A Tender Lie...

Here's a song I covered that was originally done by the 80s and 90s country band, Restless Heart.  It was later covered by Dolly Parton.  I liked Dolly's version enough to give it a go.  Here it is, with lots of pictures from Ireland.

Eight classic feminist anthems...

Since today is Election Day in the USA and we may be getting our very first female president, I think I will focus today's post on classic feminist anthems.  There have been a few of them and this blog is mainly about music from the past, so I will focus on a few that have been around for a long time.  The one that was running through my brain this morning is this one.

Eurythmics and Aretha Franklin sing "Sisters are Doin' it for Themselves"

This was a big hit in the 1980s.  I also seem to remember it being used on The First Wives Club soundtrack back in 1996.  It seems rather appropriate to have this song on the brain today, even though I can't say I'm a big fan of Hillary Clinton's.

No post about feminist anthems would be complete without this song, Helen Reddy's "I Am Woman".  I was never really a big fan of this song.  It came out the year I was born.  But it does seem fitting to listen to it today.

"You Don't Own Me" sung by the late Lesley Gore.  Interestingly enough, toward the end of her life, she came out as a lesbian.  This song was a hit in the 1960s, when it was considered rather edgy.

Dolly lets everyone know... "My mistakes are no worse than yours 'Just Because I'm a Woman'."

Linda Ronstadt, as lead singer of The Stone Poneys, reminds her man that she's not ready for any person, place, or thing to try the pull the reins...

Gloria Gaynor shitcans her louse of a man and tells him she will survive.

Granted, Aretha Franklin is covering a song by Otis Redding, but "Respect" is an ageless song that commands respect from anyone who listens.  You tell 'em, Aretha.

And finally, Donna Summer and Barbra Streisand sing a disco anthem for the ages.  Enough is enough, dammit!

When you think about it, these ladies offered voices for countless women who were emerging from patriarchy.  Not everyone appreciates feminism or feminists.  Personally, I'm for equality, even as I realize we'll probably never really have it.  It certainly won't happen before I'm dead.  I'm not sure what the outcome of today's election will be.  Regardless of who wins, I'm sure there will be bitching aplenty tomorrow.  It makes me glad we're going to Ireland, where we can drown our sorrows for a few days.

Regardless, I'm glad to see a woman is running for president and has a real shot at winning.  It'll be interesting to see who prevails.

It's a Dolly Parton kind of day...

I got a new CD last night.  It was actually released in 2003, but it had a bunch of women singing songs written by Dolly Parton on it.  So I got in the mood to listen to some Dolly songs and recorded a few of my own.  I think the highlight was this song...

"To Daddy" was a song made famous by Emmylou Harris...  

Dolly Parton is one of those rare singer-songwriters who can weave a good story into good music...

Like "Coat of Many Colors"...

"Jolene" always struck me as a bit of a pathetic song, though many can relate to it.

And "9 to 5", which is a very difficult song to sing, but one that rings true to so many working stiffs...

And Dolly's very own "I Will Always Love You", which has been covered by everyone from Whitney Houston to Melissa Etheridge.  I think I like Dolly's version best, followed by Linda Ronstadt's...

Good Golly Miss Dolly... you sure can write some good songs!   

Islands in the Stream...

So I recorded Kenny Rogers' and Dolly Parton's big hit yesterday and someone who can sing joined me for Kenny's part...

I have to say, though I do like the Bee Gees, Kenny, and Dolly, I got really sick of this song when it was popular in the 1980s.  To make matters worse, in those days I was showing horses and this one named "Islands In The Stream" beat me in my division at the 4H State Horse Show.  My pony, Rusty, came in second to her...  I'm a better sport now, of course.  Back then, I was still a kid.

Years later, I can tell this song had "hit" written all over it.  It was huge for weeks and is still pretty good today.

Anyway, I decided to sing Dolly's part yesterday and a guy named willie sang with me...



I'm gonna have to pair up with him again...

Somewhere Out There...

I remember when this duet featuring Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram came out in the 1980s.  I got kind of sick of hearing it.  Now, many years later, I see it's actually a very lovely duet from the animated film, An American Tail.



I think the time I heard it that really touched me was when it was used in an episode of Designing Women.  Dolly Parton was a guest star playing an angel and they played this song at the end, as a woman was dying and a new baby was being born...  I ended up a blubbering mess.  In the clip below, it starts at about 4:48.



I posted my half of the duet on SingSnap yesterday and a good guy singer named Bradlee joined me...



This guy deserves mad props.  He really nailed it.

On a related note, I watched the end of that Designing Women episode and am now sitting here blubbering again.  Dammit!  I was never a fan of that show, but that particular episode was just awesome.

Kenny Rogers and Dottie West...

When I was very young, my parents had a copy of Kenny Rogers' and Dottie West's 1978 album, Ev'ry Time Two Fools Collide.  That album was released in 1978 and is pretty hard to find these days.  I used to listen to it a lot because my parents played it a lot... and it was actually a very good album.  In the 70s and early 80s, Kenny Rogers was the shit.  And I'm sure he did a lot for the late Dottie West, who endured a lot of tragedies in her too brief life and died in 1991 in a car accident.  She was a marvelously beautiful woman with a whisky soaked voice and she and Kenny kicked ass.

I was six years old in 1978 and my parents played this on 8 track all the time.  As I got older, I would sneak listening to it on my dad's dinosaur of a stereo.  I really like country music from the late 70s and early 80s... as well as the even more classic stuff.  I don't like today's pop country, because it has the same problem a lot of today's pop music has.  There's no soul... and little talent.  It's mostly what you look like that gets you on the radio.  This album is a big classic, though... and I would totally buy it if I could find the 1978 version today.

I love their song, "Ev'ry Time Two Fools Collide".  I would love to find someone who could sing this with me and do it justice.

I also love the other "hits" from that album...

The very sexy "Anyone Who Isn't Me Tonight"...

Cutesy Sonny and Cher cover...

A lovely rendition of "Til I Can Make It On My Own", a song Tammy Wynette also sang.

Kenny and Dottie singing "We Love Each Other" and sounding very convincing.

And one of my personal favorites, "That's the Way It Should Have Been."



"What Are We Doing In Love"... is very dated today.



Beautiful song, "What's Wrong With Us Today"...



They even covered Bread's "Baby, I'm a Want You".  I never cared much for this song.

They did another song, a cover of Kris Kristofferson's "The Loving Gift", which is just beautiful.



I look at Dottie West and see a woman who was made to wear Bob Mackie's clothes.

My parents went to see Kenny Rogers in the 80s and Dolly Parton was supposed to join him, but had to cancel at the last minute.  Dottie West stepped in.  A lot of people wanted their money back, but my parents loved the show.  Dottie was a true performer and they put on a great performance together.

I miss the days of duets like these... Yes, I know I'm OLD.

Here's Johnny Cash and June Carter singing "The Loving Gift".  It's not quite the same.  They do it in a jaunty uptempo style, while Dottie and Kenny were more earnest.  I like Dottie's and Kenny's version much better.  But Johnny and June obviously did the more popular rendition.

As I crossed the border into Texas, this song was playing on my iPod...

Somehow, it seemed really appropriate... as did this follow up song by Dolly Parton...

Hell... it's over 100 degrees here in Texas.  It probably won't be long before I'm menopausal... and I really will be burnin'.

I didn't just listen to country music as I made my way halfway across the country, but these songs were on the playlist.  They're definitely qualifying as dungeon of the past songs, especially Dolly's number.  That song came out in 1978!

I will have more to post when I'm not limited by a portable hotspot.  For now, I'm back and will soon be blogging a lot again.

PMS Blues...

Today's post is about PMS.  Yeah, that's right... premenstrual syndrome.  I'm actually pretty lucky, because I don't really get PMS.  My period seems to sneak up on me to the point at which I'm surprised when I get it.  I don't enjoy being on the rag, but it's not too bad for me.  Not like it is for a lot of other women, anyway.  My husband has told me horror stories about his ex wife and her periods.

Anyway, PMS is such a topic of interest among women that it was immortalized in a song by Dolly Parton, who probably hasn't had a period in decades...

Yes, this song is called "PMS Blues" and I'm sure Dolly wrote it because it's relatable to so many women... that, and as a woman of a certain age who is very folksy, she probably knew people would think it was funny as opposed to offensive.

I love me some Dolly Parton anyway.  I think she's funny, witty, and an excellent yet benevolent business woman.  You can keep Madonna.  Dolly Parton easily trumps her in talent, ambition, and class any day, as far as I'm concerned.

The many stylings of "I Will Always Love You..."

With all the talk about Whitney Houston this week, it may seem odd that I would bring up Linda Ronstadt...

But did you know that Linda also had a very successful cover of Dolly Parton's hit, "I Will Always Love You"?  I heard it for the first time this week and loved it...

I don't go to Linda Ronstadt for my politics, but man can that woman sing!  I love most of her music.  And I like what she did with Dolly's song.

When I hear Linda sing this, I hear her influencing Whitney's version on the chorus; while Dolly influenced the way Whitney did the verses.  Whitney sings the verses quietly and with emotion, then lets loose on the chorus the way Linda does.  Kevin Costner reportedly was familiar with Linda's version and brought it to David Foster to arrange for Whitney.  The end result was phenomenal...

  

And now even Glee is getting in on the act.  Sheesh!