5 Country Covers in 2023 that aren’t by Luke Combs

You’ve probably heard of the success Luke Combs is having with his cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Fast Car,” but did you know there are other country covers released in 2023, also? I came across the first song on this list and had no idea the original was old enough to be covered already! 🙃 Kind of like all those Spider Man movies that keep getting remade every other year, I guess there really isn’t a time limit on covering this song or that one. So first up on the list is an early Tim McGraw song. Brett Young’s fans are already loving this one, it’s “Don’t Take the Girl.”

Age is just a number as country icon Shania Twain covers a song by a very popular artist nearly half her age. It’s Harry Styles’ 2019 song “Falling.”

Sarah Darling covers a song that’s older than she is. Released in 1980, it’s Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds.”

A song from many decades ago, it’s Zac Brown Band covering “Paint It Black” by Rolling Stones, who released it in the late 1960s.

Last on the list and one of the oldest songs to be covered (also from the 1960s), it’s “Summertime” by Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong. Here’s the 2023 cover from Amanda Shires & Bobbie Nelson (featuring Willie Nelson).

Are there other 2023 country covers you would add to the list? Comment below, I always love checking out covers of great songs. See y’all tomorrow…

-Out of the Wilderness

In spite of Pearl Harbor, it’s Japan

I’ve watched the movie Pearl Harbor starring Ben Affleck, Josh Hartnett, and my celebrity crush Kate Beckinsale. Soundtrack, amazing. Cinematography, incredible. Japan was pretty annoying in that movie with the whole inconvenient bombing thing, but you know what, I’m still picking them as my favorite to win the women’s World Cup this year. I just can’t hold World War II against these ladies, I’m sorry!

Now that the U.S. women’s team is out (thanks to Sweden, and seriously… thanks), I will be rooting FOR Japan, instead of AGAINST the United States. Oh, don’t judge me! Half of America was hoping they lost, not because we dislike our own country but because one or a few of the players soured everything. No joy. No excitement. Just blue hair.

Let’s go, Japan! Also, if you’re reading this Kate, I’m still available. 😉

-Out of the Wilderness

World Cup Soccer in the Wee Hours of the Morning

I didn’t know how much I’d enjoy watching the women’s World Cup but there are literally no other sports on that I could care about right now. I’m looking at you “baseball America’s past time” and you too, NASCAR. It was fun, though, to turn on the TV Thursday and totally by accident catch the first kickoff of the NFL season. It was only the Hall of Fame game (so kind of like the Pro Bowl… who cares) but it’s always a good feeling when football’s back, even if it’s just the start of preseason games and I’m not in a fantasy league yet.

That’s neither here nor there because I want to talk about fútbol. Soccer. There are two teams I’ve kind of latched on to during the women’s World Cup: Japan and any team playing against the United States.

#1 – Japan. They’re just fun to watch. Lots of talent, lots of scoring, lots of defense. They won their first game in the elimination rounds this morning with a score of 3-1. They play the winner of U.S. vs. Sweden which airs in about half a day, Sunday 5am Eastern. The women are smiling, happy, joyful. It’s so refreshing to watch a team in sync with each other and besides that, they’re very good.

#2 – Any team playing against United States. Yeah, I said it. I’ve come to terms with what seems to be such a conflict of interest. I live in the United States. I love my country. I love the diverse people here. But kind of like a tight-nit family who fights sometimes, the international stage of the World Cup isn’t the place to air our dirty laundry. Like stories you hear of brothers. They fight like mad at home but if someone outside the family starts a fight with one of the brothers, the other is there to stick up for him Hell or high water. How we present our country through the lens of the women’s soccer team matters and the women (seems like it’s mostly led by Megan Rapinoe, to be perfectly honest) give off an air of disdain for the country they’re representing. Entitlement. Arrogance. Like I said in this post, I wouldn’t hate for the team to be humbled.

Dang it! I didn’t mean to go on and on about that particular aspect of the World Cup. Moving right allllooooooong… some of the games are in the wee hours of the morning. I’ve watched a few at 3 or 4am. It feels weird. My body isn’t used to it and feels all squirmy as if we should be eating breakfast or sleeping; but I do neither. I kind of like it, though. Waking up when everyone else is asleep. Stars overhead. Quiet. Just the light of a TV illuminating my camper.

There’s a late game tonight (Saturday), 10pm, then the next game is the United States game against Sweden, Sunday 5am Eastern. The U.S. is favored, at least according to betting odds. But if you troll around the internet, you’ll probably encounter the opposite among soccer watchers. Sweden has a lot of people rooting for them… Swedes and Americans alike.

-Out of the Wilderness

HARDY’s “Truck Bed” Video – A Boring Relic of Bro Country

I didn’t expect to spend the day wondering, once again, what’s going on with country music but I watched HARDY’s music video for “TRUCK BED” and all I can do is wonder what’s going on with country music.

Whether you agree with the accompanying music videos or not, it’s encouraging that songs about small town justice (Jason Aldean) and forbidden love (Tyler Childers) were headlining country music news in the last few weeks. Traditional values juxtaposed with homosexual relationships, all within country music. Talk about a range of lyrics! You might have thought the era of ‘bro country’ was finally over but then Luke Bryan said, “Wait, hold my Two Lane.” Yep, Luke Bryan debuted a video for his song “But I Got A Beer In My Hand.” Catchy. Playful. Fun. Even if it’s a predictable country cliché. Check out the video and more of my thoughts about it here.

But it’s HARDY’s song and video that most reminds me of a hangnail that just won’t go away. Or when you have a thorn in your sock and can’t quite find it so every time you take a step it jabs your foot or your toe or your heel. The video shows a party with the guy who was so drunk his wife or girlfriend locked him out of the house all night. Is that really something to be celebrated? It’s a relic of ‘bro country’ that was played out years ago and, anyway, who thinks it’s cool to be so drunk you pass out in your front yard and wake up threatening birds in a nearby tree? That’s just embarrassing. As the video played I found myself annoyed, bored, and embarrassed for country music… yet again.

I rather hear those birds chirping their melodies than listen to this song ever again.

I did some searching to find out if I’m just being crabby. Has anyone else spoken up about NOT liking this song (all I could find in the YouTube comments were HARDY fans praising the song)? Thankfully, yes. This link below from Kyle’s Korner calls out the song in such clarity.

Song Review: HARDY, “TRUCK BED”

Is “Truck Bed” the dumbest song in country music? HARDY gets a pass on that because Brad Paisley released this song first. And I wouldn’t call the song dumb necessarily. It’s more like a “been there, done that” type of thing, to borrow an overused phrase from the 90s. Country music has got to get past the idea that it’s fun to sing about being so drunk that the person you care about the most (besides your narcissistic self, I guess) is so fed up that you’re no longer welcome in their presence. On top of that, you act like you don’t care? That’s the stuff alcoholics are made of, and that’s not fun or funny.

-Out of the Wilderness

Lizzo out, Lady Gaga in?

By now you might’ve heard the news about famous entertainer Lizzo. Her inner circle of dancers might (if they’re telling the whole truth) be peeling back layers of Lizzo we hadn’t seen before. You can Google it to find out more, I won’t be sharing the lewd details but I’ll say this, and this is the point of today’s post: What will companies that endorse her do? Will they drop her quietly, or not drop her at all? Will they make a public statement? Will they pretend everything is fine and keep their contract with her? The accusation is big enough to cause a major ripple effect in partnerships Lizzo has with national brands. The first one that comes to my mind is Instacart. Remember that commercial with Lizzo in a bathtub ordering way too much food for one person?

Honesty is the best policy. Is it socially acceptable now to say I don’t like Lizzo? I might be bananas, but current controversy aside, I’m not really onboard with idea that being fat is beautiful. That’s Rizzo’s biggest platform. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of bigger people who can be very attractive. It’s not the weight that bothers me, it’s the lifestyle and attitude. Fatness in itself isn’t beautiful but if a woman (or man) is eating healthy, working out, caring about their appearance, I love it. An overweight person can be beautiful inside and out but Lizzo hasn’t ever come across to me as someone who genuinely cares about her health or anyone else’s.

It’s similar to why I’m bothered by the old Meghan Trainor song, “All About That Base.” The lyrics claim every inch of a fat person’s body is perfect. Umm, no. Being overweight is called that for a reason. You’re bigger than you should be. it’s not good for your heart, your joints, your lungs. Meghan’s being encouraging, and I like that… but she’s not really encouraging the right thing. Why would we support someone who’s eating or lifestyle habits are slowly killing them? That’s just bananas.

Gaga Ooo La La. Totally unrelated… I’ve recently seen Lady Gaga in a commercial I wouldn’t have expected her in. She endorses headache medicine called Nurtec. Since when did someone who I generally think of as young and vibrant become the spokesperson for an industry usually aimed at older folks? Is she getting old? AM I GETTING OLD!?!?!

For all her oddness and crazy costumes over the years (has she ever dressed in a banana costume?), Lady Gaga appears to have a maturity that is respectable. Can’t say the same for Lizzo, especially if what she’s being accused of is true. This world is… bananas. 😉

-Out of the Wilderness