Alan Jackson "USA today"

Intro:

Before I began to get a touch with Alan's songs, my music taste was totally focused on classical music. This directly made me have to kind of break away from the circle of my friends in junior high. To some degree, this forced me to focus on study and avoid problems that may disturb me from learning. For example, like puppy love with a girlfriend. However, as we always say: "Every coin has two sides". I'm still the person who would like to share everything I know and have with my friend. The challenge that my music tastes cause me cannot share my worries to my friends while I meet a challenge. Besides, this is also the two girls' reason who liked me thought I'm a boring person who doesn't know romance.

Then, I begin to force myself to listen to some popular songs and singers. However, the "pale" and platitude of the lyrics about criminal and bad words make me feel more tired than the school brought to me.

Suddenly, I found a song called "USA Today". I click the play. Guess what? It's still in my playlist in my app. The singer's voice is so unique, just like a gem and I haven't listened before. Combined with the easy rhythm. To this day, I have also tried other artists' songs, but I still think his songs bring my ears a totally different feeling that is beyond words and cannot be replaced by others.

Artist Background:

Alan Jackson was born in1958, Newnan, Georgia State. In 1983 in a family who have British ancestry. He began to write when he was 25 years old.

As the successor of the new traditionalist movement in the 1980s, although he is based on pub music, he is also like a fish in the water in contemporary mainstream music. He is good at creating and singing songs independently, so in his song you can find the unique easy to belong to the country music easily. Growing up, Jackson listened primarily to gospel music,

The situation changed until a friend introduced him to Gene Watson, John Anderson, and Hank Williams Jr. Jackson attended the local Elm Street Elementary and Newnan High School. After he graduated from High School he joined a band called Dixie Steel.

In 1987, he and his wife moved to Nashville, Tennessee hoping to begin his full-time music job, and the first job he got was in The Nashville Network's mailroom. However, this didn't stop his desire to play music. In the same year he cut an album called "New Traditional" .

There are some reasons that cause this extremely rare album was only released in Japan. To be honest, I think we can think of this album as his important try and first step in the music section which cannot be ignored. However, I don't think this is his best performance since he also needed to do the work in the mailroom.

Song Introduction: I know that's really short, but trust me this is everything I can find.

This song: "USA today" was written and recorded by Alan himself. It was released in August 2005 as the fourth single from his album "What I do". It is the 18th song on the United States Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and number 7 on the Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart in that year. For the content, it talks about the newspaper, USA Today thinks about doing a story of the loneliest man in their newspaper.

Lyrics:

"I heard you've been wondering

How I'm getting along

I guess you think I can't make it with you gone

But I don't want you to worry

Don't you lose any sleep

But a man called long-distance this morning

Said they're thinking about putting me

On the cover of the USA Today

The story of heart-breaking pain

Picture of the loneliest man

they claim in the USA Today

I don't sleep in the nighttime

Darkness reminds me of you

I lost eight pounds since last Tuesday

But I could stand to lose a few

I don't believe I'm too bad

People say I look fine

The man from the paper seems happy

Says I'm bigger than the latest crime

On the cover of the USA Today

The story of heart-breaking pain

Picture of the loneliest man

they claim in the USA Today

So if you're concerned in trouble

Then you're hurting me

Don't you work out this little thing called losing you

Has made a big man out of me

I'm on the cover of the USA Today

The story of heart-breaking pain

Picture of the loneliest man

they claim in the USA Today"

Song Analysis:

Going through his songs it is not hard to find that his singing method is not like the most of other popular singers' impassioned but simple and natural. In China, we have a saying that "The greatest truths are always to be the simplest". I suppose just since this piece of simple, Alan's song can bring a different beauty. I don't want to confuse anybody, but sometimes when you think his song is easy to understand, then, you will see a deeper meaning that needs you to stop to think but not just let it past your nervous system. When people think his song is difficult, his song is so easy that you can follow the tune by listening several times. Moreover, the voice he has is also a bright point for the song. I don't know why, but his voice can just give you the feeling that this is like a neighbor's uncle telling you a story kindly. For me, his voice is just like a ship that takes me up from the waves of real life. In his song, in the 3-minutes short singing, I can temporarily find peace. As what we mentioned at the beginning that Alan had been listening to gospel music in his early years. I suppose this is a reason cannot be ignored that his voice is particularly different from most other country singer's voices and easy to identify.

Conclusion:

The "USA today" is just an example of Alan's country music. As my first step to walking out the circle of classical music. Country music is still one of my favorite types of music. To some degree, Alan Jackson, as the person who led me to walk out the little circle and his songs, also stays with me when I need some help. Moreover, Alan's songs are also an encouragement for me to try new things not only in the music section. In conclusion, what this song brings to me and what Alan brings to me make some important impact that we need to walk out the "comfortable circle" sometime, if we are to be successful or even get a friend. Never be afraid of trying new things and walk out, since you will never know what thing is waiting for you at the last corner, right?

Thank you for your reading, have a good day.