My Brother And George Strait

Music has a way of speaking to almost everyone. It build’s bridges, heals gaps, bonds people. Lyrics can have a very powerful impact on a person. So can a beat or rhythm of a song.

Believe it or not, growing up I wasn’t a country music fan. My passion, like most pre-teen girls of the ’80’s was in pop music, with a little touch of heavy metal. My kid brother was the country fan. His best friend in the apartment across the hall listened to country because of his dad. He came home one day and announced that George Strait’s “All My Exes Live In Texas” was his favorite song. At 10 years old, he found the song hilarious.

I didn’t get it. The music was twangy. Sometimes the lyrics made you feel like your ears were going to bleed. After he died I found myself listening to country more frequently…trying to find what it was that drew him.

And then I heard Dan Seals sing….

Once I heard Addicted, I was hooked. The poet in me back then was pretty dramatic…I loved love songs, especially sad ones, and this one definitely qualified. If it wasn’t love, I was all about anger and revenge. A lot of that was probably part of my grieving process. It would definitely explain how I was drawn to my second song…it resonated with me. Earl Thomas Conley really spoke to my angst, that’s for sure. As I’m listening to it again for the first time in years I’m realizing the message could have a duality to it. Those words could be meant for someone who ended a relationship through a break up, but they could also be directed at someone who died and left him hurt and angry. I’m posting Gary Allan’s remake of the song. Unfortunately the original was not very good quality.

It’s funny…all these years later and I find country is probably my most favorite musical genre now. What genre am I most likely to find you listening to? Why? Have you ever had your perceptions of certain music altered by an experience you’ve had? I’d love to hear about it.

 

19 thoughts on “My Brother And George Strait”

  1. Writer / Mummy says:
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    I totally relate to this: I loved pop and heavy metal as a teenager (I still do, although Metallica and Bon Jovi are the only ones that have really stuck) but I do find the lyrics of Country Music resonate the most. I’m not a religious person but when I’m low I find Garth Brook songs make me strong: it’s as if his faith is so strong I can share it without believing.

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  2. ramblingsfromamum says:
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    I am so with you on this…country was never my thing, I still don;t own any CDs that are country, but when I here it how toned they are – more in touch with there feelings than heavy metal/Pop etc (I’m sure it’s called something else but I am old) Even though most of their songs are probably written by others – they are musical poets 🙂 loved this thank you x

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  3. Experienced Tutors says:
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    When I was young my parents took me to see Johnny Cash and my mother chose Don Williams `you’re my best friend` at my father’s funeral a few years ago.

    Country music resonates with me although it isn’t something I tend to play.

    Good post.

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  4. L.J. Kentowski says:
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    To be honest, I’ve been hooked on country big time for the last few weeks. I’m usually very eclectic and really love every genre of music but I was always geared more towards rock. But lately I’ve been trying to keep my whole spirit positive and country music is really the only genre right now that continues to make me smile 🙂

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  5. filbio says:
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    Metal. I am a metal head through and through. There is just something about getting pumped up to power metal with soaring vocals and screaming guitars. There are some amazing prog-metal and symphonic-metal bands based in Europe that are fronted by female opera trained singers that are amazing. Still to this day Iron Maiden is my band of choice, but I will listen to everything to give it a try.

    Phil
    http://www.blog.theregularguynyc.com

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    • Kitt Crescendo says:
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      I was a hair band girl in the late 80’s-90’s. Had the biggest crush on Bret Michaels. When I do hard work outs, especially with weights I prefer the harder stuff. Nine Inch Nails, Slayer, etc. They help me get my mean on and push through. Make sense?

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  6. CJ says:
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    Gosh I haven’t heard those songs in ages. I know “Addicted” was my first addiction to country music, then I fell in love with Colin Raye’s music. Amy Grant is someone who I’ve always been able to relate with in regards to lyrics and music and expressions of self. I seem to always find what I want to say in her music. Thanks for the memories! They’re great. I hated your heavy metal phase….ha ha ha.

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  7. alittledforgoodmeasure says:
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    I’ve always been a country fan. I grew up listening to George, Reba, etc. I do listen to and respect all genres of music. Sometimes my radios do not tune in a country song for days or weeks on end. However, I always find my way back home, to country music. It’s lyrics move my soul. No matter what you are looking for from music, you are bound to find whatever it is in at least one country song.

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  8. Ray Colon says:
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    Hi Kitt,

    I think that music does speak to everyone, but because there are so many different types of music that people enjoy, what speaks to one is noise to another. My preference is R&B, but there is at least one song in most genres that I enjoy. Sometimes, I’ll have no interest in a song until I hear it in a different context. One example is Johnny Cash’s, The Man Comes Around. On the radio, blah. Nothing. But once I saw how they used it for the opening credits of Dawn of the Dead, I was hooked.

    As a kid, I loved the love song to a rat, Michael Jackson’s, Ben. It was one of my first 45s. I remember that it was around the time of my first crush. I wore the grooves off of that one.

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