Used To Be Young when i Lose Control Like A Lady i’ll get that Tennessee Whiskey and Drink You Away!

Hello Monday peeps! Another weekend *poof!* gone too quickly! But since it is Monday, that, of course, means music! For this week, the theme is: “April-born Singer and Songwriter songs”. Let’s get this April birthday party started!

Let’s start with this favorite artist born on April 24, 1982 (so she’ll be all of 42 on Wednesday!), who took on Miley Cyrus’ summer hit for one of her talk show musical segments, delivering an impassioned rendition. The track reflects on the perceptions Cyrus faced as a teenager in the spotlight. This artist eased into the power ballad before soaring into the chorus:

I know I used to be crazy / I know I used to be fun / You say I used to be wild / I say I used to be young

Backed by her band, the talk show host conveyed the track’s sense of nostalgia and vulnerability with her tender vocals.

Here’s the inimitable Kelly Clarkson covering Miley Cyrus’ song “Used To Be Young”:

Next up is another cover by an artist who was born on April 12, 1988. At age 15, after auditioning for and being rejected by most of the country labels in Nashville, Tennessee, she began working with Carla Wallace of Big Yellow Dog Music. One of her songs attracted Mercury Records’s attention, offering her a recording contract, which enabled her to release her debut album in 2009. Recently she covered another artist’s hit song and shared this version of the song on Instagram:

“My sister sent me this song the first time she heard it on the radio and was like “Jess this is the kind of music you should be singing.” I listened to it and I fell in love. It reminds me of the music I grew up listening to and I wanted to sing it! I cut this a week before Denver was born and I wanted to share it with y’all. Thanks @teddyswims for putting such a great song out into the world.”

Give a listen to Jessie James Decker covering Teddy Swims‘ song “Lose Control”:

Next up, the female singer of this trio celebrated her birthday on April 1st. This rollicking song was released in March 2021 and finds this artist out front, radiating strength and confidence as a woman. She’s happy to leave her heels and dress at home, sip tequila in her Levi’s, and dance on her own all night. She feels like a lady and is living her life on her own terms. About writing the song, she was quoted as saying:

“As we were writing it, I was like, ‘It’s always been my dream to do a song that combines the things I love about Dolly Parton’s ‘9 to 5’ and Shania Twain’s ‘Man! I Feel Like a Woman!’ – two of the most strong, powerful female songs ever. So it was like, ‘How can we do our version of that?'”

The artist’s male bandmates can both be heard singing “I feel like a lady” in the backing vocals.

“It’s incredible that Charles and Dave, in all their masculinity, are willing to sing right alongside me in this song. I think that is another powerful statement. It’s super important for strong, great men to stand beside women and propel them forward.”

One of the male band members said:

“We were some of the biggest champions for ‘Like a Lady’ and we’re honored to stand alongside Hillary. We’ve had a front-row seat to her strength over the years and we love linking arms with her on this song.”

Here’s Lady A with “Like A Lady”:

Last but certainly not least is a performance that will always be one of my favorite performances from any awards show ever. Years ago, these two took the 49th annual CMA Awards stage together in unexpected style. The grizzled country songwriter and his clean-cut pop sidekick stole the show that night in 2015, and it arguably launched the country artist (born on April 15, 1978) to his current, Platinum-selling, stadium-rocking status.

The pair had become friends after the country artist reportedly performed at a private event for the pop star, so the pop star did his pal a solid by showing up to perform a two-song medley at the awards ceremony. And it has gone down as a legendary moment.

Delivering the one-two punch of their two songs, the performance pulled those in the audience out of their seats to dance and had fans at home marveling at the country artist’s sound. The Kentucky native’s red-hot blowtorch of a singing voice was already beloved by those in the Nashville community and just needed a little nudge into the mainstream to achieve iconic status. That’s what the pop star was able to help with, and the rest, as they say, is history.

Without further ado, here’s the April birthday artist Chris Stapleton with his inimitable friend Justin Timberlake with “Tennesee Whiskey” and “Drink You Away”:

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

Now onto 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, 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!

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!