It’s just about midnight, and the weekend got away from me, so I’m just going to delve right into the music, m’kay?

After all, it is now Monday, and Monday means music! For the month of February, our Spotlight Dancer is our very own bloggy buddy and awesome co-conductor, Cathy of Curious As A Cathy! She has chosen the theme for this week, which is “It’s National Battery Day – use these words: SMOKE, ALARM, BATTERY, & CHARGE for your inspired song picks”. This was certainly a challenge, but let’s have some fun!

Let’s start off with an artist who, with songwriters Shane McAnally and Luke Laird, penned this portrait of the dead end life of a small town waitresses with big dreams and big mouths. She was quoted as saying:

“We were just sitting there trying to picture these waitresses just sitting around talking about people and smoking and waiting on customers to come in.”

Not poking fun at anyone in particular, but the protagonist in the song, Brenda, is a character from the artist’s imagination.

“We always like to put characters in the song like Brenda, ol’ Brenda. Well, Brenda she’s given up smokes, but now she’s eating cake a lot.”

Give a listen to Kacey Musgraves with “Blowin’ Smoke”:

Next up, this artist is singing about filling her “glass up a little more” before getting up and burning “this floor” as a preliminary to a one-night stand. Not usually my speed of song (and be forewarned, it may be NSFW, so caution is recommended) but songs with “Alarm” in the title were few and far between.

The song’s carnival themed music video was filmed at Queens Park Savannah in Port Of Spain, the town where this artist was born. The Queens Park Savannah is purported to be the largest roundabout in the world. It occupies about 260 acres of level land, and the distance around the perimeter is about 2.2 miles.

Get ready to dance, here’s Nicki Minaj with “Pound The Alarm”:

Next up, the word ‘charge’ was also difficult, but the first thing that came to mind was one of my favorite sitcoms that ran from October 1984 to April 1985 but was relaunched in syndication from January 1987 to November 1990.

My crush back then, Scott Baio starred as Charles, a college student attending the fictional Copeland College in New Brunswick, New Jersey, who finds a unique living arrangement with a family in need of a caretaker for their young children. The show also starred Willie Aames as Charles’ best friend Buddy Lembeck.

Let’s have some fun with the Charles in Charge Theme Song:

Last, but certainly not least, I’m going with another smoke song, since songs with the word ‘battery’ just weren’t my jam. This artist, who happens to be one of my favorites, penned this song with frequent collaborators Hillary Lindsey and Chris DeStefano. It tells the stories of a “small-town, hard-working woman just trying to make a living” and a “big-city, hard-working man just trying to climb the ladder.” She was quoted as saying:

“We were writing and kept taking breaks to go outside because we were getting a little stuck on a song we were already working on. It was so beautiful outside that we had a hard time focusing, so we decided to write a song about taking breaks! ‘Smoke Break’ seemed like a great title, so we ran with it!”

Some people criticized the song’s lyrics contending that it promoted smoking:

Sometimes I need a long drag / Yeah I know it might sound bad, but sometimes I need a smoke break

The artist, who is a non-smoker, responded to the critics on her Facebook page:

“The song itself is just kind of one of those story songs that I feel like everybody can relate to, about how life is so hectic and it’s so nice when, if and when, you actually get to kind of step away for a second.”

The singer went on to state that the song is not a pro-cigarette anthem, but instead is a tribute to sneaking away from your responsibilities and taking a minute to breathe. “And we all need that, we all need that time to ourselves to get to take a break.”

“For the storyline, I really just wanted it to be mainly about strong women – strong, beautiful women who are doing everything that the boys do. And, at the end, we all get together and have our break.”

The album this song is on debuted at #1 on Billboard’s Top Country Albums. This meant that the artist became the first ever artist in the survey’s history to post six consecutive career-opening chart-toppers.

Without further ado, here’s Carrie Underwood with “Smoke Break”:

That’s a wrap for this week, have a great Monday – see you on the dance floor!

Now on to the particulars of Monday’s Music Move’s Me:   PhotobucketI have the supreme honor and privilege of being a co-host with the inimitable Xmas Dolly and our musical cohort, the awesome Cathy from Curious as a CAThy, and while our beloved Callie of JAmerican Spice is taking a break, our friend Michelle from Musings and Merriments with Michelle is helping out with hostess duties!

Want to join in the fun? It’s easy – just find a tune that rocks your boat, post it and link up – don’t forget to grab Xmas Dolly…er, um, I mean her button…over at her place here. Check out Xmas Dolly’s sidebar for the random themes we sport each week – and you can always ask for a specific theme of music you like, too. Check out the other music lovahs and let’s jam!

INTRODUCING OUR “SPOTLIGHT DANCER”:

Cathy of Curious As A Cathy



6 Comments

  1. Stacy,

    By the time I found my way over here to dance with you I’ve danced to many of your song selections already but that’s cool, I can boogie with you to the same tunes. 🙂 I think Carrie Underwood’s song is the first to show this week with you. So, that’s pAwesome! Have a furtastic week, dearie!

  2. Charles In Charge brings back so many memories! Nicki’s song was new to me (I did run across it on another playlist, but it’ll take me a few listens to actually recognize it. Then it can be not new to me, haha!). I love Carrie’s song and am surprised people gave her trouble for it. The lyrics literally say “I don’t smoke” (even though it’s not about her – I definitely got the meaning from the lyrics without taking them so literally). The end of the weekend snuck up on me, too…I didn’t get my post up till yesterday afternoon!

  3. YOU HAVE ROCKED THE HOUSE GIRLFRIEND, and I loved them all & naturally Carrie Underwood’s my favorite!!! ~hhehehehehe~ Sorry I’m so late, but between therapy & doctors appointments and laying down for naps I don’t have any time for me. Hope all is well with you & yours for sure! BIG HUGS

  4. In a way, you went full circle on this one, with the first and last songs telling stories of women trapped perhaps, and definitely working too hard. I heard the first two on other blogs, and Pound the Alarm is definitely NSFW but oh, those costumes! (and if my husband was watching I think he’d make some other comment, never mind) but I loved the Carrie Underwood song, just loved it. I don’t think at all it’s a pro smoking song, and I am not at all pro smoking. Thank you for the lovely set!

  5. Nicki, Nicki, Nicki. I feel like I have a love-hate relationship. I love her but sometimes she is like out of this world. I know of Charlie in Charge, but never watched an episode. I am more into obscure 80s’ TV shows like “Starman”. But, thanks for the new listen from Kacey Musgraves!

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