John Rich's Songwriting Tips #20

I've heard some people say that you should keep a journal or some mess like that to write in every day. I call bullshit. A journal? That sounds kinda fruity to me. I just make sure to carry a pen with me so I can write at any given moment. Maybe you're having a five o'clock cocktail and you get a hook idea... just write it on the bar napkin. Or possibly you're enjoying an after-supper whiskey and Coke and you think of a great bridge, just scrawl it on one of those little cardboard coasters. Midnight Jägerbomb give you a great chorus for that hook you wrote earlier? Whip out your pen and finish up. So to summarize: journal = not straight.

Not actually written by John Rich.

Top 10 Positive Things About Rascal Flatts

10. They aren't LoCash Cowboys

09. Make the world safe for mundanity, mediocrity and milquetoast

08. Give the military an effective interrogation option now that most physical methods have been outlawed

07. Provide contrast on the radio to remind us just how damn good Jamey Johnson is

06. Keep hair gel industry afloat through these rocky financial times

05. Roughstock gave them a positive review

04. Help Rodney Atkins feel more confident about his vocal abilities

03. Country listeners won't forget about terminal illnesses as long as RF's on the scene

02. Lead singer proof that average-looking (occasionally chubby) guys can be sex symbols

01. They aren't Chuck Wicks

Oh, and I'm fairly certain I stole this idea from CM at www.countrycalifornia.com

New Adam Lambert album cover

Songs Illustrated 7

.99 Review: Randy Houser

.99 Review

Randy Houser

"Whistlin' Dixie"

The People's Take

New Hank Jr. (5 Stars) – We have a new Hank Jr. Thanks Randy for bringing country back to our music.

-by Bchurc01

New Country (2 Stars) – Sorry Kids but these New Guys are all the same, Can't sing without Pitch Correction Machines and everybody wants to be a Hank Jr. Whats going on with Country Music, no wonder the Rockin Rollers Laugh at these People, I feel for them. They've gone from Kareokie to Record Deal.

– by MusicMan Nut

My Take

Since this is another "I'm a real country boy" listing song and I plan to rip into it momentarily, I probably shouldn't defend Randy, but MusicMan Nut (People's Take review #2) is throwing a wide net (and what's up with his capitalizations?). Sure commercial country as a whole includes way too many glorified karaoke singers, but Mr. Houser is not one of them. His rich, genuinely country, character-filled voice is one of the reasons I still have hope for the genre. Defense over.

My biggest peeve about this song is that this title/hook was wasted on yet another grocery list. I won't claim to be a consistently Nashville-calibre songwriter (I have a couple of indie cuts and a few published songs) but I wrote a lyric a few years ago called "Whistlin' Dixie" that was about a woman in a poisonous relationship who kept threatening to leave her boyfriend and move to the south, then she finally did it... thus "she ain't just whistlin' Dixie." Again, I'm no Craig Wiseman, but mine is a far better theme for this title, in my humble opinion... but the title's commercial viability is now shot for a while.

Sour grapes (FTM's favorite food source ;)) aside, this is fairly engagingly written for what it is and does present a few elements of southern living that may not have been touched on in the 1,245 previous songs about country pride. It's also well performed. I'm fairly certain that the vocals will never be an issue with Ronnie, errr, Randy.

So why waste that instrument on this song? Surely there's some narrative that could have tied all these good ol' boy touchstones together. I know I shouldn't harp on the genre as a whole when critiquing a single, but at some point, these listing songs became a parody of themselves and even your average country radio listener is going to catch onto that soon enough. This well's almost dry, boys. Find another source, or at least find a more creative way to use this one.

All in all, "Whistlin' Dixie" is far from hate-worthy, but it's a terrible misuse of a fine set of pipes.

Bonus points for not rhyming hippy with Mississippi. And shockingly, this only gets two marks on the checklist.

Total value: .55/.99

The Checklist

Church/God

Mama

Boots

Name Dropping

Dying Person

County Fair

Lost Love

Love

Hometown/Country Pride

Kindly Advice

Truck

Whiskey

Beer

Life Affirmation

USA

Soldiers

Pop Sheen