Twisted Mix Tape--Just not a Country Girl

Horribly late to the party, but I couldn't pass this topic up.

This week's mix tape is about creating a playlist of songs in a genre we don't usually listen to.  I considered a list of disco songs, but decided to save that for my "Songs playing In the Lowest Rung of Hell" list instead, and moved on to country music.

It's not that I have country music, just that I like it in very small doses. Naturally I wound up with 2 children who listen to it all the time.  It fills their I-pods and it's what the leave their radios on at night.   In particular, thanks to my daughter, I suffer from a severe overdose of Taylor Swift.
She won't be appearing on this list.

But there really aren't any genres of music that I totally hate, and this is no exception.  Here are some of my favorite country songs:

"Take Me Home, Country Roads" John Denver

Figuring out where to put John Denver is complicated because he was all over the pop and country charts when I was a teenager, but this song is clearly on the country side.  Since my parents weren't into country music either, "Country Roads" was the first song of this sort I ever liked.  I got John Denver's Greatest Hits for my 13h birthday, and I played this a lot.

"Man in Black" Johnny Cash

If there is one country performer I really like almost everything by it's Johnny Cash. But this song is my particular favorite. You didn't often hear what we used to call social conscience songs on the country charts.  But this song sets the table for everything else he ever did.


"Coat of Many Colors" Dolly Parton

Our kids much loved sitter used to sing this song for them all the time.
With all the glitz and hairdo and other assets, people forget what a great songwriter she is.  I love how she intertwines her family story and the story of Joseph in the song.

"A Boy Named Sue" Johnny Cash

I know, its a silly song, but just like Chuck Berry's My Ding a Ling, it makes me laugh. Johnny seems to be having so much fun when he does this song. A headliner on my "Cheer Up" playlist.


Finally

Shhhh...can I tell you a little secret? When I was a little girl I had a huge crush on Jimmy Dean.  I used plant myself in front of the TV set whenever he was on.  The show was also the beginning of my life long love affair with the Muppets, since Rowlf the Dog was a featured performer on the show.  I even had a toy puppy dog I called Rowlf.  So here's a cute little video I found of Jimmy and Rowlf.

This post is part of Twisted Mix Tape hosted by Jen Kehl at My Skewed View.  Check out all the far more punctually posted mix tapes.