Welcome to Part 4 of our American Musical Tour! Today, we're exploring the beautiful state of Arkansas. Also known as The Natural State or The Land of Opportunity, Arkansas was the 25th state admitted into the Union in June 1836, marking the current halfway point of completion. Let's quickly dive into our fact dump:
-Capital City: Little Rock
-Area: 53,179 square miles (America's 29th largest state)
-Population: 3,013,756 as of 2020 (34th most populous state)
-Big 4 Major League Professional Sports Teams (Baseball, Football, Basketball, Hockey): 0/4
-Named College: University of Arkansas (est. 1871, Fayetteville, AR)
-State Bird: Northern Mockingbird
-State Flower: Apple Blossom
-State Butterfly: Diana Fritillary Butterfly
-State Tree: Loblolly Pine
-State Gemstone: Diamond
-State Dog: Bloodhound
-State Quarter: Released October 2003 (themed from the nickname The Natural State and features a diamond, rice stalks, a mallard duck, and a lake)
As I've discussed previously, we'll be looking at artists that were born and bands that were established in Arkansas. This is obviously not all of them, but it's a good sampling to get ya'll some fun music to listen to. Let's get started!
Let's Stay Together by Al Green (written by A. Green, A. Jackson, W. Mitchell)
Albert "Al" Green was born in Forrest City, Arkansas in April 1946. The Arkansan singer/songwriter/pastor/record producer is known for his many contributions to soul music in the 1970s. A talented vocalist and guitarist in the genres of soul, R&B, gospel, southern soul, and progressive soul,, Green has released 29 studio albums and won 11 Grammy Awards throughout his fifty-eight year career.. Let's Stay Together, his signature song, was originally featured on his 1972 album of the same name and became Billboard's #11 song of that year. Green has one of those classic soul voices, just incredibly smooth and pleasant to listen to. This song is definitely a classic in its own right, and one that everyone should know.
I, I'm so in love with you/Whatever you want to do is all right with me/‘Cause you make me feel so brand new/And I want to spend my life with you/Let me say that since, baby, since we've been together/Ooh, loving you forever is what I need/Let me be the one you come running to/I’ll never be untrue, oh baby/Let's, let's stay together/Lovin' you whether, whether/Times are good or bad, happy or sad/Oh, oh, oh, oh, yeah/Whether times are good or bad, happy or sad
Bring Me to Life by Evanescence (written by D. Hodges, A. Lee, B. Moody)
Evanescence is an alt metal/gothic metal/gothic rock/hard rock/industrial rock/symphonic metal/nu metal band that formed in Little Rock, Arkansas back in 1994. The band currently consists of Amy Lee (lead vocals, piano, keyboards, and harp), Tim McCord (guitar, bass guitar), Will Hunt (drums), Troy McLawhorn (guitar), and Emma Anzai (touring - bass guitar, backing vocals). The group has been nominated for seven Grammy awards, winning two of them (Best New Artist 2004 and Best Hard Rock Performance 2004). Evanescence has released five studio albums since 2003, with their undeniable signature song, Bring Me to Life, originally featured on the both 2003 album Fallen and the soundtrack to the 2003 film Daredevil (starring Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner). Even if emo music wasn't your scene, this song was known by EVERYONE when it came out, and is for sure still a song everyone under 40 will scream the chorus to when it comes on. Amy Lee is an undeniable vocal force, both then and now, and really makes this song into something special with her talent.
How can you see into my eyes like open doors/Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb/Without a soul, my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold/Until you find it there and lead it back home/Wake me up inside, wake me up inside/Call my name and save me from the dark/Bid my blood to run before I come undone/Save me from the nothing I've become
Southern Nights by Glen Campbell (written by A. Toussaint)
Glen Campbell was born in Billstown, Arkansas in April 1936. The Arkansan guitarist/singer/songwriter/actor/television host is known pretty equally for his popular country/western/folk/pop/easy listening/gospel/soft rock music and his hit TV show The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour. Throughout his sixty-three year career, Campbell established himself as a singer, guitarist, banjo player, and bagpiper; released 60 studio albums; and won 10 Grammy awards prior to his death in 2017. Southern Nights was featured on his 1977 album of the same name and is a cover of an Allen Toussaint song from 1975. Campbell is a huge name in classic country music, and listening to his music just transports you back to that era of fancy cowboy suits and lots of flash (mainly from the rhinestones on the aforementioned suits). He was a super talented musician, and that really shines through in his songs.
Southern nights, have you ever felt a Southern night/Free as a breeze, not to mention the trees/Whistlin' tunes that you know and love so/Southern nights, just as good even when you close your eyes/I apologize to anyone who can truly say/That he has found a better way
Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off by Joe Nichols (written by J. Wiggins, G. Hannan)
Joseph "Joe" Nichols was born in Rogers, Arkansas in November 1976. The Arkansan singer has become a fixture of country music during his twenty-eight year career. Nichols has released 10 studio albums since 1996 has been nominated for 3 Grammy Awards. Tequila Makes Her Clothes Fall Off was originally featured on his 2005 album III and peaked on the Billboard Hot 100 at #32. I've listened casually to Nichols since I was a kid, and this is definitely my favorite song of his. It's lyrically funny, melodically catchy, and just an all around good time of a listening experience.
She said, "I'm going out with my girlfriends/Margaritas at the Holiday Inn”/Oh, have mercy, my only thought/Was, "Tequila makes her clothes fall off"/I told her, "Put an extra layer on"/I know what happens when she drinks Patrón./Her closet's missing half the things she bought/Yeah, tequila makes her clothes fall off/She'll start by kicking out of her shoes/Lose an earring in her drink/Leave her jacket in the bathroom stall/Drop a contact down the sink/Them pantyhose ain't gonna last too long/If the DJ puts Bon Jovi on/She might come home in a tablecloth/Yeah, tequila makes her clothes fall off
Hurt by Johnny Cash (written by T. Reznor)
J.R. "Johnny" Cash was born in Kingsland, Arkansas in February 1932. The Arkansan singer-songwriter/musician/actor is one of the best selling musical artists of all time, was a proficient guitarist and unique vocalist, and is well respected in genres like country, rockabilly, rock & roll, folk, blues, gospel, and outlaw country even after his death in 2003. Throughout his forty-nine year career, Cash released sixty-seven studio albums and won 18 Grammy Awards. Hurt was featured on his 2002 album American IV: The Man Comes Around and is a cover of a Nine Inch Nails song from 1994. This has become one of my favorite covers of any song ever; Cash's signature growling vocals, enhanced by his advanced age, bring a completely different tone to this song than the original has, and there aren't many other words for it besides beautiful. The Man in Black was a verifiable icon for so many artists and so many different musical styles, and it's hard to go wrong with any of his songs.
I hurt myself today to see if I still feel/I focus on the pain, the only thing that's real/The needle tears a hole, the old familiar sting/Try to kill it all away, but I remember everything/What have I become, my sweetest friend/Everyone I know goes away in the end/And you could have it all, my empire of dirt/I will let you down, I will make you hurt
Live Like We're Dying by Kris Allen (written by D. O'Donoghue, M. Sheehan, A. Frampton, S. Kipner)
Kristopher "Kris" Allen was born in Jacksonville, Arkansas in June 1985. The Arkansan singer-songwriter is best known for winning Season 8 of American Idol in 2009. Throughout his seventeen year career, Allen, a talented vocalist and guitarist, has released 6 studio albums and has explored genres such as pop rock, alt rock, acoustic rock, and blue-eyed soul. Live Like We're Dying was featured on his 2009 self-titled album and was his first big hit post-Idol. I hadn't listened to this song in years to be honest (I liked Allen ok on Idol but was way more invested in Adam Lambert), so revisiting it was a fun blast from the past. Allen has a good soft rock voice, and this song brought back a ton of sweet memories from my senior year of high school.
Sometimes we fall down, can't get back up/We're hiding behind skin that's too tough/How come we don't say I love you enough/’Til it's too late, it's not too late/Our hearts are hungry for a food that won't come/And we could make a feast from these crumbs/And we're all staring down the barrel of a gun/So if your life flashed before you, what would you wish you would've done/Yeah, we gotta start lookin' at the hands of the time we've been given/If this is all we got, then we gotta start thinkin’/If every second counts on a clock that's tickin’/Gotta live like we're dying/We only got 86,400 seconds in a day to/Turn it all around or to throw it all away/We gotta tell 'em that we love 'em while we got the chance to say/Gotta live like we're dying, oh
The Arkansas Traveler by Mose Case (written by S. Faulkner)
The Arkansas Traveler, written by Sandford C. Faulkner in 1862, is one of four official state anthems of Arkansas. It was the only state song from 1949 to 1963 and named the historic state song in 1987. It has the same tune as the children's song Baby Bumblebee, and it's an enjoyable listen if you're big on folk music.
On a lonely road quite long ago/A trav’ler trod with fiddle and a bow/While rambling thru the country rich and grand/He quickly sensed the magic and the beauty of the land/For the wonder state we’ll sing a song/And lift our voices loud and long/For the wonder state we’ll shout hurrah/And praise the opportunities we find in Arkansas
Miss Independent by Ne-Yo (written by M. Eriksen, T. Hermansen, S. Smith)
Shaffer Smith, better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, was born in Camden, Arkansas in October 1979. The Arkansan singer/songwriter/actor/dancer/record producer has become known as one of the leading voices in R&B music throughout his twenty-six year career. Performing in genres like R&B, pop, hip hop, and soul, Ne-Yo has released 9 studio albums and won 3 Grammy Awards. Miss Independent was originally featured on his 2008 album Year of the Gentleman and is responsible for two of his Grammys (Best Male R&B Performance and Best R&B Song 2009). I tend to struggle in enjoying R&B, but I do like Ne-Yo and his vocals and really enjoyed this song. His voice has a lovely, clean quality to it, and his music definitely sounds undeniably like him and no one else.
Ooh, it's somethin' about, just somethin' about the way she move/I can't figure it out, it's somethin' about her/Said ooh, it's somethin' about kind of woman that want you, but don't need you/Hey, I can't figure it out, it's somethin' about her/‘Cause she walk like a boss, talk like a boss/Manicured nails to set the pedicure off/She's fly effortlessly and she move like a boss/Do what a boss do, she got me thinkin' about gettin' involved/That's the kind of girl I need, oh, she got her own thing/That's why I love her, Miss Independent/Won't you come and spend a little time/She got her own thing, that's why I love her/Miss Independent, ooh, the way we shine, Miss Independent, yeah
Arkansas by Rick Pickren (written by E. Bennett)
Arkansas, written by Eva Ware Bennett in 1916, is the original official state anthem of Arkansas. It was actually removed as state song back in 1949 due to a copyright dispute, but once that was settled the song was reinstated in 1963. Pickren's version feels very homegrown and honest, really getting across the beauty of the state through the imagery of the lyrics.
I am thinking tonight of the Southland, of the home of my childhood days/Where I roamed through the woods and the meadows by the mill and the brook that plays/Where the roses are in bloom and the sweet magnolia, too/Where the jasmine is white and the fields are violet blue/There a welcome awaits all her children who have wandered afar from home/Arkansas, Arkansas, tis a name dear, 'tis the place I call home, sweet home/Arkansas, Arkansas, I salute thee, from thy shelter, no more I'll roam/’Tis a land full of joy and of sunshine, rich in pearls and in diamonds rare/Full of hope, faith, and love for the stranger who may pass 'neath her portals fair/There the rice fields are full and the cotton, corn and hay/There the fruits of the field bloom in the winter months and May/’Tis the land that I love, first of all, dear, and to her let us all give cheer
Strange Things Are Happening Everyday by Sister Rosetta Tharpe (traditional lyrics)
Rosetta Nubin, better known by her stage name Sister Rosetta Tharpe, was born in Cotton Plant, Arkansas in March 1915. The Arkansan singer/songwriter is known for being the first star of gospel recordings in the 1930s and 40s. A gifted vocalist and guitarist (one of the first to pioneer the usage of heavy distortion on an electric guitar), Tharpe recorded genres like blues, gospel, R&B, jazz, and rock & roll; released 13 studio albums in her fifty-four year career before her death in 1973; and was named by Rolling Stone as the 6th greatest guitar player of all time. Strange Things Are Happening Everyday, her take on the traditional African American spiritual, was released as a single in 1945 and became Billboard's first gospel crossover hit. Tharpe has absolutely undeniable musical talent, and this song is just downright fun to listen to. What else should you expect from what many call "the first rock & roll record?"
Oh, we heard church people say they are in the holy way/There are strange things happening everyday/Oh, the last man, judgment day, when they drive him all away/There are strange things happening everyday/Everyday, everyday/There are strange things happening everyday/Everyday, everyday/There are strange thing happening everyday
Oh, Arkansas by Terry Rose & Gary Klaff (written by T. Rose, G. Klaff)
Oh, Arkansas, written by Terry Rose & Gary Klaff in 1986, is one of four official state anthems of Arkansas. It was written for Arkansas's 150th statehood celebration and named an official state song in 1987. It's one of those songs that has a tangible feeling of '80s-ness to it, but it's still a sweet tribute to this beautiful state.
It's the spirit of the mountains and the spirit of the Delta/It's the spirit of the Capitol dome/It's the spirit of the river and the spirit of the lakes/It's the spirit that's in each and every home/It's the spirit of the people and the spirit of the land/It's the spirit of tomorrow and today/Oh Arkansas, oh Arkansas/Arkansas, U.S.A./It's the spirit of friendship, it's the spirit of hope/It's the Razorbacks every game they play/Oh Arkansas, oh Arkansas/Arkansas U.S.A
Arkansas (You Run Deep In Me) by Wayland Holyfield (written by W. Holyfield)
Arkansas (You Run Deep In Me), written by Wayland Holyfield in 1986, is one of four official state anthems of Arkansas. It was written for Arkansas's 150th statehood celebration and named an official state song in 1987. It kind of has the feel of a theme for an '80s PBS special, but overall it's a lovely song that shows lots of affection for its subject.
October morning in the Ozark Mountains/Hills ablazing like that sun in the sky/I fell in love there and the fire's still burning/A flame that will never die/Oh, I may wander, but when I do/I will never be far from you/You're in my blood and I know you'll always be/Arkansas, you run deep in me
I hope this musical road trip is as fun for ya'll as it is for me so far! Happy listening, and see ya'll next week!
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