Hey Everybody dropping by for Friday Follies (or should I say Sunday Follies this time? Ha. Ha.) There’s a lot going on in Fargo land, and I got behind, not to mention that this was a very emotional week. It’s hard to believe that Friday was the 25th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks in New York, Pennsylvania, and DC where we lost so many wonderful Americans. They were people like us probably assuming they would get a chance for all of their tomorrows to unfold as they hoped and be allowed to make the rest of their dreams come true.
And I’ll bet most of you remember that day too. I just happened to be watching tv when the reporters described what was going on. It was awful and so sad. Around 3,000 lives were lost and there’s no telling how many injuries were sustained or how many after effects still challenge the survivors. Like so many of us, I couldn’t believe that something like that could happen in our country. And like I always said before I did my song “U.S. of A” on stage…”Even with all the problems we have here, this is still the best place in the whole world to live,” and I still believe that.
And now to the subject of my latest record, “Small Town Hillbilly Good-Time Saturday Night,” we wanted to describe the key words in the title that would represent this song. As I analyze the lyrics now, I think the song symbolizes a part of the American spirit that was put to the test on 9/11. Along with the focus on our dreams, the acceptance of everyday problems and the solutions to fix them, the feel of the track also implies the importance of the need for fun. It’s a “time out” from the work week of daily duties and worries, and it’s a purposeful although temporary release from the ordinary troubles that they haven’t been able to get right.
They don’t make too much of the occasional “fights,” but rather allow themselves “to get high on life” in their small towns, and Saturday nights are a good time to let go and relax and get away from those realities as the song describes “in a world of strife.” They’re hard workers who enjoy the freedom they have in our country. They have a comfortable balance when they “come together trying to make it all better on a small town hillbilly good-time Saturday night.” They don’t judge reality maybe as it is, but they allow themselves to hope and continue to work toward making it what they want it to be.
While on the surface it’s a fun song that gets you dancing, it could also remind us to examine how we treat each other. Everyone is welcome here in this song. It talks about bowlegged cowboys and rednecks like they matter too in this highfaluting class-driven society as they try to claim their equal rights. It appreciates our similarities without judging too harshly our dissimilarities – no one is superior or inferior. I really think there’s a little “hillbilly” in all of us, and that’s ok. Despite our differences and disagreements, thank God, He loves us all.
It is my hope that you’ll love this little song as much as we do and it will become a favorite in the soundtrack of your life and get you to feeling like dancing, even if it’s just in your kitchen.
Love,
Donna