Dark Jak's List
Dark Jak: This was Garth’s first number one hit and many consider it to be his signature song. This one really hits me personally and I think a lot of people can connect to it. The song tells the tale of a man who is laying awake one night thinking about what would happen in his wife’s mind if he were to die the next. In the end he makes a promise to himself to show each day just how much she means to him. Great love song and it is one of my favorites.
Tim: While you hit on the main theme of this song rather well, the music video adds a double meaning to it. Besides being about the love for the man's wife, it also explores the love the man has for his daughter and he is asking himself if he has prepared for the world. I like the double meaning on this song, it adds another layer and while I'm neither a husband nor a father, I can understand the questions that the man in this song is asking himself. I think that the best way to put it is that the man is looking for reassurance that everything will turn okay in the end.
Dark Jak: Garth briefly came out of retirement to record this song as a tribute to his friend and influence, Chris LeDoux. Chris was a pro rodeo cowboy turned country singer who passed away in 2005. This song was written as a tribute to him. What I like about is that, unlike most tribute which is usually a slow, sad sounding tune, this song is happy upbeat song. Garth explained in an interview that this was because Chris was a happy upbeat kind of guy, that he would not have wanted a slow mournful song. I think that is what makes the song stand out from others of its type and why I enjoy it so.
Tim: While not one of my personal favorites from Garth, it is far from his weakest. Which even his weakest song is enjoyable. I do agree that it is a good tribute to his friend and I do like the idea of it being upbeat because I like to believe that instead of mourning a loss, we should celebrate their life and Garth was most certainly celebrating the life of his friend here.
4. Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)
Dark Jak: The one that started it all, this was Garth’s first single and the one that introduced him to the world. The song tells the story of an old rodeo cowboy who is starting to feel his age and the stress of his career. I absolutely love the vocal work on this one. Garth sings it with just a hint of regret in his voice, it enough to get the point across, but not feel forced down your throat. Fun fact about the song, at one point Garth name drops one of his influences, Chris LeDoux, who I talked about earlier. This eventually led to the two men touring together and forming a strong friendship. Chris also got a huge bump in popularity due to his name being mentioned here, and both men liked to credit their success during this era to both this song and the other man.
4. Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)
Dark Jak: The one that started it all, this was Garth’s first single and the one that introduced him to the world. The song tells the story of an old rodeo cowboy who is starting to feel his age and the stress of his career. I absolutely love the vocal work on this one. Garth sings it with just a hint of regret in his voice, it enough to get the point across, but not feel forced down your throat. Fun fact about the song, at one point Garth name drops one of his influences, Chris LeDoux, who I talked about earlier. This eventually led to the two men touring together and forming a strong friendship. Chris also got a huge bump in popularity due to his name being mentioned here, and both men liked to credit their success during this era to both this song and the other man.
Tim: Now it's been a while since I've heard this song and I wasn't sure what to expect but it is such a great tune. I love the background music and while still a fun song, it's fun comes from the simplicity of the song. It may not be thought provoking or tear inducing like the Garth songs I love but not all of his songs need to be that and this is such a fun yet song.
3. Two of a Kind, Workin’ on a Full House Dark Jak: You got to love that fiddle intro. This is a fun, light hearted song that shows off Garth’s more humors side. I really enjoy the lyrics in this one, which are pretty catchy and memorable. This was one of Garth’s earlier hits and help established him as one of the big names in the industry.
Tim: Ah, another good fun song from Garth. Totally agree about the fiddle. This one I think you could say has some twang to it. Something I like about this song is that even though I know it is Garth singing, his voice has sound unique to this song that I don't hear in any of his other work. And honestly, this woman sounds like the perfect lady.
Dark Jak: In a lot of ways, this is your typical country drinking song. This song tells the story of a man who is down with the blues, who over the course of the song drinks his problems away until he can no longer remember them. This song has a fun Spanish feel to it which makes it a fun one to sing along with.
Tim: This song is indeed your typical Country drinking song but I love it. I've been singing along with this song before I even knew who Captain Morgan was. I recall singing this song in elementary school. Simpler times, one could never get away with that today. I do agree that this song has a Spanish flair to it and that totally works in the song's favor.
1. Callin' Baton Rouge
Dark Jak: Out of all of Garth’s songs I have on my iPod, this is easily the most played. The song tells the tale of a trucker who is attempting to call a woman he met the night before in Baton Rouge. I just love everything about this song. It’s got a great blue grass sound to and just hearing that opening is enough to put me in a good mood. Then there is Garth great vocals works, which remain some of his strongest work, I especially love the harmonies vocals in the chorus. To this day it remains my favorite song by Garth Brooks.
Dark Jak: Out of all of Garth’s songs I have on my iPod, this is easily the most played. The song tells the tale of a trucker who is attempting to call a woman he met the night before in Baton Rouge. I just love everything about this song. It’s got a great blue grass sound to and just hearing that opening is enough to put me in a good mood. Then there is Garth great vocals works, which remain some of his strongest work, I especially love the harmonies vocals in the chorus. To this day it remains my favorite song by Garth Brooks.
Tim: Excellent pick for # 1. This song has a great story to it and I love songs that tell stories and this is a great example of storytelling. I can see how this would put you in a good mood. It is just so much fun to listen to and another thing I love about this song is the fact we are given a name of the girl that the man has fallen for. Oh, Samantha. I think giving her character a name adds something to the song. Once again, excellent choice.
Moviefan12's List
6. Bellau Wood
Tim: One thing you'll notice with all of my picks is that I love Garth's songs that tell a great story and this one is no exception. This is one of his more seasonal songs and one of the few Christmas songs that I'm aware of him doing but my oh my, what a song. The setting is the battle of Bellau Wood during Christmas where there are two opposing forces, the Americans and Germans but they call a Christmas truce and they start to join along in singing Silent Night. Which was started by one of the German soldier and as our main characters states he may not understand the language but he knows the message and when Garth gets to part about the American solider being face to face with the German solider, I just get goosebumps. This is perhaps one of his most powerful stories and to me, it's not Christmas until I've listened to this song. It is so haunting and yet beautiful at the same time.
*Just a small note here before I get to my comments. The troops in the song are German and British solider. America wouldn’t enter the war for another few years.
Dark Jak: I completely agree with you there, Garth was a master story teller. While Garth made two Christmas albums, this song actually from his “Sevens” album. Like you already said, this song is based on the incredibly true story of the Christmas Truce during the First World War (If you want more details on it watch Joyeux Noel). This song is extremely inspiring and Christmas favorite at my house as well.
5. That Summer
Tim: I've always looked at this song from the point of view of it being a coming of age song. In this song, Garth sings about a young teenage boy that after some experiences with an older lady, that makes him feel like a man. In some regards one could compare it to The Graduate. I do believe that the teenager had feelings for the lady in this song and that does come across rather well but the way, Garth sings about it isn't creepy but rather endearing. It's also what I'd consider a summer romance, a once in a lifetime feeling that you'll never get again. While this song may not get the recnogtion, I feel it deserves, it is one of Garth's best stories.
Dark Jak: Wow. That is just about the perfect summary for this song. I’m not sure if there is anything I can really add. One thing I will note is that this song shows just how good of a song writer Garth is, because in the hands of some with less skilled, this song could have turned out much differently. But as it is, it is one of Garth’s strongest from a songwriter’s aspect.
4. The Beaches of Cheyenne
Tim: I really love this song and I feel that this one is the best story Garth delivered in any of his songs. Some of you may be asking then why I'm only putting at # 4 then. Well, you'll find out soon enough. The whole ghost story element of this song is so wonderful. In some regards, this song reminds me of another classic Garth song, Rodeo but as much as I like that one, I prefer this one. The only similarities they share are being about bull riders but in that sense, one could look at this song as the spiritual sequel to Rodeo. Makes that song rather grim actually. This song more or less is about the effect of losing a loved one and how the lady who lost her husband isn't ready to cross over and always walks the beaches. Leading me to believe that she has unfinished business on our world. I believe her unfinished business to be that she never got to say goodbye to her husband when he passed away. This song also shows that ghost stories do not have to be scary or spooky to be effective. This one I would say is passionate and that works wonders for this song.
Dark Jak: Fun fact about this song is that it was originally suppose to be a comedic song. However while tossing around possible lines with some of his song writing partners, when someone suggested “every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne.” It was at that moment they knew that they knew the song would no longer be funny and completely changed the concept (originally it was supposed to be about a man pretending to cowboy at the beach). I agree that this song is a bit grim, which is actually why I prefer Rodeo to this, but never the less it has some of Garth’s best lyrics. I always get a little chill whenever I listen to it. Great choice.
3. The River
Tim: I love the metaphors in this song and I feel that this is one of Garth's most empowering songs. With the message being it's okay to follow your dreams but you have to be willing to work to make your dreams come true, which in the song is the vessel that you sail down the river. If you’re willing to make your dreams come true and fight for them, that's all we ask of you. So long as you try to make your dreams a reality, you've done your best. The song states that you'll face obstacles getting to your dream but that's life. We all have obstacles that we must overcome in life. Look at me, I have seizures and that's my obstacle but I fight to keep my dream alive and I don't let them take me down. Another reason, I love this song so much is because of the lullaby nature of this song. It is very soothing.
2. The Dance
Tim: Every artist has something that can be considered their Magnum opus and for Garth, it has to be The Dance. This is his best song, hands down. While not my favorite, I can't deny that it is his best. This song is just so beautiful and so tear inducing too. If you have not seen the video for this song, I encourage you too. I love how Garth explains that this is both a love song and a song for dying for what you believe in. We need more songs like The Dance. This is one of those songs that are so powerful that can be only be done justice by Garth. There may be covers out there but he made this song what it is and without him, this song loses its meaning.
4. The Beaches of Cheyenne
Tim: I really love this song and I feel that this one is the best story Garth delivered in any of his songs. Some of you may be asking then why I'm only putting at # 4 then. Well, you'll find out soon enough. The whole ghost story element of this song is so wonderful. In some regards, this song reminds me of another classic Garth song, Rodeo but as much as I like that one, I prefer this one. The only similarities they share are being about bull riders but in that sense, one could look at this song as the spiritual sequel to Rodeo. Makes that song rather grim actually. This song more or less is about the effect of losing a loved one and how the lady who lost her husband isn't ready to cross over and always walks the beaches. Leading me to believe that she has unfinished business on our world. I believe her unfinished business to be that she never got to say goodbye to her husband when he passed away. This song also shows that ghost stories do not have to be scary or spooky to be effective. This one I would say is passionate and that works wonders for this song.
Dark Jak: Fun fact about this song is that it was originally suppose to be a comedic song. However while tossing around possible lines with some of his song writing partners, when someone suggested “every night she walks the beaches of Cheyenne.” It was at that moment they knew that they knew the song would no longer be funny and completely changed the concept (originally it was supposed to be about a man pretending to cowboy at the beach). I agree that this song is a bit grim, which is actually why I prefer Rodeo to this, but never the less it has some of Garth’s best lyrics. I always get a little chill whenever I listen to it. Great choice.
3. The River
Tim: I love the metaphors in this song and I feel that this is one of Garth's most empowering songs. With the message being it's okay to follow your dreams but you have to be willing to work to make your dreams come true, which in the song is the vessel that you sail down the river. If you’re willing to make your dreams come true and fight for them, that's all we ask of you. So long as you try to make your dreams a reality, you've done your best. The song states that you'll face obstacles getting to your dream but that's life. We all have obstacles that we must overcome in life. Look at me, I have seizures and that's my obstacle but I fight to keep my dream alive and I don't let them take me down. Another reason, I love this song so much is because of the lullaby nature of this song. It is very soothing.
Dark Jak: Easily the most inspiring song Garth every record, this is one that I think everyone can relate to. The song is inspiring, but never feels preachy. Following your dreams is rather common subjects for a lot of songs, but this is the one that does it the best in my mind. I get a feeling when I listen to this song that I don’t get from most songs. Whenever I hear it, it never sounds like I’m listening to a recording, more like I am listening to someone in the singing it in the same room I am. I know it sounds a bit odd, but that is the feeling I get.
2. The Dance
Tim: Every artist has something that can be considered their Magnum opus and for Garth, it has to be The Dance. This is his best song, hands down. While not my favorite, I can't deny that it is his best. This song is just so beautiful and so tear inducing too. If you have not seen the video for this song, I encourage you too. I love how Garth explains that this is both a love song and a song for dying for what you believe in. We need more songs like The Dance. This is one of those songs that are so powerful that can be only be done justice by Garth. There may be covers out there but he made this song what it is and without him, this song loses its meaning.
Dark Jak: Excellent pick my friend, had you not included it on your list I certainly was going to. The lyrics for this song are perfect, being able to capture the double meaning of both the end of a relationship and dying for something you believe. I know a lot of people relate to this song because of that, but I would like to add a third meaning. To me, it’s always been about a man dealing with death of someone close to him. For this reason, I’ve had a huge attachment to this song for quite a while. You see, several years ago I went through a very difficult period of my life where I lost five very close friends/family members in a period of 7 weeks. Yeah, needless to say, this wasn’t an easy time for me and I went into a bit of depression and became somewhat distant from everyone else. I guess I just didn’t know what I suppose to feel during this time and was trying to make sense out of all of it. Then one day I heard this song, it just felt like someone struck me across the head. It felt like someone was singing this song for me, like someone took everything I wasn’t even aware I was I feeling and made this song for me. Oh sure, I had heard the song a hundred times before, but it just hit me at the right moment and completely changed the way I saw it. I’m not going to lie and say everything immediately got better, but this song certainly helped. I normal don’t get very emotional whenever I hear songs, but to this day, I can’t hear it without coming close to tears. It’s just truly a powerful song and one I can honestly say left an impact on me.
1. Standing Outside The Fire
Tim: Ah, here we go. This is my personal favorite from Garth. This song helped me through many turbulent times in my life. Again, you need to track down this video. One word to describe this song: empowerment. This song is one that will always stand by me and remind me that just because I live with disabilities, it's okay to take risks because what is life without taking a few risks. You’re not living if you don't take risks. The fire if needed to be explain is the risk and sometimes you just need to throw yourself into the flames and see what comes of it. Not every risk you take will result in success but at least you took the risk and that is something to be proud of. This is the song that I'll always think of first when someone says Garth Brooks. Sure, he may have other great songs like The Thunder Rolls but this is what I'll think of when think of Garth (that and his cool logo).
Tim: Ah, here we go. This is my personal favorite from Garth. This song helped me through many turbulent times in my life. Again, you need to track down this video. One word to describe this song: empowerment. This song is one that will always stand by me and remind me that just because I live with disabilities, it's okay to take risks because what is life without taking a few risks. You’re not living if you don't take risks. The fire if needed to be explain is the risk and sometimes you just need to throw yourself into the flames and see what comes of it. Not every risk you take will result in success but at least you took the risk and that is something to be proud of. This is the song that I'll always think of first when someone says Garth Brooks. Sure, he may have other great songs like The Thunder Rolls but this is what I'll think of when think of Garth (that and his cool logo).
Dark Jak: This is another really inspiring song. In a lot of ways it reminds me of the River, both songs talk about risk, but make it perfectly clear that to get anything you truly want, you need to take those risk. You really nailed what makes this song so great, so I won’t repeat anything you said other than that the music video is really great and people need to track it down. Great pick.
Tim: Well, I hope that you've enjoyed this special cross over and Dark Jak, thanks for joining me in taking a look at some of the songs from my favorite artist.
Dark Jak: This was a lot of fun working with you on this.
great list!
ReplyDeleteThanks.
Delete