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PODCAST

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music

Melton McMaynerbury

Have you always thought there was something special about 80s and 90s country music that you"ve never been able to put your finger on? Why does this music stand out? Well, let"s don our cowboy hats, adjust our oversized belt buckles, tease that hair, and see if we can get the bottom of it, by picking apart one song at a time.

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All Episodes

20:18

Dissecting "Addicted to a Dollar" by Doug Stone

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music ·

2025/04/14

Our first encounter with Doug Stone taps into his rowdy side, with 1994's indignant, deliciously unhinged, "Addicted to a Dollar". Stone shows us what angry, working class honky-tonk sounds like in the mid-90s, but what indications do we have in this song that this first person narrator is ever actually going to muster the courage to tell anyone to take this job and shove it?

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30:28

Dissecting "Here in the Real World" by Alan Jackson

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music ·

2025/03/31

One episode after exploring Brooks & Dunn's explosive debut, we turn our ears to Alan Jackson's more toned down entrance onto the scene, 1990's "Here in the Real World". As we'd expect, Jackson writes the book here on Jones-inspired neotraditionalism, as melody, harmony, instrumentation, lyrics, and phrasing all work together on this heartbreaker. But how does all that combine with the very idea of neotraditionalism, to give this one a nostalgic feel that seems to break the fourth wall?

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16:46

Dissecting "Brand New Man" by Brooks & Dunn

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music ·

2025/03/17

We examine the song that introduced Brooks & Dunn to an unsuspecting country music world in 1991: their debut single "Brand New Man". In some sense, Kix & Ronnie were just continuing what George Strait, Randy Travis, and the famed Class of 1989 had already brought to the fore, but what is it about this high-octane Texas honky-tonker that yet felt like the ushering in of a new, or maybe a consummate, era of neotraditionalism?

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42:58

Dissecting "Amarillo by Morning" by George Strait

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music ·

2025/03/03

In this episode, we explore why George Strait's career-defining 1983 classic "Amarillo by Morning" isn't just a great song, isn't just Strait's own favorite, but is in the conversation for greatest of all time.

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27:41

Dissecting "Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart" by Randy...

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music ·

2025/02/17

We tackle a listener request: Randy Travis's all-time great "Hard Rock Bottom of Your Heart". From melody to harmony, instrumentation to lyrics, everything works about this neotraditional classic. And we didn't even talk about Randy Travis's smooth, effortless phrasing! Only country music would lay bare the sort of righteous indignation the unfaithful might feel, on days when shame turns into anger. It's brilliant.

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32:09

Dissecting "Gone Country" by Alan Jackson

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music ·

2025/02/03

We finally tackle the song that's been at the top of our list all along, Alan Jackson's 1994 hit "Gone Country". Is this classic the straightforward celebration it sounds like? Or might the on-the-nose harmony and melody hint at something more satirical in the lining of this new kinda suit? Watch this video, listen to this episode, and let's find out!

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24:53

Dissecting "For My Broken Heart" by Reba McEntire

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music ·

2025/01/20

We expand our way backwards through Reba McEntire's discography, with the title track of her relentlessly gut-wrenching 1991 album, "For My Broken Heart". Natural minor tonality dominates the specifically empty sorrow of this sad country song about Day 2 of a devastating breakup. But what happens when we compare this cut to our previous selection "How Was I to Know", and what can that comparison tell us about the trajectory of McEntire's 80s & 90s body of work?

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21:12

Dissecting "How Was I to Know" by Reba McEntire

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music ·

2025/01/06

We revisit mid-90s Girl Power as Reba cuts her hair and changes her tone, from victim to victor, in her 1996 hit "How Was I to Know". The first-chorus rug-pull is clever enough on its own, but how is this moment pivotal not just for this song, but for McEntire's entire corpus?

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22:57

Dissecting "Hard Candy Christmas" by Dolly Parton

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music ·

2024/12/23

This year's Christmas episode takes us back to 1982, and Dolly Parton's nuanced version of "Hard Candy Christmas". Chords, lyrics, and melody all keep this song subtly shifting between bitter and sweet, but how does Dolly Parton's exquisite delivery turn this one from lovely to legendary?

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20:14

DIssecting "I Don't Even Know Your Name" by Alan Jackson

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music ·

2024/12/09

Alan Jackson takes the Lovable Loser through a 12-bar blues romp complete with lighthearted fun, virtuoso solos, and even some poetic justice, in his 1995 hit "I Don't Even Know Your Name". But is it more George Jones this time, or Buck Owens?

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18:23

Dissecting "Mirror, Mirror" by Diamond Rio

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music ·

2024/11/25

Diamond Rio restacks the harmony and dishes out the twang in their 1991 hit "Mirror, Mirror". Everyone's delivering blue notes on this one, but how do the lyrics and tonality suggest something darkly humorous about the singer's hardluck introspection? (Also, what exactly is the Mandela Effect?)

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23:27

Dissecting "Old Flame" by Alabama

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music ·

2024/11/11

Alabama takes us back to the past in more ways than one...or two...with their 1981 hit "Old Flame". Their typical vocal harmonic fun is there, but what is it about the lyrics of this one that suggests an internal dialogue about a relatable external threat?

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17:47

Dissecting "Single White Female" by Chely Wright

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music ·

2024/10/28

We head back to the personal ads to peruse Chely Wright's "Single White Female". There are several unique rhythmic and harmonic things going on in this quintessential 1999 hit, but what do those defining musical characteristics have to do with the simultaneously forward and reserved lyrics?

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18:00

Dissecting "Chattahoochee" by Alan Jackson

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music ·

2024/10/14

We dive into the waters of Alan Jackson's signature song, 1993's "Chattahoochee". It's Alan Jackson, so it's going to be earnest neotraditional honky-tonk, but how does the authentic nostalgia in this one take it from good, to great, to all-time classic? (And what exactly is a hootchie-cootchie?)

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18:34

Dissecting "If You're Gonna Play in Texas" by Alabama

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music ·

2024/09/30

We dive deep into Alabama's Cajun-flavored 1984 anthem, "If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)". This one has always had us screaming "Cotton-eye Joe!" from back the row, but is there something larger going on here about Alabama's posture toward the impending neotraditionalist wave? Hmm... let's open up this case and see what's inside.

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17:35

Dissecting "A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action"...

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music ·

2024/09/16

We take our first look at the late, great Toby Keith, and his 1993 hit (from the Long Names Department) "A Little Less Talk and a Lot More Action". We get all of the trademark Toby Keith brashness in this cut, but what key ingredients of the Toby Keith persona are missing from this early-career, non-Keith-penned single?

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21:05

Dissecting "Wanted" by Alan Jackson

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music ·

2024/09/02

We explore the supremely earnest delivery of Alan Jackson, as exemplified in 1990's "Wanted". Honky-tonk meets gospel in this quintessentially neotraditionalist gem, but how can Jackson's humble "yes ma'am"s and "no ma'am"s authentically carry the emotional weight that this song needs them to?

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18:11

Dissecting "We Tell Ourselves" by Clint Black

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music ·

2024/08/19

We take another look at the Haggard-esque neo-traditional grit of early Clint Black, with his 1992 hit, "We Tell Ourselves". We get all the earthy blues we'd expect, but how does the musical setting of this cut channel both the doubt and the determination inherent in the complex and heavy situation that the lyrics describe?

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25:26

Dissecting "Please Remember Me" by Tim McGraw

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music ·

2024/08/05

We explore the late-90s country pop of megastar Tim McGraw's megahit "Please Remember Me". Dramatics abound in this go-big-or-go-home production, but why exactly does this song feel more suited to a stadium stage than to a honky-tonk? And how can a cut that sounds so full manage to convey such emptiness?

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30:49

Dissecting "Somewhere in My Broken Heart" by Billy Dean

Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music ·

2024/07/22

Melody, harmony, and lyrics all meticulously and perfectly set a specifically bittersweet tone on Billy Dean's 1991 classic: "Somewhere in My Broken Heart". One listen to this cut will tell you that it's a beautiful song. But why? What specific, nuanced details of this tune and these words strike such a distinct chord with us, both literally and figuratively?Also, here's a link Dean's interview by The Tennessean that we reference several times in this episode: https://w...

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