First Monday of March! Can you smell it? Spring is right around the corner!
Meanwhile, it’s Monday, and Monday means music! For the month of March, our Spotlight Dancer is our friend Marie from Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty! She has chosen the theme for this week, which is “Fun Facts About Names Day and I thought the theme could be SONGS THAT HAVE A NAME IN THE TITLE.” Let’s get this name party started!
Let’s start with a nostalgic upbeat track that finds him reminiscing about the days he and a girl were teenagers listening to pop tunes and experiencing young love. The song opens with the hook from John Mellencamp’s classic rock number “Jack & Diane” and samples the 1982 hit tune throughout the track, using the famous song to look back on a past relationship between “two American kids, just like them.” The artist was quoted as saying:
“I never release a song without the intention of stepping up to the plate and knocking it out of the park. When I first heard ‘[this song]’, I thought, ‘How can I do this and re-create what is already a classic song?’ But the more I listened to it, the more I saw my own life growing up.”
“The original ‘Jack & Diane’ was about ‘two American kids growing up in the heartland’ and that image is exactly what so many country songs are based on. Plus, the most important thing to me and my team is that we sent the song to Mellencamp and he digs the track. Getting his stamp of approval sealed the deal for me that this song should be our debut single.”
The song’s music video features a small-town high school romance between Jake Etheridge, of the TV show Nashville and Travelers actress (and his real-life girlfriend) Mackenzie Porter. The artist shows up as the waiter that comes to the table to ask the pair what they’d like to order. The visual uses local actors and extras from the location where it was filmed to achieve authenticity. The artist said:
“Which is funny, because the part of the video where they were playing baseball, that was actually happening that night. There were two teams playing baseball, and one of the teams got mercy-ruled – they got beat so bad. The team that acts like they won the championship [in the video] is actually the one that got the s–t kicked out of them in real life, 30 minutes previously. So at least they got to celebrate that night, thanks to us!”
Here’s Jake Owen with “I Was Jack (You Were Diane)”:
Next up is a song that’s about a boy who won’t grow up, a love interest who won’t take responsibility for his actions or stick around. The artist described the song:
“I loved the idea of having a song about a breakup that wasn’t some dramatic cheating or scandal moment. It’s the kind of thing where one person just can’t emotionally match the other, and that’s a sad kind of ending and heartbreak… and that’s what I wanted this song and video to capture. Sometimes the thrills of life or youth overrule the thrill of love until someone is truly ready to be in a relationship. This was a fun way to show that side in the video.”
Give a listen to Kelsea Ballerini with “Peter Pan”:
Next up is a song about an actor famous for his cool persona and attitude that the lyrics allude to. In the video, the artist recreates the car chase scene from the actor’s movie Bullitt and the motorcycle chase from his film The Great Escape.
The artist won a Grammy for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance for this song, and The Voice (Season 3) winner Cassadee Pope performed this song in the show’s finale with her coach Blake Shelton.
Give a listen to the gorgeous and talented Sheryl Crow with “Steve McQueen”:
Last, but certainly not least, is a song that was the first single from this artist’s new album a few years ago. When the song was sent to him, he loved it so much that right before he walked out on stage for a performance a while back, he thought he’d play the song solo acoustic to see what the audience thought.
Flash forward, and he said there’s no doubt that their response that day helped make it the first single from what will be his next album.
The song title resonated deeply with him, particularly since he considers it a poetic use of the three John’s and what each represent to him. The song also references many more well-known names, including John Wayne, Kris Kristofferson, Don McLean, and Marilyn Monroe.
The artist performed the full version of this song live on stage for the first time during the CMT Music Awards on June 10, 2015.
Without further ado, here’s the awesome Keith Urban with “John Cougar, John Deere, John 3:16”:
That’s a wrap for this week – have a great Monday and see you on the dance floor!
Now on to the particulars of Monday’s Music Move’s Me:
I 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, Callie of JAmerican Spice, and Alana of Ramblin’ with AM!
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!
Marie from Athena Cat Goddess Wise Kitty
Wow! Some great new-to-me music here. Sheryl Crow is my hero for paying tribute to the best car chase movie sequence ever filmed!! The Keith Urban video is a work of art in every way. Thanks for bringing these choices to the dance floor. Have a blessed week.
wow, some very interesting and different choices.
Stacy,
Spring is just around the corner now, isn’t it? It can’t get here fast enough to suit me but if it’s like all the other years’ past then we’ll get a cold snap when spring official rolls in which drives me nuts. I can’t believe it, this morning I know all of your song selections. lol Thanks for sharing the dance floor with me, darlin’. Have a boogietastic week! 😉
Got some real good songs here! Great set!
Very cool playlist. Thanks for sharing them.
I don’t know any of these, but I guess it’s because I don’t listen to country.
Well, I have finally decided that Keith Urban is a little hottie for sure! He’s really been comin’ out with some great tunes too. Now not to take anything away from your other pics girlfriend cuz they were all just as cool especially Cheryl Crow. Hope all is well with you and you your tune pick has definitely ROCKED THE HOUSE!!! Have a great week!
Nice choices. Thanks for hosting.
Don’t know those but great choices!
WOW! Loved the playlist, Stacy and that Jack Owen is a favourite now 😸Pawkisses for a Happy Wednesday🐾😽💞
This was a nice, fun set, especially the homage to “Jack and Diane” and Sheryl Crow. Lots of toe tapping here.