The Bargain Store - Dolly Parton

The Bargain Store - Dolly Parton

2:44
The Bargain Store, 1975

Written by Dolly Parton

The narrator of this song compares herself to used merchandise in a discount store, her past making up the old detritus and second-hand goods found in such markets.  She invites a prospective lover to offer her a new love she can trade her broken heart for, much the same way one might bargain for older goods: "Take these old used memories from the past / And these broken dreams and plans that didn't last / I'll trade them for a future, I can't use them anymore / I've wasted love but I still have some more."  Hilariously, the song was dropped from a number of some radio stations when programmers decided the line "You can easily afford the price" referred to prostitution!  Dolly sings it in a breezy style that belies the melancholy lyric.

Joshua - Dolly Parton

Joshua - Dolly Parton

3:06

Joshua, 1971

Written by Dolly Parton

This story song It's a sort of talking country, with the same quick train-track beat as "Hot Rod Lincoln" and "A Boy Named Sue."  It begins in a town where a vicious man with a mean black dog lives, with a bad reputation.  The narrator one day decides to visit him, curious to see if the rumors are true despite having no evidence to the contrary: "But I didn't think nobody could be that mean / So I took me out walking down the railroad track."  Of course he's a big bushy man with a deep voice, but not mean, and they fall in love and live happily ever after.  

Applejack - Dolly Parton

Applejack - Dolly Parton

3:25

New Harvest...First Gathering, 1977

Written by Dolly Parton

This down-home country song, accentuated by mouth harp and some authentic hillbilly gibberish as sound effects at the bridge, is about an old banjo-picker who lived in an apple orchard.  "Now old AppleJack was loved by everyone he ever knew / AppleJack picked apples but he picked the banjo too."  Fun fact: Roy Acuff, Chet Atkins, Minnie Pearl, Ernest Tubb, the Willis Brothers, and Kitty Wells all sing back vocals on this rousing track.

Why'd You Come In Here Looking Like That - Dolly Parton

Why'd You Come In Here Looking Like That - Dolly Parton

2:32

White Limozeen, 1989

Written by Bob Carlisle and Randy Thomas

Like a reverse "Jolene," this is a Parton song about a man who looks so good ("like a cowgirl's dream") he can take any lady, but it's Dolly who used to have his heart.  As with so many of songs of this ilk, the man in question's loyalty is a bit of an issue: "He's got a wandering eye and a traveling mind / Big ideas and a little behind."  This is a fun, punchy country song with plenty of verve and energy.  I love the vivid line "Why'd you come in here looking like that? / When you could stop traffic in a gunny sack / Why, you're almost giving me a heart attack."  Fun fact: master instrumentalists Béla Fleck, Jo-El Sonnier, and Ricky Skaggs all play on this track.

Two Doors Down - Dolly Parton

Two Doors Down - Dolly Parton

3:08

Here You Come Again, 1977

Written by Dolly Parton

Dolly Parton died yesterday.  Everyone and their grandmother is missing her or making some sort of tribute, because she was one of the very few, like Mr. Rogers, who seemed to be universally beloved.  Even the red-hat fascist faction loved her, misunderstanding her just as they do the Bible, although she stood against everything they vote for and they despise the politics they refuse to consider she had.  (Come to think of it, Mr. Rogers would probably be pilloried today, just like Ms. Rachel for daring to say that kids should be fed and kept safe.)  Anyway, this rollicking country-pop number is sung from the perspective of a woman who has just broken up with her boyfriend, feeling sorry for herself because there's a party going on two doors down the hall from her apartment. She dries her tears and decides to get out there, with happy results.  It's upbeat, it's got a sing-along chorus with "9 to 5" momentum, it's bright and cheery, just like Parton herself always was.  

Blue Coupe - Twin Peaks

Blue Coupe - Twin Peaks

3:43

single, 2017

Written by Cadien Lake James, Clay Frankel, Colin Croom, Connor Brodner and Jack Dolan

This song begins with soft piano and then settles into a gentle groove.  Bassist Jack Dolan lends lush, understated vocals, painting a picture in scenes of friends the band lost to drugs: "Wake up to the rhythm of the city and I try to remember / Even my brothers have some trouble with each other / Sometimes things fall apart."  Intricate guitar riffs and a steady, unobtrusive bossa nova-style percussion give the song a relaxed, thoughtful vibe.  This Chicago indie group deserves more recognition. 

Boom-Bapa-Boom - Jimmie Vaughan

Boom-Bapa-Boom - Jimmie Vaughan

3:55

Strange Pleasure, 1994

Written by Jimmie Vaughan

A throwback rocker with a '50s sensibility, boogie piano and Chuck Berry-style guitar solos.  Vaughan is no Stevie Ray, so his guitar work features fine, bluesy riffs, but no pyrotechnics.  The lyrics are also simple, drawing inspiration from the teenage rock of an earlier era: "If I made a pass at you / Would you say we were through?"  It's a fun rock 'n' roll song, if nothing original.

Bluestone - Cousin Tony's Brand New Firebird

Bluestone - Cousin Tony's Brand New Firebird

3:38

Smiles Of Earth, 2022

Written by Lachlan Rose

Singer Lachlan Rose's warm, flexible baritone strikes you first, but that great ascending horn line gives the song its power.  Rose's sparkling synths, the horns, and a chorus of voices all blend into a gospel-like swell, reminding me a little of the Polyphonic Spree.  The lyrics are impressionistic: "Just one grain of your sugar / Would sweeten the ocean / Then the rain on my window / Would sweeten my day," but the chorus sets a scene.  Someone important to the narrator is leaving, but the narrator is stoic about it, even proud of the difficult step.  The group's cumbersome name is taken from that amazing opening monologue in American Beauty.  

Big Long Slidin' Thing - Dinah Washington

Big Long Slidin' Thing - Dinah Washington

2:58

single, 1954

Written by Leroy Kirkland and Mamie Thomas

A sultry, jazzy R&B vocal, arranged by Quincy Jones and dripping with obvious innuendo in the style of Mildred Jones' "Mr. Thrill."  In this song, the narrator yearns for her daddy with his "big long slidin' thing."  This titular, um, instrument is ostensibly a trombone, but I think we all know what we're talkin' about.  First, a guitar man attaches his amplifier to her "plug," but that does not good.  A piano-playing fellow offers to tickle her keys, but that's not what she looking for, either.  As the man himself explains it: "I blow through here / Then I work my fingers and my thumb / I slide it right up / Then I slide it back again."  They really knew how to raise a few eyebrows back in the 1950s. 

Brutus Road - Michigan Rattlers

Brutus Road - Michigan Rattlers

2:25

Michigan Rattlers, 2016

Written by the Michigan Rattlers?

This hard-driving alt-country rocker reminds me strongly of Son Volt's song 'Drown," especially in the vocal delivery.  The chugging train-track percussion rhythm, the upright bass, and the geographical nostalgia are all part of a country aesthetic, with the attitude and tempo of rock.  According to what I read, the band never set out to be alt-country, and in fact later turned away from acoustic arrangements to a synth rock musical aesthetic.  How unfortunate!