Diva Spotlight: Gretchen Wilson

The soundtrack to my seventh grade year was a copy of Gretchen Wilson's Here for the Party album that my best friend burned and brought me to the first day of middle school because, you know, that's what you did in the early 2000's when you didn't have money to buy new music. I took that CD with me EVERYWHERE to the point that even though I hadn't listened to it in its entirety in several years before last week, I still knew every word to every song. Wilson for me felt like one of the first country artists that was "mine," not inherited by me from my mother's love of country music, so maybe that's why I've always harbored a soft spot for the female member of the Muzik Mafia (yes it was a real thing, just Google it). She may not have reached superstardom like Carrie Underwood or Miranda Lambert, but she'll always be one of my favorites so you bet your ass I'm going to write about her.

Here's some Quick-Quick Facts about this redneck woman if you aren't overtly familiar with her:

-Currently 47 years old

-Born and raised in Pocahontas, Illinois (about 4 hours southwest of Chicago)

-Married to Mike Penner and has one daughter (Grace)

-Instruments include her vocals and acoustic guitar

-Has won 5 awards to date, including one Country Music Association Award, two American Music Awards, and one Grammy Award

-Has released 8 studio albums as of July 2020 (7 "regular" albums and 1 Christmas album)

Like the others, I'm not going to include Wilson's Christmas album in this mix and just focus on my three favorite songs from her seven non-holiday albums she's put out.

Here for the Party (2004)

Wilson's debut (and my personal favorite) album was released May 11th, 2004 and is all country through and through. Produced by Epic Nashville, it has a 37:36 run time and has been certified 5x Platinum by the RIAA for selling over five million units in the U.S. alone. The album produced four singles: Redneck Woman (3/23/04), Here for the Party (7/1/04), When I Think About Cheatin' (10/25/04), and Homewrecker (1/17/05), as well as Wilson's only Grammy Award for Best Female Country Vocal Performance for Redneck Woman at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards. I still think this album absolutely slaps, even 16 years later, and it's so much fun to listen to. I had a little trouble narrowing down my three favorite songs since I was very nostalgic towards them all, but here we go.

Track 2: Redneck Woman (written by G. Wilson, J. Rich)

The song that MADE Wilson who she was, and still probably one of my favorite country songs, was naturally going to make the list. The love for this song when it came out was completely insane, and twelve year old me was all for it. I still turn my radio up as loud as I can when this song comes on in the car.

Well, I ain't never been the Barbie doll type/No, I can't swig that sweet champagne, I'd rather drink beer all night/In a tavern, or in a honky tonk, or on a four-wheel drive tailgate/I've got posters on my wall of Skynyrd, Kid, and Strait/Some people look down on me, but I don't give a rip/I'll stand barefooted in my own front yard with a baby on my hip/'Cause I'm a redneck woman, I ain't no high class broad/I'm just a product of my raising, I say, "Hey, ya'll" and "Yeehaw"/And I keep my Christmas lights on on my front porch all year long/And I know all the words to every Charlie Daniels song/So here's to all my sisters, out there keeping it country/Let me get a big, "Hell, yeah" from the redneck girls like me/Hell yeah

Track 4: Homewrecker (written by G. Teren, G. Wilson, R. Rutherford)

What does a twelve year old girl really know about homewreckers, anyway? Next to nothing in my case, but I LOVED (and still love) this song. Maybe it was Wilson's attitude mixed with my own pre-teen angsts that created a perfect storm?

Well, you're a real tough cookie with your new hairdo, your high heeled boots, and your credit card/Long legs and a mini skirt, yeah, you know what works and you work it hard/You smile like such a lady, innocent and sweet/You drive the menfolk crazy, but any girl can see/You're just a homewrecker, I know what you're doiing/You think you're gonna ruin what I got, but you're not/Yeah, you little go-getter, I'll teach you a lesson/If you get to messing with my man, you don't stand a chance/No, you're just a homewrecker

Track 5: Holdin' You (written by T. McHugh, W. Kirby)

My love for this song has only grown over the years, especially after I found myself in a serious relationship with the guy that gave me these two rings on my left hand. It's a great slow dance song, and Wilson's vocals are really great on it as well.

I don't need whiskey to drown out the pain/Or some old umbrella to hold off the rain/Don't have to cross over a river of tears/All that I need is right here/Holding you holds me together/When holding on gets just a little too hard/When this tightrope I travel begins to unravel and I feel like I'm falling apart/Holding you holds me together

All Jacked Up (2005)

Wilson's sophomore album was released September 27th, 2005 and threw a little more rock flavor in with the country than was on Here for the Party. Produced by Epic Nashville, it has a 41:56 run time and has been certified Platinum by the RIAA for selling over one million units in the United States. The album produced four singles: All Jacked Up (8/1/05), I Don't Feel Like Loving You Today (10/22/05), Politically Uncorrect ft. Merle Haggard (4/14/06), and California Girls (6/16/06). Wilson really lets loose her vocals here on this album and showed what she can do, which in my opinion was pretty impressive. Not to mention she got to record a song with The Hag before he passed away which is pretty awesome in and of itself. I love this album almost as much as Here for the Party and know all the words to all these songs, too, so here are my agonized-over, hard-to-choose three favorites.

Track 2: California Girls (written by J. Rich, G. Wilson)

After Redneck Woman, this is my second favorite song in Wilson's repertoire. I related as heavily to these lyrics as a thirteen year old reasonably could, not being one of the popular girls att school who had a harder time getting attention from boys because she was shy and didn't shop exclusively at Hollister. This song is still a lot of fun to listen to and has Wilson's classic sound.

I ain't never had a problem with California/There's a lot of good women from Sacramento to Corona/But them Hollywood types after a while wear on ya/Strutting around in their size zeroes, skinny little girls, no meat on their bones/Never even heard of George Jones/Ain't you glad we ain't all California girls/Ain't you glad there's still a few of us left that know how to rock your world/Ain't afraid to eat fried chicken and dirty dance to Merle/Ain't you glad we ain't all California girls

Track 6: One Bud Wiser (written by V. McGehee, J. Rich)

Yes, even eighth grade me could appreciate the pun in song title. There's just something about this song that reminds you of old school country that just knew what it was and didn't care - it was going to tell a story and use some self-depreciating humor to do so. You can almost picture yourself listening to a house band play this song while you sit at the bar in a honky tonk.

I dropped a quarter, played Golden Ring on the jukebox/Placed my order with the guy behind the bar/And when he handed me a cold one, I said, "Keep the change, darling"/And as I drank it down, I felt the healing start/Well, I'm one Bud wiser than I was a minute ago/I found an equalizer that makes his memory a no show/And I won't be jonesing for his loving anymore/'Cause I'm one Bud wiser than I was a minute ago

Track 9: Rebel Child (written by G. Wilson, W. Kirby, A. Gorley)

Not only is this one of my favorite songs to listen to, it's one of my favorites to sing because DAMN does Gretch show up with the vocals on this track. I also really, really love the meaning of this song and how it's grown with me from angsty teenager to grown woman and still has relevance to me and those around me.

I understand why you do the things you do/There was a time when I was just like you/I know right now, you think you know it all/There's no way that you can break, no way you can fall/Rebel child, won't you heed my warning: one of these days, the rain'll come pouring/Some of those sunshine, blue sky mornings might just turn to gray/I've been there, and I know what you're thinking: you're flying high, but one day you'll blink/And that cloud you're on will just start sinking, don't wait 'til it's toto late/Oh, rebel child

One of the Boys (2007)

This album took a little bit longer for me to fully appreciate than her first two - like, 13 years longer. Released May 15th, 2007, it went a little less rock than All Jacked Up and tried to recreate that sound that was on Here for the Party, and admittedly at the time I saw that as a step backward that was frankly a little boring. Produced by Columbia Nashville, it has a 37:20 run time and produced three singles: Come to Bed ft. John Rich (10/30/06), One of the Boys (4/14/07), and You Don't Have to Go Home (10/1/07). I don't know this album as well as the other two, but listening to it in full over the past week gave me a new appreciation for it, and I could clearly pick out three favorites to highlight.

Track 2: Come to Bed ft. John Rich (written by J. Rich, V. McGehee)

This song doesn't necessarily paint a picture of the healthiest coping mechanism for relationships, but it is admittedly romantic as hell and I still love it. Wilson and her best friend John Rich (accomplished songwriter and half of the country duo Big & Rich) work really well together on this song, and the video for it is also really good.

Sometimes, we fight 'bout who's wrong and right and stay up all night/And sometimes, we drink and say hurtful things that we don't mean/Yeah, we're both screaming, but nobody's listening/Let's take this madness out of the kitchen/Come to bed, let's just lay down/There's just one way we're gonna work this out/Forget what I did, forget what you said/Oh, darling, come to bed

Track 3: One of the Boys (written by G. Teren, G. Wilson, R. Rutherford)

While I don't think anyone would ever mistake me for a tomboy, I totally get the message Wilson's conveying in this album's title track. Women can be tough and independent and more than capable of taking care of themselves, but sometimes they like to be treated like princesses and there shouldn't be anything wrong with that.

I can do most anything a man can do/I can hold my liquor with the best of you/Even take your money in a game of pool/Yeah, I'd kick your butt if I wanted to/And I don't mind when people cuss in front of me/The truth is, I don't blush that much for anything/But I still got this little girl inside of me/That likes to be treated like a queen/And I know I don't act much like a lady/But I still need to be somebody's baby/Yeah, you might find me making too much noise/But I'm more than just one of the boys/Yeah, I'm more than just one of the boys

Track 5: Heaven Help Me (written by G. Teren, G. Wilson, R. Rutherford)

I totally forgot this song existed until I listened to this album this week and I ended up really enjoying it. It's a beautiful, very human song, and I really love both the prayerful lyrics and the piano on the track.

I'm no stranger to temptation/I have found some comfort here/But it only leaves me with questions/It never answers my prayers/I've been as high as angels fly/And I've fallen straight to Hell/Heaven help me, Heaven help me/'Cause I can't help myself

I Got Your Country Right Here (2010)

I started sensing a little bit of a pattern here this week when I listened to this album and thought she was trying to recreate the sound from All Jacked Up. I Got Your Country Right Here was released March 30th, 2010 and definitely brings back Wilson's southern rock sound mixed with her country. Produced by Redneck Records, it has a 36:45 run time and produced three singles: Work Hard, Play Harder (10/26/09), I Got Your Country Right Here (8/16/10), and I'd Love to Be Your Last (1/31/11). I didn't buy this album when it released and had never heard it all the way through until last week, but I definitely felt like it was much more angsty than the others which, for me, almost got in the way of having fun with it. I was able to pick three favorites, though, that I thought really stood out from the rest.

Track 2: Work Hard, Play Harder (written by G. Wilson, J. Rich, V. McGehee)

This song to me seems like what would be produced if the songs Here for the Party and All Jacked Up had a baby and I'm totally cool with it. I dig the fiddle action, I dig Wilson's vocals (even with the tasteful vocal fry) and the background harmonies, and it's just a really fun party song.

I work a double shift on Monday, Tuesday I get up before dawn/Wednesday pouring coffee, Thursday night I'm tending the bar/Well, when Friday finally rolls around/I call my rough and rowdy friends and we're honky tonk loud/I work hard, I play harder/I'm a good timing American daughter/Redneck, blue collar/And I party down to my last dollar/I work hard, I work hard, I work hard/I play harder

Track 4: The Earrings Song (written by M. Criswell, R. Rutherford)

This song is basically the California Girls or the Homewrecker of this album and I really love it. It had me literally laughing out loud at the imagery, especially because I can (shamefully) relate to feeling that level of jealousy. I think most women have had at least one "Don't make me take my earrings out" moment in their life and could probably relate to this song on some level.

Well, I finally found a sitter who'd stay late on Friday night/So I could do some dancing underneath them neon lights/Get out of the kitchen, do a little catching up with my old man/And I couldn't help but notice, girl, that you keep slinking by/Stealing his attention with a twinkle in your eye/You're causing an involuntary clenching of the fingers on my hand/So honey, move along and find a place to park yourself while you still can/Don't make me take my earrings out/'Cause I'll show you what a cat fight's all about/I'll throw you down and mop the floor, a man like mine's worth fighting for/Don't make me take my earrings out

Track 11: I'd Love to Be Your Last (A. Tate, R. Rutherford, S. Tate)

This song is so sweet and beautiful it'll about break your heart. The love in the lyrics is almost tangible, and the simplicity of just the vocals and the guitar for the majority of the song just adds to the atmosphere.

If I had it my way, this would be the first time that I made love/And I would be the first girl that your hands touched/We've both done our share of living, taking chances we've been given/I've never been too big on looking back/I don't care if I'm your first love/But I'd love to be your last

Right on Time (2013)

I'll get this out of the way right at the start - I do not like this album much at all. Right on Time was released April 2nd, 2013 and is labeled on Wikipedia as an alternative country album, which I do not personally agree with - it's almost like Wilson tried to switch halfway through the album from her usual country sound to something almost like blues and it just really did not work for me at all. Produced by Redneck Records, it has a 46:50 run time and produced three singles: One Good Friend (6/5/12), Still Rollin' (2/18/13), and Crazy (7/8/13). I didn't even know this album existed until about a year ago, and I'll be honest and say that listening to it from start to finish just had me constantly checking to see when it would be over because I was so incredibly bored. I don't think the sound mixing was as good on this one as her previous albums, she used WAY too much vocal fry, and the more bluesy sounding songs were just super weird for me. However, I do have three favorites to highlight that are downloaded onto my phone and I do manage to enjoy.

Track 1: Get Outta My Yard (written by B. Clark, K. Musgraves, S. McAnally)

This song automatically gets a favorite spot on the list because Kacey Musgraves helped write it, and if you're familiar with her writing style you can absolutely see her hand in it. I love the tongue-in-cheek lyrics and the steady beat throughout.

You're waking up my neighbors, crying, screaming out my name/I guess somebody must've let the dog off of its chain/You're telling me you love me through a Wild Turkey slur/No sir, no sir/Get outta my yard/Get outta my life/Go back to the bar/Go back to your wife

Track 4: Crazy (written by B. Davis, R. Farley, V. McGehee)

This is one of the closest songs on this album that Wilson gets to her nice, open, big time vocals that I grew up with, but that's kind of a stretch to be honest. Like I said in my album opinion, she relied a little too heavily on vocal fry for a lot of this album, including this song. I don't mind tasteful vocal fry, like maximum three times in a song, but the constant use of it will just wreck your voice and makes my throat hurt just hearing it. I do like the reference to Trisha Yearwood's Walk Away Joe though, and there's just something about this song that I really like.

You cuss like a sailor, smoke a pack a night/You're hell bent on living like you ain't afraid to die/You're a little too fast, you won't slow down/I'm your shotgun girl 'til my time runs out/Your crazy runs deep/And I can see that Walk Away Joe they say you're gonna be/And maybe one day, you'll leave/But until my heart breaks in two, I'm gonna love you like I'm crazy

Track 12: Hey Love (written by B. Long, D. Sampson)

Hey Love is the one blues-ish type song on this album that I can listen to. I don't think Wilson uses her full vocal capacity on this track, in my opinion they could've done it in another key to really use her vocals to her full potential, but it's still alright.

Hey love, what you doing here/Hey love, tell me, what you doing here/I bet you're up to something/'Cause you've been avoiding me for years/Hey love, this must be some kind of joke/Hey love, this must be some kind of joke/the last time you built a fire/You let it all go up ini smoke

Under the Covers (2013)

I'll admit it, I'm a total sucker for song covers, and as the album title suggests that's exactly what this album is from start to finish. Released June 4th, 2013, Wilson covered some of her favorite classic rock songs with hints of her country flair, and most of them are really good. Produced by Redneck Records, it has a 49:00 run time and didn't release any promotional singles, which is probably a large reason why I didn't know about it until about a year ago. The sound mixing and song arranging on this album did leave A LOT to be desired - there are multiple times on multiple tracks that the band is significantly louder than Wilson's vocals and you really have to strain to hear her at all, and more than a couple of the songs could've been done in a higher key so she could more easily sing them, but I didn't have a problem picking favorites from this album.

Track 5: Funk #49 (written by D. Peters, J. Fox, J. Walsh)

Wilson's cover of this 1970 James Gang song is definitely a banger. Wilson doesn't do a lot of singing on this track, but the guitar and bass absolutely slap and you can't help but nod along to the beat.

Sleep all day, out all night/I know where you're going/I don't think that's acting right/You don't think it's showing/Jumping up, falling down/Don't misunderstand me/You don't think that I know your plan/What you tryna hand me

Track 6: Hot Blooded (written by M. Jones, L. Gramm)

Wilson's cover of the classic Foreigner song from 1978 is AWESOME. It's an awesome song anyway, but Wilson really gave this song her all and made it the stand out on this album for me. It worked great with her vocals, and her band absolutely killed all the instrumentals as well.

You don't have to read my mind to know what I have in mind/Honey, you ought know/Now you move so fine, let me lay it on the line/I wanna know what you're doing after the show/Now it's up to you, we can make a secret rendezvous/Just me and you, I'll show you loving like you never knew/That's why I'm hot blooded, check it tand see/I got a fever of a hundred and three/Come on, baby, do you do more than dance/I'm hot blooded, I'm hot blooded

Track 10: Her Strut (written by B. Seger)

This cover of 1980 Bob Seger is definitely my favorite after Hot Blooded on this album. She brings all that vocal fry back here, but on this track it actually works, and the electric guitar is fire.

She's totally committed to major independence/But she's a lady through and through/She gives them quite a battle, all that they can handle/She'll bruise some, she'll hurt some, too/But oh, they love to watch her strut/Oh, they do respect her, but/They love to watch her strut

Ready to Get Rowdy (2017)

Thank GOD this album actually sounds like Gretchen Wilson, I'm not sure what I would've done otherwise. Released June 16th, 2017, it's back to her classic country sound and is a lot of fun to listen to from start to finish. Produced by Redneck Records, it has a 41:00 run time and has produced 3 singles: Rowdy (2016), Summertime Town (2017), and Stacy (2018). I really enjoyed this album a lot and had no trouble at all picking my three favorites to highlight.

Track 1: Stacy (composer unknown)

This song is up there with Redneck Woman and California Girls for me now both in enjoyment to listen to and sing along with. It's so relatable and so fun and so incredibly easy to sing along with. The last line of this song is so true it almost hurts: "Everybody knows a Stacy."

Twenty-five times, he's hit decline on his cell phone/Quit driving by, 'cause you cry every time when he ain't home/I know you saw a diamond ring, babies, and an SUV/Bless your little broken heart and how you fall apart/Oh, Stacy, why you gotta be so crazy/Honey, don't you think that maybe you're the one to blame for running them boys away/Oh, Stacy, poor little someone come and save me/Ain't it so sad when girls like you make women like me look bad

Track 8: I Ain't That Desperate Yet (composer unknown)

This song feels like it would fit right at home on Here for the Party and I love it for that. It's upbeat and fun and has those relatable, "real" type lyrics that Wilson is known for. She brings those high powered vocals back in this song, too, and it just ties the song up in a neat little bow for me.

My friends tell me I need to be out on the town in skinny jeans/Working it like all them young girls do/They said, "Just sit down in that chair, we'll wax them brows and fix your hair/Make a dime store diva outta you"/These days, everybody wants to be somebody else/I told them and I'll tell you, just like I told myself/I ain't that desperate yet/Still got some good stuff left/I'd like to get a little, but I still have my self-respect/And I ain't that desperate yet

Track 10: Mary Kay & Maybelline (composer unknown)

Like always, Wilson slipped a couple of tearjerkers on this album, and this one is definitely my favorite of the bunch. I love the atmosphere the guitar creates on this track, and the lyrics are once again enough txobreak your heart straight in half.

Tiny hands on a lipstick case/I'd watch my mama paint her face/Just like she did every day/And I'd watch her wipe the tears away/My daddy, he'd go off to work/Yeah, almost like he was rehearsed/From time to time, he'd twirl me 'round/But he always let my mama down/I learned early and I learned hard/What to do when love leaves scars/You just stay pretty, then if you feel ugly in the heart, don't worry/Mary Kay and Maybelline covers up everything

I hope you got some entertaining music to listen to this week - with the exception of that one album, I've never been bored listening to my girl Gretch. See ya'll next week!