, I go back to my maternal grandma’s unconditional love. The sense of loss becomes all the more poignant. The power of this song is that it is universally resonant.



WIDE OPEN SPACES by THE CHICKS

Championing gender equality with trademark fiddles and guitars, The Chicks arrive at the most distinct symbol of country music- one where the storytelling itself is a means of breaking chains of conformity and seeking freedom through one’s vocation.

A coming of age narrative delivered with exquisite ease, this one is also about a sense of generational pining and then achieving freedom to live a life of dignity, especially germane to young women. The greatest gift here is how in the final verses, the baton is passed from the previous era to the next to make one’s dreams living realities.



PARIS, TEXAS & HOUSTON IN TWO SECONDS by RY COODER

This dual instrument suite by Ry Cooder illuminates the many-hued journeys that define human lifetimes.

After watching Wim Wenders’ iconic PARIS, TEXAS(1984) where both themes permeate the stark and yet supremely compassionate tale of familial rediscovery, it has become one of my favourites. Without the use of a single word, the guitar gnarls and sways to the rhythms of transient solitary lives searching for an anchor.



A SONG FOR YOU by THE LUMINEERS

Wesley Schultz and his ever-sincere band mates give us goosebumps by the way they pay tribute to Willie Nelson on his 90th birthday honours.

A SONG FOR YOU, delivered here with beautiful piano notes, soothes our senses as Schultz lives each and every word with empathy to spare.

Live performances have a way of transforming artists’ repertoire as I’ve said before. This here constitutes five minutes of vocal brilliance that do complete justice to the lyrical journey of decades defining a lifetime.



COWBOYS ARE FREQUENCY SECRETLY FOND OF EACH OTHER by ORVILLE PECK & WILLIE NELSON

First it was Shania Twain on LEGENDS NEVER DIE. Now it’s the evergreen cowboy, Willie Nelson, himself as a duet partner. Which is grounds to confirm that Mr. Peck is not only on a creative roll but has sanctified his country bona-fides with each passing year.

The greatest aspect of this bonafide country number is that its rhythms and energy are in the traditional mould with a simple melody. Yet the manner in which it candidly acknowledges intragender bonds and subverts binaries with a wink and a grin is commendable.

Never has the word “queer” been used in the country canon as a normalising matter of fact before. Mr. Nelson’s role as an elderly statesman opening the gates for greater discourses beyond the binary is a historic feat here. Along with Peck, a veritable queer icon and profound artist, it also becomes generational.



***

ALL BY MYSELF by ERIC CARMEN

Chances are that like me, Celine Dion’s definitive interpretation of this song has already been a part of our lives for the longest time.

But going back to the long-form employment of empathetic vocals, piano notes and guitars on Eric Carmen’s original classic is a requisite for all listeners.

The “to be or not to be” dilemma here yields compelling results as the clash between being self-sufficient and sociability designs a tune for the ages.



***

All clips are courtesy YouTube.

Published by anawadhboyspanorama

I launch myself, with a searing, soaring passion for all domains verging on the writerly and creative with a beginner's appetite here and that's how I believe in adding meaning to each day. A lucky mascot of literature, cinema and culture, I come riding on spirited wings from the emblematic city of Lucknow where all those reside and thrive. My breeding ground and my mindscape all are committed to these three life forces. Cinema. Culture. Literature. But the biggest and all consuming parent to these is life that breeds them . There is the discovery that comes from expressing yourself, clear eyed and even mystical, when you come from a city like this. I am here to expand my worldviews, share my earliest inspirations and evolutions and go with the flow through the most accessible outlet there is : writing. Conventionally, my biography is that of a degree holder in English literature encompassing Undergraduate, Postgraduate and M Phil years and every possible experience of learning finer points of knowledge . I have already taken the plunge of creating a solid base for my works by publishing my poems and articles on the renowned worldwide community/ writing sanctuary Wattpad since 2015, a platform which is a miracle for anyone pursuing so much as a flash of wordplay and thoughts to spare. It has redefined my life and allows me to go strong. You can read my works there under the username MadMenWearingFedora / Prithvijeet. That is the springboard that catapulted me to a confident vocational revival. So here I am. Both originality and novelty are the key words to define this eternal student of life. So with the tip of the pen blessing my head and a new vigor, I welcome you all to my realm. AN AWADH BOY'S PANORAMA beckons.

Published

Leave a comment