Playlist: https://spoti.fi/3YHgkYx

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“Remaking Country’s Gender Politics, One Barroom Weeper at a Time – The Nashville songwriter Shane McAnally is behind many of country music’s No. 1 hits, which aren’t as straight as they seem.”: https://nyti.ms/3Kh19RC

You won’t read this. That’s the dirty little secret, nobody clicks through. They’ve been burned with bad, or mediocre, articles too many times, and they only have a limited amount of time to begin with, everybody, even babies, are overscheduled. Which demonstrates how hard it is to reach people today, ask them to listen to a three minute song and they won’t, it’s too big a chore.

Not that I recommend this article. It’s not bad, but not great, not necessary reading. But I’m a fan of Shane’s work and I was interested in a bit of backstory, what he was hyping.

Not that I could figure out what it was. You see no article just appears out of thin air. There’s a publicist, the artist is promoting something. Maybe it’s set-up for Shane’s ultimate solo album, which he is working on, or something bigger, it’s definitely part of a plan.

And every article has to have a hook. And the first one is that Shane is gay. Which everybody in Nashville knows, I certainly know, but that’s not the audience they’re looking for, they’re trolling for newbies, and that’s a revelation to them.

And, that McAnally lost his voice, it’s psychological, he has trouble singing. It’s coming back with treatment, however the extensive focus on this in the article was because…I’m not exactly sure why, it’s not like he makes his living singing, at least not at this point.

Then again, you write these articles and then they’re edited, and the final product might barely resemble what you laid down.

But the writer, Carlo Rotella, does nail songwriting:

“Think of a song as an ancient technology for imposing form and meaning on experience, a device for filtering the chaotic noise of inner life and the world around us so it can be translated into meaningful signal. Or think of a song as a container into which you can pour a distilled feeling that others can then imbibe by playing or singing or listening to it.”

Could have been written in a more simple fashion, but intellectuals want to appeal to other intellectuals, to make themselves feel good, and the ultimate point comes across…

THE BEST SONGS ARE ABOUT INNER LIFE, WRITTEN IN A WAY THAT PEOPLE CAN RELATE TO THEM.

Try relating to the hip-hop and pop songs dominating the Spotify Top 50. It’s fantasies, cartoons, akin to the Marvel movies that dominate the cinema. It’s far from your regular life. Or so bland as to be unrelatable.

But Shane McAnally’s songs…

Now as you read the article you’ll wince a bit. Over the fact that Nashville’s a machine, and you play by the rules, or try to break them very very slowly, which McAnally is doing. It’s a controlled marketplace.

I was listening to the Highway on SiriusXM yesterday and you could see the cynicism behind the songs. They were written to be hits. And therefore they didn’t ring true, never mind being rehashed. But I did hear one good one, Kelsea Ballerini’s “What I Have.”

“I bought the shoes where the bottom is red

But who the hell am I tryin’ to impress

When you sit back that’s when you notice

The Joneses can’t even keep up with the Joneses

I know, don’t gotta shine to be gold”

Even I know the brand name of the shoes with the red soles. The name isn’t checked, the reference is enough, a great songwriter knows when you’re obvious you usually sacrifice greatness right out of the box, it might be a hit that panders to the masses, it might be serviceable, but it’s not a classic.

And we’ve got a war going on in America between the red and the blue, but in truth we’re all just trying to get along. Then again, unless you’re a member of the one percent, you’re struggling. You can identify.

“‘Cause I got a roof over my head

I got a warm body in bed

I’m doing all right where I’m at

With what I have”

A bit too optimistic, a bit too glass half-full for this boy, but the chorus immediately conveys what the song is about and it’s catchy, the whole number is a bit sing-songy, but that’s what hooks you. Does country radio want to play a soft number like this? That’s irrelevant, “What I Have” is a good song. Not forever, but pretty good.

As for “Follow Your Arrow”…

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The article says “Follow Your Arrow” is one of the lowest charting songs to ever be anointed the CMA’s Song of the Year. It was cowritten with Shane by Brandy Clark and Kacey Musgraves, and the latter recorded it.

I figured the number was from Kacey’s last album, you know, the one that wasn’t country enough for the country awards.

But it turned out that “Follow Your Arrow” was from 2013. I’d never heard it. And that’s something that media and society have yet to realize and acknowledge. Every person today has huge blind spots, they might know about certain subjects in depth, but they’re clueless as to others. As stated above, time is precious, and there’s no authoritative voice directing you to greatness outside your field(s) of interest. That used to be radio, especially back in the sixties, AM would play country tracks along with the Beatles. And MTV featured a smorgasbord of acts that everybody knew about, you couldn’t avoid them. If you were alive in the early eighties, you not only know Culture Club, you can sing their hits, which is impossible with most of today’s hit parade.

So I listened.

The article quotes the lyrics from the chorus, supporting the gay-theme penetrating country point of the article.

“So make lots of noise

Kiss lots of boys

Or kiss lot of girls

If that’s something you’re into

When the straight and narrow

Gets a little too straight

Roll up a joint, or don’t”

Some might say it’s subtle, but to me it’s pretty obvious. If this is the breakthrough we’re waiting for… We’ll be waiting a very long time. Come on, there are gay people everywhere, you’re related to them, this song is not going to change beliefs.

But the rest of the number…

“If you save yourself for marriage

You’re a bore

You don’t save yourself for marriage

You’re a horrible person

If you won’t have a drink

Then you’re a prude

But they’ll call you a drunk

As soon as you down the first one”

 

We ALL face these issues. It’s not a matter of being born one way or another, you’ve got a choice, which path are you going to take? The religious one? The one society tells you to? Or the one that feels right to you? And if you stumble from your perch, take a risk, you will be labeled. Come on, we all grew up with the concept of refraining from sex until marriage. To break that taboo was not so easy.

“If you can’t lose the weight

Then you’re just fat

But if you lose too much

Then you’re on crack”

This is brief, but brilliant.

You can’t talk about being fat in a song, even worse you can’t reference fat-shaming.

But come on, when you see these super-skinny people, don’t you wonder if they’re doing drugs? And the truth is, if you’ve been following the recent news, THEY ALL ARE! They’re all taking the the diabetes drug Ozempic to lose weight. Hell, Lisa Marie Presley took drugs to lose 50 pounds in a matter of weeks, to look good for the potential awards for the “Elvis” movie. I have no idea if she was taking Ozempic, but while you’re worried about exceeding size 10, the celebrities believe if they’re not size 0, with no extra flesh on their bodies, THEY’RE FAT!

Ultimately “Follow Your Arrow” is not a hit. A hit is something you hear once and need to hear again. Or as Ahmet said, something you hear on the radio and have to get out of bed and go to the all night record shop to buy.

“One Night Standards” is closer.

3

“One Night Standards” I knew. From hearing the Ashley McBride song on the radio. It’s got a groove and a catchy chorus to the point where you can like the song without even knowing most of the lyrics. Hell, I caught the chorus but not every word, but when I listened this afternoon…

“I ain’t gonna stay for the weekend

I ain’t gonna jump off the deep end

I ain’t gonna ask where your ring is

Thing is, we all got secrets”

Let’s skip the moral debate, the truth is an incredible percentage of people in relationships cheat. And girls as much as guys, some studies say more. And just because you’re married that does not mean you don’t look, don’t fantasize, and “One Night Standards” speaks to the situation, the dilemma.

This is sex. Probably more. There’s always a basic connection, but you don’t really know the person. You have to jump over so many hurdles, endure so many hardships to make a relationship sustain. That person who titillates you at the bar, two or three days later might drive you nuts. But while you have the desire…

“It’s just a room key

You ain’t gotta lie to me

Can’t you just use me like I’m using you

How it goes is bar closes

There’s no king bed covered in roses

Just a room without a view”

It’s down and dirty. She’s empowered. This isn’t a fantasy, what she wants is an experience, something physical, to take her away from her regular life, she knows you do too.

“Well I ain’t Cinderella, but who is?

Call me what you want if the shoe fits

I ain’t gonna say I never do this, ’cause truth is

Lonely makes a heart ruthless”

Self-knowledge. It’s so appealing, and so rarely encountered. Few of us are Cinderella, and you know the cliché, show me a man married to a beautiful woman and… Sex happens inside the brain.

As for “lonely makes a heart ruthless,” I’m not exactly sure what that means, but I know what it FEELS LIKE!

“No I don’t give a damn about the morning after

Bottles on the floor don’t even matter

I don’t want a number, you ain’t gonna answer

Let’s just stick to the one night standards

The one night standards

The one night standards”

This isn’t romance, this is sex. This isn’t about the trappings, but the essence. You get hooked on the music and ultimately hear the song enough to get the rest of the lyrics, assuming you hear it to begin with.

4

Chris Stapleton keeps winning all the awards. People e-mailed me about his performance at the Super Bowl. He’s the king of Nashville, he may have a few hits, but it’s something more, Stapleton is authentic, he’s doing it his way and having success, which everybody else wishes they could do, stop pandering and be real.

But the above lyrics are much more real than those you’ll find in the Spotify Top 50. You can relate to them. They’re issues you’ve thought about, dealt with.

And Ashley McBryde and Nicolette Hayford cowrote “One Night Standards” with Shane, and that checks the box for me of having the performer involved in the songwriting. Then again, writing sessions… I’m more about inspiration.

Then again, if you read every word of the article, you’ll see that in truth it is all about inspiration. Shane doesn’t show up to the writing room empty-handed, he’s got an idea, a phrase he heard, at a party, at the grocery store. And it’s a very short window within which you can lay it all down. Then the muse goes. You need to get caught up in the mood, lose your self-consciousness, and as soon as you think about what you’re doing you lose it. Ultimately the great stuff is about inspiration.

It’d be one thing if I heard these words on Active Rock.

And too many of today’s singer-songwriters have inadequate voices and substandard songs. When these “artists” complain, saying Bob Dylan has a poor voice, I always tell them that might be true, but Bob Dylan IS THE GREATEST LYRICIST OF THE PAST HALF-CENTURY!

Maybe Shane will have hits on his own.

As for making a complete album, I hope he enjoys the process, because getting people to check out an album of music today is nearly impossible unless there’s a hit. If you want to be a star, find a hit and then build upon that. And go short with frequency if you want to make albums. Less than forty minutes, like the old days. And regular releases, to satiate not radio, but your FANS!

Of course the rules can be broken, but when Morgan Wallen released the double-album “Dangerous” he already had success under his belt.

I don’t know where this leaves us. I’m inspired by these songs. But this movement is constrained by the Nashville establishment and doesn’t spread that far to non-country fans. It could. At festivals. And despite country’s image as being all-red, that’s no longer the case, don’t forget Maren Morris calling out Brittany Aldean’s transphobic Instagram post and her her husband Jason’s PR firm dropping him. As for trans issues… You use the same bathroom at home, right? And it’s barely an issue. What I mean is gay people are not going to take over the world, be fifty percent of the population, and neither are trans people, can’t you leave these people in peace and let them live their lives? After all, as in “Follow Your Arrow” we’re all struggling, just trying to get along, why are you so interested in what everybody else is doing, especially when it doesn’t even impact you?

But at least these songs lead to questions. There are no questions in the Spotify Top 50, just dashes for cash.

And cash is very important, but Shane McAnally was writing songs when he was in the single digits, it’s not solely about the Benjamins, and how much money do you need anyway?

Enough.

But money isn’t everything. You need soul fulfillment, you want art you can relate to. One thing is for sure, Shane McAnally and his posse are on the right path.

Re: Fox News Scandal

What scandal? Is this subject line just click bait? I have no earthly idea what you are trying to say. If you have something to say then just say it, for god’s sake.

David Murphy

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Previous e-mail from Mr. Murphy:

Re: The Unrest In China

JFC Bob – you couldn’t get three paragraphs into a piece on China without bringing up Trump?

Get over it man. He’s gone, he’s over. Nothing to be afraid of anymore. Move the f**k on.

David Murphy

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Re: Biden’s Speech

How in the world are you able to get your head so far up your ass?

Truly remarkable.

David Murphy

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Re: Biden

Bob – you really should think twice before weighing in on politics. It makes you sound simple.

“The right” didn’t define Biden as old, doddering and senile – people can see with their own eyes what he is, in spite of media attempts to cover for him. It is unsettling for Americans to have this person running the country and embarrassing to have him representing us on the world stage.

That’s about as far as I could get with this diatribe. Defending Biden and promoting Newsome as being presidential timber is not a good look. Saying Kamala knows how to “make news” is true but is it the kind of news you want form your party? She’s a laughingstock.

Democrats are in for a well-deserved beating this fall and it is all due to self-inflicted wounds.

David Murphy

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Re: Musk Self-Immolates

Musk predicted “The Left” would come after him. Not at all surprised to see you chiming in.
It’s baffling how a man who has done more to improve the lot of humankind than any other could stir up so much ire.
He is now seen as a threat to the grand plans of the left to control speech – so he must be destroyed. So far, no one has withstood this kind of retribution – certainly not Trump, although he is still a thorn in the Democrats’ hides. But Musk is a different species altogether. He has the resources and seems willing to commit them to whatever extent necessary. He is also smarter than any ten NY Times staffers combined. Actually, he has no match at all – left or right.

David Murphy

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Re: A Little More Abortion

For all the self-referential material you spin out, you are one of the least introspective people that I follow. You need to check in with Joe Rogan. I recently discovered that he is nothing like the hateful low-life that leftist media tried to make him out to be. He is reasonable and open to ALL points of view and can hold his own in a discussion of topics which you might find difficult to defend. His conversations with people as opposite as Bill Maher and David Mamet are instructive, enjoyable – really good media.

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Re: Ukraine

I’m surprised I had to scroll all the way down to the 16th paragraph before Trump’s name came up. Trying to blame what’s happening in the world now on Trump – or Tucker Carlson – is foolish. This would not be happening if Trump wasn’t replaced by this feeble old man – period. The Democrat party is responsible for this terrible shift in world politics and our allies know it. The US could be finished as the primary world power – we will soon see. Up until last year, we were the world’s leading producer/exporter of energy products – thank you Donald Trump. No longer – thank you Biden & Co. Russia and China are focused on expanding their empires and we are focused on expanding our deficit spending and which f**king pronouns are appropriate.

Democrats have failed this country and you don’t even have the balls to admit it – that’s why you feel so alone. I would say “come in, the water’s fine” but it’s not.

David Murphy

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Re: Biden Plays Offense

I don’t have to say much – you are going to hear plenty about the foolishness on full display in this essay. I will simply say this: the Biden administration and the Democrat party in general have brought the country to what is shaping up to be the most destructive period in my lifetime – 70 years – and maybe since the Civil War. If you can’t see this, at least try to understand why a majority of people in this country do. As far as Republicans “circling the wagons”, consider this: there is no f**king way Republicans could pass the kind of legislation the Dems are proposing and will likely pass with such a thin majority.

Biden is being a leader? You debase yourself.

Dave Murphy

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And many more…

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P.S. foxnews.com still has not reported on the Fox/Dominion depositions/information

“Fox Stars Privately Expressed Disbelief About Election Fraud Claims. ‘Crazy Stuff.’ – The comments, by Tucker Carlson, Sean Hannity and others, were released as part of a defamation suit against Fox News by Dominion Voter Systems.”: https://nyti.ms/3Ke0OiC

This is what happens when you tell people what they want to hear.

And it doesn’t only happen in politics. Music is one of the worst offenders. It’s built on the premise that anyone can be a star, when this is patently untrue.

That’s what people want. Optimism. They don’t want to learn that it’s almost impossible to make it, that few do, but even worse it takes years of hard work and dedication and a ton of luck and today even the talented don’t always succeed. No, sign up for this website, we’ll advertise your wares, you’ll get hits, you’ll go broke.

And then there’s Spotify. I’m poor, I’m a musician, someone must be at fault. Yeah, you and your label. If you’re so talented that you have reach and demand you can make good bucks on Spotify. Yes, the money is there for the taking if people LISTEN! But metrics, data, don’t apply to these people. They’re playing in the field, they feel they should be making money, it must be Spotify’s fault.

Some of the worst offenders are those who profited under the old system. Where the label kept you afloat, via advances and tour support, never mind making your name via radio and press. The dirty little secret is almost none of these acts even went into royalties. That’s right, THEY NEVER GOT PAID ON THEIR MUSIC! They’re upside-down on their account. Which is why it was a breakthrough when major labels recently said they’d get rid of the debt and start paying royalties for the acts from the last century… Yeah, when demand is low and the acts are dead, or close to it.

And the labels are the culprits. The English government looked into this and found that it wasn’t Spotify’s fault, but bad record deals, i.e. the label took the lion’s share of the money, that’s why acts were getting paid so poorly on streaming.

Even worse are all those articles saying musicians are going broke, having to get day jobs. How about all those kids who played high school and college basketball, but couldn’t make it into the NBA. Should they not have to get day jobs, should we support them too? It can’t be their fault, it can’t be that they’re not good enough, no, the system is broken, the NBA is responsible, they need to get paid!

And change is constant, but not when it comes to music. I had a record deal and now I don’t, it went from physical to virtual, I must be protected, I can’t lose out.

And then there’s ticketing, where even Congress got into the act, grandstanding for the public. Yes, Ticketmaster must be at fault for your inability to get into the building at a low price, hopefully in the front row. Yeah, I’m a fan and I’m ENTITLED! Somehow, supply and demand don’t apply when it comes to concert tickets. Never mind that the acts are at fault. Ticketmaster has said it would go to all-in prices, but the acts don’t want it, never mind that when Stubhub did this, sales went down, people were enticed by other sites offering a low face value and fees at the end. Did you see any major acts testifying in Congress? OF COURSE NOT! The system is working for them, they get paid and Ticketmaster gets all the blame.

Sure, the Fox people said one thing privately and another publicly. Secondly, the blind attorneys and brass didn’t realize you settle lawsuits to squelch bad publicity. Fox will never be seen as a news outlet again, it had little credibility, now it has none. And that’s bad, but…

What kind of world do we live in where the news follows the people?

This is where we are in America, people are dumb and uneducated and politicians and corporations play to this, want to keep them stupid. They demonize not only the truth, but the educated. Don’t bother to jump through hoops, that’s for pussies. Rebel. Stay at home. Be ignorant. Be poor. That’s where the fruits are. Huh?

But it gets even worse. Like the trickle-down theory in taxes. It’s never ever been proven true, quite the opposite. But people keep being told if the rich get richer, they too will gain spoils. Yeah, right.

It goes on and on. Let’s demonize the takers, yeah, the people partaking of social services. When the truth is living on little from the government is not a life of luxury. You wouldn’t want it. And if you don’t take care of the poor, they’re going to take care of you. Get a gun and lock those doors!

You can have everything.

Meanwhile you have nothing, or little.

Don’t force me to get health insurance, I’d rather get sick and die. And sure, the emergency room might treat me for free, a tax on the rest of the populace, but believe me, the emergency room does not provide regular checkups, and does not take care of your teeth, a key element of your overall health.

Our entire nation can’t handle the truth. And rather than tell it to them, those in power proffer falsehoods.

Not everybody can be rich, not everybody can be a star. Hell, we’ve had these TV singing competitions forever and not only can no one name who won “The Voice,” none of them have become stars. It’s all just grist for the mill.

As for playing the lottery…a tax on the poor. Buy tickets at your peril. Add up all you’ve spent at the end of the year, you could have at least gone out for a good meal, or a few fast food meals to add to your obesity.

I’m sick and tired of all those in power giving people false hope.

What I always tell people about entering the music business, on either side of the desk, is DON’T! Yes, I want to scare people away. Because those who really need to be in this business will, best for the rest not to waste time.

You want to work in music? People are lining up to work for FREE! They’re not lining up to work as garbage men for free.

As for acts… Sure, there are barely talented beautiful people propped up by the system, but that number is lower than ever and most don’t sustain. As a matter of fact, few sustain at all. And the best way to be able to sustain is to be able to play and go on the road. And that’s much harder than being able to sing.

Are you really that good?

Do you really want it that much?

Are you willing to sacrifice everything to make it? Not have a family, not own a house, be broke before you possibly break through?

Then maybe…

As for the fiction that we’re in a golden age of creativity…

What bunk.

Sure, the tools are in the hands of the proletariat. But the end result is not a plethora of musical acts, but wankers on social media doing stunts to get famous and rich when few do. Despite the hype, it’s hard to get consistently paid in social media, even harder is to sustain, never mind the endless work involved, almost 24/7.

To say that everybody having the tools means we’ve got more and better stuff is to say that since everybody had a pen and paper, we should have had an overwhelming number of great writers and books. But that didn’t happen. There are a limited number of people that dedicated and that talented, and even so, ultimately rendering something that will appeal to others is incredibly difficult. Yes, superstars put out stiff records, but the hoi polloi in their bungalows are going to deliver the next “Sgt. Pepper.” No way.

If anything, the music of today is worse than that of yesterday because there’s just not that much money in it. I mean if you want to be rich, do you want to be a musician? And look at so many of the players, they’re in it for the riches and fame. Hell, Rihanna hasn’t even released a record in years. It would interfere with her true business, selling cosmetics.

I mean if you’re smart and educated, if you have portfolio are you really going to go into music? How many billionaires are there in music? But there are tons in finance and tech. That’s where the brains go. Music is the realm of the underclass. It’s not the sixties and seventies anymore, dominated by the middle class.

And where is the plethora of music entrepreneurs?

Yes, at the turn of the century everybody with money tried to strike it rich in music distribution, i.e. Napster, etc. But other than Spotify, few had any success. But that was all business. As for the art?

But you can’t say this. You’ve got to say the music is as good as it ever was, even better! You’re just old and don’t understand it.

Let me ask you, was the television of the sixties, even the seventies, eighties and nineties and first decade of this century as good as it is now? NO ONE WOULD SAY THAT! So why is music flat, always the same in quality?

But this fiction is sold to keep the enterprise going, the people behind the curtain. People are invested in the fiction, they want you to pay them so they can eat. That’s their scam.

Come on, those online sites that are going to host your music, get you gigs… It’s about them making money, not you gaining success.

So now you’re depressed. Bob, you rained on my parade!

Wimp.

Smart, informed people, who need to make it, who need to be in the game, will find a way, they always have. And when you hear their story it will not be that they signed up for all the websites, gave people all their money, no, they worked really hard on their craft, until they were really damn good, and then they sacrificed and sacrificed, built upon their successes one by one, two steps forward, one step back, until…

Maybe they had a life playing in wedding bands.

Or their band had regional success.

Or they became Elton John or the Beatles or the new Bob Dylan.

Not only do we have no new Elton John or the Beatles, they’ve been searching for over half a century and have never found a new Bob Dylan, not even close.

But no, the field is wide open, you’re a winner, you can make it, and if you complain loud enough, the hurdles will fall, the doors will open, you will rightfully march forward into the land of luxury and ubiquity, as per your god-given right.

HOGWASH!

Tune in tomorrow, Saturday February 18th, to Faction Talk, channel 103, at 4 PM East, 1 PM West.

Phone #: 844-686-5863

Twitter: @lefsetz

If you miss the episode, you can hear it on demand on the SiriusXM app. Search: Lefsetz