Hey to all my favorite friends – I’ve been thinking about you and sending you lots of love and happy thoughts and good wishes.
It’s been so good hearing from you, and I appreciate all your sweet comments about my novel HEARTACHES AND MIND STORMS and the LIVE!!! cd and also our new 44-page calendar. I was glad to hear that a couple of you were actually at that show at Whiskey Petes.
Bill Lee asked me a question that I’ll try to answer. He asked why was “proud to pay taxes” taken out in later versions of “U.S. of A.” That’s a good question, and I don’t remember really. Maybe I thought people weren’t all that happy about paying taxes so they wouldn’t like the line. Also, remember the Mercury version was years later, and our feelings change sometimes. I consider all comments and opinions and if I have no problem with someone’s comment and it doesn’t change the context of what I was trying to say, I might change a line. And it was just a phrase remember, and it didn’t alter the main theme of the song. I love our country and I was always proud to pay taxes. I wrote the song around 1976 I think, and then we re-recorded it for Mercury years later, so that many years apart, your thinking would obviously have evolved a little. I could have been influenced too by what I thought the “spirit of the audience” would have been – I just don’t know. I try to be very sensitive to people’s feelings. At times when writing a song, I would write two or three versions if it could be interpreted differently to see which one I thought was the best representation of the attitude I wanted to convey.
Last week I asked about your small town Saturday nights. Well now I can tell you why! My brand-new single is called: “Small Town Hillbilly Good-Time Saturday Night.” And I can’t wait for you to hear it. This song brings back those special moments we never forget… music playing, laughter in the air, and not a care in the world.
We’re getting closer to the release date on April 18, so stay tuned…I think you’re gonna love it.
And if you’re still sporting that badge on your profile… thank you. It sure does make me smile seeing everybody getting ready for a Small Town Good-Time Saturday Night together.
Tell me… what comes to mind when you hear that title?
Just about 4 weeks to go… so hang tight! See you next Friday!
Love,
Donna
P.S. I’ll be stopping by Cooter’s in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee on Sunday, March 29th for a cd/book signing. Come on by between 11:00 am – 1:00 pm (Eastern time). I’m looking forward to catching up with everyone and remembering the fun I had being a guest on the Dukes of Hazzard! Cooter’s is located at 177 East Wears Valley Rd, Ste. 23, Pigeon Forge, TN 37863. See you there!
