Top Posts of 2019

Another year down, and 2020 has already started flying by! Before we get too far into it (and I forget to do this…) here’s the top posts from 2019. Thanks to everyone who stopped by! I absolutely love writing, although if you follow this blog and check it regularly, there are times where weeks go by without a post. Sometimes I just don’t have what I think is something worthy of writing. I’ll try to be better about that this year. In all, I had 89 new posts in 2019. To be honest, my favorites are the original satire I wrote in the fall. But anywho, here are some stats!

Top 3 Most-Viewed Posts All Time: 

The Woman in Omi’s “Cheerleader” Music Video (post date- July 15, 2015). Views- 6,294

Uptown Funk: Smoother Than A Fresh Jar of Skippy Explained (post date- February 15, 2015). Views- 3,119

The Woman in Brett Young’s “In Case You Didn’t Know” (post date- April 8, 2017). Views- 2,149

Top 3 Most-Viewed Posts from 2019:

12 Songs for Being Laid Off or Fired (post date- April 25). Views- 1,236

GEICO and Jerome Bettis Fumble on New TV Spot (post date- August 29). Views- 264

17 Songs for Being Laid Off or Fired (post date- April 25). Views- 208

 

Thanks again, and be sure to check back in for new and just as exciting posts in 2020!

-Out of the Wilderness

Do you like any cover songs better than the originals?

There are quite a few songs I’ve heard that were simply remakes of an older version. An easy one to use as an example is “Can’t Help Falling In Love.” Everyone and their mother knows this song was made popular by Elvis Presley.


But this isn’t the version I heard first. For me, it was the recording by UB40 that I fell in love with in the early 1990s.


There are other songs, too, that are only a newer artists take on an old classic. So my question is this:

Does a person generally like the first version they hear of a song, even if it’s not the original artist singing it?

Alien Ant Farm “Smooth Criminal,” Boyz II Men “In the Still of the Night,” Jeff Buckley “Hallelujah,” Whitney Houston “I Will Always Love You,” and Sinead O’Connor “Nothing Compares 2 U” are arguably better covers than the originals, along with many, many other songs. If you heard these first, would you think they’re better than Michael Jackson, The Five Satins, Leonard Cohen, Dolly Parton, and Prince’s originals?

What are your thoughts? Do you have a few cover favorites you like better than the original? Chime in below!

-Out of the Wilderness

It was a…. what???

I was standing in the kitchen of my house and felt something I didn’t expect to feel at this particular moment. Five minutes prior, I was lying on the couch watching an episode of Lost In Space. After the dramatic last few minutes, I clicked off the TV and thought about preparing for bedtime. That’s when I felt it.

Something was crawling on the back of my neck, much to my dislike. I thought to myself… “Gosh, I really hope this is just a……” WAIT! There is absolutely nothing I could hope this was. I swiped at it, flinging it to the kitchen floor. Yep, everyone’s worst nightmare. A baby roach. And I’ll save you time; according to Google, a baby roach is called a nymph. Well, this was more of a toddler than a baby, but yikes.

What’s the worst thing that’s happened to you? At least now, after this story, you may can say to yourself, “At least I didn’t have a roach crawling on my neck!”

-Out of the Wilderness

CMA Awards: Bro-country vs. Bra-country

I can’t say whether the tides are changing in country music but if you use the recent CMA Awards as any sort of example of what country music is like today, you may notice who wasn’t there.

Remember back in the early to mid-2010s when “bro-country” became a thing? Artists like Florida Georgia Line, Jason Aldean, Luke Bryan, and others all had hit songs that were somewhat generic and formulaic with lyrics about drinking or dancing girls or backroad parties. Obviously there was success in that subject matter, but there was also a lot of pushback from traditional country music fans and well-known country artists.

Fast forward to 2019, the 53rd annual CMA Awards airing on ABC and featured no, not bro-country, but a heavy dosage of bra-country. The women of country music! Get it? Bra… women… women wear bras? It’s just a little diversion from bro-country to remind us all that bra-country is great! The CMA Awards was hosted by the amazing trio of Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire, and Carrie Underwood and if you didn’t get a chance to see the fantastic opening number, here it is.


I’m sure fans were happy to hear and see a lot of more traditional country being showcased, celebrating legendary women in country music, and not hearing the likes of Florida Georgia Line, Luke Bryan, and Jason Aldean… none of whom were in attendance.

If you want to read a full recap of the show performances click here.

Concerning those CMAs, I was really only surprised by a couple things…

  1. Garth Brooks winning Entertainer of the Year. Grady Smith says it best here…


Actually, that’s it. I was surprise by one thing. Garth. Over Eric Church and Carrie Underwood. Come on! Like Grady is, I’m also a fan of Garth Brooks, but it definitely seemed like he just swooped in and took the award away from others who genuinely deserved it.

I also don’t like Kacey Musgraves, there, I said it. But she’s a big part of the bra-country movement and if the future of country music is how the CMAs looked this year… I’m back in! I love most of the women featured on the show, plus I love Eric Church, Little Big Town, Miranda Lambert (I almost dated her, you know), Dierks Bentley, and plenty of others.

Have a good weekend, y’all!

-Out of the Wilderness

Man Known For Being Only Christian Who Hasn’t Listened To Kanye West Album Speaks Out

Omaha, Nebraska — Kanye West’s new album “Jesus Is King” has listeners all over the globe in a full trot with excitement, and it’s topping nearly every chart, even debuting at #1 on the US Billboard 200.

Christians have been very vocal about their support of Kanye’s gospel album. A quick check on Twitter or Facebook and you’ll quickly realize there is nothing but Psalm-like praise for the entirety of the record, from the east coast to the west coast and every coast in between. Well, almost every coast.

“I’ve never really been a rap guy.” This kind of statement is taboo in Christian circles since the release of “Jesus Is King,” but a Nebraska man known as the only Christian who hasn’t listened to, and loved, Kanye West’s new album is ready to face his critics.

Meet Trevor Gaines. “Kanye seems like a nice enough guy. I can’t say whether I’d vote for him in 2020, or 2024, you know?” Mr. Gaines is, of course, referring to news that broke this morning of Kanye West’s plans to run for US President in 2024.

“Politics aside, I’ve gotten a lot of backlash for not checking out [Kanye’s] new music. In fact, last Sunday when I went to drop my offering in the plate, I was told to stop, to instead use that money to download ‘Jesus Is King’. I think I heard someone whisper ‘WWJD.’ Well, I don’t know exactly what Jesus would do, you know? Does he like rap music? Look what’s in the Bible. Psalms is basically the journal of a struggling singer/songwriter… and that’s in the Bible.”

At the time of publication, Trevor has yet to listen to a single track from “Jesus Is King.” Friends and family, as well as church-goers in his community, are praying for him and urging him to repent.

-Out of the Wilderness News