Alan Jackson: A Singer of Simple Songs

Choices

In fall of 1999 the reluctant superstar made entertainment headlines after the unexpectedly defiant stand he made for country music legend, George Jones, during his CMA performance.

Controversy had surrounded the CMA's decision that George was expected to shorten his live performance of  'Choices' , one of the nominees for Song Of The Year. Choosing to forfeit singing the song entirely, George Jones opted to stay home. Alan, prompted by his admiration for George, quietly but rebelliously, shifted  into 'Choices' halfway through his scheduled performance of "Pop-A-Top", before silently walking off stage while an auditorium of country music artists and industry executives rose to their feet with a standing ovation.

Billy Yates, one of the co-writers of 'Choices' remembers the night well. "I'd heard a rumor that was going to happen because obviously he had to rehearse it with his band, so word leaked out just a little bit." he recalls  "I remember when it came his time. He started doing ‘Pop-A-Top’ and I thought ‘Aww, he’s not going to do it”. When Pop-A-Top stopped and 'Choices' began, it was just incredible."

Was Alan motivated by potential headlines? "I think Alan was definitely motivated the right way, he had his reasons. He wanted to stand up and say 'No' you're not going to get away with this.' Billy continues to reflect, "However, if you look at it from the other side, it was brilliant because he could have walked in and sang 'Pop A Top' and he would have blended in with everyone else, but by doing that - the headlines the next day were all about Alan....I don't think he thought of it that way at all, he was scared it was going to backfire on him. I heard it was frightening for him to do that."

Murder on Music Row

It wasn't long after that night that fellow neo-traditionalist, George Strait, approached Alan about the possibility of doing a duet together on a song that Tony Brown had brought to his attention.

The collaborative result was the memorable recording of Murder on Music Row, written by the Nashville songwriting team of Larry Cordle and Larry Shell. The song pulls no punches, while bemoaning the loss of real country music for the likes of drums and rock and roll guitars, and  while it stops short of naming names, it made more than a few executives squirm in their leather swivel chairs.

In short time, the song reinvigorated traditionalists and become an anthem of sorts for country music fans who had long grown weary of pop/country mainstream radio fare. Although the song was shunned in some markets, it was embraced in others. Charting almost immediately without being released, the song grew to have a life of its own, eventually going on to win, among many other awards, CMA Vocal Event of the Year (2000) and CMA Song of the Year (2001).

In the end, George Strait seemed to want to separate himself from the ongoing debate the song had generated, and during his acceptance speech at the 2000 CMA's he caused a little controversy himself. "I don't know how seriously this song was written," he said, "but it was (recorded) as kind of a joke." Standing behind him, looking a little taken aback at his friend's acceptance speech, Alan simply thanked the songwriters.

In later appearance at the 2001 TNN/CW Awards, Alan had his chance to share his own thoughts on the song's controversial impact: "'This song probably rubbed a few people wrong, but I'm glad there's still a lot of people out there that still like what it says,'' Jackson said as he accepted one of six awards given to him that night. ''I don't mean everything on country radio has to sound like Hank Williams, but maybe something every now and then.''

Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning)

It was the 2001 CMA Awards show that ironically, but reluctantly put Alan Jackson into the spotlight once again.

Only two months before, September 11th had undoubtedly changed many individual lives, leaving some of us speechless, the grief and all of its trappings simply overwhelming us. Alan Jackson was no exception to the rule. Unable to sleep one night, he got up from bed and sang into a handheld tape recorder, a song that had been running in his brain. A song he says was a 'gift from God'.

It somehow seems appropriate that on November 7th the simple words sung by Alan Jackson that night, entered our homes, and gave voice to our emotions through the same television sets that  had shown us the horror of September 11th. The weight of the song's impact is carried fully by the simple, straightforward lyrics. Jackson, while exploring his own range of emotions and reactions that were born out of his own internal effort to grasp the horrific tragedy somehow help us explore our own. There have been many songs that have risen out of the ashes of September 11th; songs about patriotism, pride, heroes and the resiliency of the human spirit, but Alan's was the first to give voice to our fears and our human frailties.

Reaction to the song was instantaneous, and radio stations everywhere began being inundated with requests. The 'live' CMA broadcast version began being played almost immediately. Shortly thereafter, Arista released a studio version to radio only, and at the same time announced that Alan's project that had originally been scheduled for a spring release had been bumped up to January 15th and would include the now infamous song. Within four weeks 'Where Were You' hit the top of the country singles chart.

In a recent interview Alan admitted the reaction to the song was unexpected and overwhelming. "I've had success and written a lot of songs and had a lot of comments and praise over the years, I'm used to it, and I don't feel like I'm affected by it that much, it was scary for me for a couple of days....It made me feel a little weird in a good way. I couldn't have handled it all for a while but then it kind of levels off. I never expected it to be received like it was, but it was a good feeling."

Alan's simple use of music continues to quietly impacted our lives, challenging our ethics and values.

 

Other Highlights of  DRIVE If it's possible, Alan's topped his own string or solid country albums with his latest release, Drive. Country music is about real life stories, anecdotes stilled in time by written word and melodies. Alan's captured much of his own life, a life that, despite his superstar status seems remarkably not unlike our own. Not resting on the laurels of the reflective 'Where Were You (When The World Stopped Turning), Drive is solidly delivered and could have well stood on its own merit without the infamous tune. Drive -  quietly and eloquently records the life of the common man, it's subtleness giving it it's strength. Giving us a glimpse of life through the eyes of Alan Jackson that many times mirrors our own. Writing 8 of the 12 songs, Alan Jackson proves once and for all that the strength of his songwriting comes from the understated, often lighthearted manner in which he reflects on his own life. Drive (For Daddy Gene) Alan's current radio single is a song Alan wrote for his father, Eugene Jackson, who passed away in February 2000. A son's tribute to his father, Drive steers away deliberately from being a song about his Daddy's passing but instead celebrates Alan's memories the bonding of father and son. A Little Bluer Than That's inclusion on the album demonstrates that Alan Jackson is not only gifted with the ability to write a great country song, he also has the knack of knowing a good one when he hears it. Alan was listening to the Opry as he drove home, when he heard Irene Kelley sing 'Bluer Than That'. Writing the name of song down in order to remember it, Alan called on the song when he was pulling this project together and called on Irene and her haunting, melodic voice to accompany him on the heartbreaking song, that's destined to be a classic. Irene Kelley's critically acclaimed but often over-looked version is equally impressive and can be found on her Simple Path (Relentless) release. First Love is a lighthearted ode of Alan's first car, a 1955 T-Bird he bought at the tender age of 15. Alan sold the cherished vehicle in 1979 to finance a home for his young family. The song does have a happy ending, with Denise, Alan's wife, purchasing the original car back as a Christmas gift for Alan in 1993. One of the perpetual highlights of any Alan Jackson album has been the inclusion of song's that look at life from the lighter side, making us laugh at ourselves while we laugh with him. Work In Progress humorously catalogues his own shortcomings, while at the same time he touches a vein of reality in almost every married couple's life. Virtually guaranteed to take a serious run for the top of the country charts is Designated Driver, the follow- up to the controversial and award winning duet, 'Murder on Music Row'. George Strait makes good on his promise to Alan and returns the favor, lending his voice to the politically correct modern day drinking song. Handing over the keys to the car, before wallowing in their beverage of choice, Alan and George's voice blend together so well, its almost impossible to tell where one starts and the other ends. When all is said and done, Drive is countrier than country, a little bluer than that, deeper than 'Where Were You' and arguably Alan's best record to date.

Laurie Joulie Take Country Back January 2002

Sign up for TCB's newsletter by simply sending an e-mail to TCB Weekly News

Alan's Official Website: www.alanjackson.com  

Purchase your own copy of Drive at CDNOW