Jim Adams aka Newepicauthor, the creator of A Unique Title For Me, is hosting SONG-LYRIC-SUNDAY and this week he has chosen the theme: COUNTRY MUSIC

I narrowed down my choice today to three songs – two of them I just love, love, love (songs from Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette). However, I chose the third song, the one that when I hear it sounds so “country”. I have to admit, it all makes me think of line dancing. Not that there is anything wrong with line dancing.
I am not sure when this song was released, but I do remember it being played on the radio a lot when I was younger. I think it must have had some chart success. The song is “Achy Breaky Heart” from a country singer called Billy Ray Cyrus.
You can tell the world you never was my girl You can burn my clothes when I'm gone Or you can tell your friends just what a fool I've been And laugh and joke about me on the phone You can tell my arms go back to the farm You can tell my feet to hit the floor Or you can tell my lips to tell my fingertips They won't be reaching out for you no more But don't tell my heart my achy breaky heart I just don't think it'd understand And if you tell my heart my achy breaky heart He might blow up and kill this man You can tell your ma I moved to Arkansas You can tell your dog to bite my leg Or tell your brother Cliff, whose fist can tear my lip He never really liked me anyway Or tell your Aunt Louise tell anything you please Myself already knows I'm not okay Or you can tell my eyes to watch out for my mind It might be walking out on me today But don't tell my heart my achy breaky heart I just don't think he'd understand And if you tell my heart my achy breaky heart He might blow up and kill this man Don't tell my heart my achy breaky heart... I just don't think he'd understand And if you tell my heart my achy breaky heart He might blow up and kill this man Don't tell my heart my achy breaky heart... I just don't think he'd understand And if you tell my heart my achy breaky heart He might blow up and kill this man Written by: Donald L. Von Tress
Early 90s. I was in high school, and they played this monstrosity at pretty much every dance, every football game, every student event. Even after I started liking country music in the early 2000s, I will never listen to this. Sorry.
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lol – Greg!!! Don’t hold back!!
I can only imagine that if this song had airplay on UK radio stations (American country music generally does not hit the charts here) it must have been everywhere in the US.
I think this track sort of shaped my idea of country music – right or wrong – and the sort of slightly honky tonk rockabilly feel – great for a line dancing session.
One of my uncles actually went to a line dancing club for around a year or so, I think it was probably a brief craze here in the UK, perhaps on the back of this song.
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Exactly. And I went to the kind of high school where country music was very popular. But I will acknowledge what you said, that this would be a fun song to dance to.
My opinion on country music changed, from extremely unfavorable to favorable depending on the artist and song, around 2005 when I actually gave it a try, and then became somewhat less favorable in the late 2010s when country-pop hybrids began to become popular again. It’s interesting that, having not grown up with country music, today I prefer the more traditional sounding artists to the country-pop blends. And there were so many artists making more traditional and authentic country music during Billy Ray Cyrus’ era; George Strait and Alan Jackson, for example. I hated them on principle back then, but I really like both of them now. And I remember there being backlash against Billy Ray Cyrus in his time from more traditional country artists, saying that he was a poser trying to make country music all about wiggling your butt in tight jeans and other shallow things like that.
Of course, after Billy Ray Cyrus’ daughter became popular, I made the comment several times that her target audience must be people who are too young to remember how much her dad sucked. And that lack of talent must run in the family. She’s just disturbing now.
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So…I don’t know much about his daughter – but I do know that Dads are generally a little embarrassing – especially when they start singing or dancing in public. However, Dads – well they helped give us life, so whoever his daughter is, I hope she keeps a balanced view of his repertoire because ultimately none of that matters does it?
Music / food / art – they mostly just about our personal tastes. American country music – I think there are some classic artists like Dolly Parton who have found popularity everywhere, but on the whole the genre of American county music has not been as massive as some others here in the UK. But not all music is for everyone is it. There is clearly a huge audience / market out there who loves Country music.
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This was a huge song here and I haven’t heard it in a long time. Thanks for bringing back some good memories!
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Great choice , I may be a philestine but this is my extent of liking for the genre 💜💜🙂
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We need to expose you to some more country music, Willow!
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Classic.
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My dad hated country music, he was always on about it. As a result I never heard it for the first time for years. The way dad talked about it,I was expecting the stuff of plagues and zombies. Bit of an anticlimax when I first heard it. 🤣🤣
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