Year of Rain

Have you ever noticed just how many songs there are about rain? In fact there is even a song called "Songs about Rain" that lists the names of other songs about rain.

Now there's all kind of songs about babies and love that goes right,

But for some unknown reason nobody wants to play them tonight,

Hey I hope it's sunny wherever you are,

But that's sure not the picture tonight in my car, 

And it sure ain't easing my pain all these songs like,

Rainy Night In Georgia,

and Kentucky Rain,

Here Comes That Rainy Day Feeling Again, 

Blue Eyes Crying In The early morning Rain,

They go on and on,

And there's no two the same.

I'm sure there are enough rainy day songs out there to play music for an entire year, but for brevity's sake my "Year of Rain" playlist limits the list to one song per month (a very specific song per month, as you will see), with the "Songs About Rain" introduction.

The Napster version can be found here.

The Spotify version can be found here.

The Youtube version can be found here.

1. "Songs About Rain" by Gary Allan

2. "January Rain" by Joelle Maddyson

3. "February Rain" by Peter Vuksich

4. "March Rain" by Bill Dean

5. "April Rain" by Delain

6. "May Rain" by Saving Dawn

7. "June Rain" by Sandra Mollman

8. "July Rain" by Steel Creek

9. "August Rain" by Hogg Maulies

10. "September Rain" by Erick Macek

11. "October Rain" by Roxie Randle

12. "November Rain" by Guns N' Roses

13. "December Rain" by The Lovemonkeys (not included on Youtube Playlist)

14. "Year of Rain" by SundogProject (not included on Spotify Playlist)

"It Only Takes One" Lyrics

"It Only Takes One" on Napster
"It Only Takes One" on Spotify
The song is not available on Youtube but Here is Travis Wayne's Youtube account

"It Only Takes One"
By Travis Wayne

They kicked John's best friend out of school
He can't even say his name
He's already been warned
The next time its 3 days
If it was selling drugs, fighting,
Or had a gun John could relate
But it was something stupid
Separation of church and state
John's never thrown a punch.
He keeps turning the other cheek
He swallows hard and bites his tongue
When they call him a Jesus Freak

It only takes one young rebel
One cause to cause trouble
One pebble in a pond can start a wave
You know how folks get carried away
One tree can grow a forest
One man came before us
He blazed a trail, took three nails,
And built a kingdom to come
Saving millions
It only takes one

Now John's got 3 or 4 buddies
Looks like he's gaining ground
They gather at the flag pole every morning
Eyes closed, and heads bowed
One kid's dad's in prison
Another's got a mama hooked on crack
John's doing what he's led to do
And you can't argue with that

Cause gangs are getting smaller
And dealers are getting caught
Thanks to kids just like John
And praise to God

It only takes one young rebel
One cause to cause trouble
One pebble in a pond can start a wave
You know how folks get carried away
One tree can grow a forest
One man came before us
He blazed a trail, took three nails,
And built a kingdom to come
Saving millions

It only takes one young rebel
One cause to cause trouble
One pebble in a pond can start a wave
You know how folks get carried away
One tree can grow a forest
One man came before us
He blazed a trail, took three nails,
And built a kingdom to come
Saving millions
It's only takes one


Travis Wayne is a country artist I discovered recently and liked immediately. However, it appears that he has retired from the country music scene as of 7-4-2016.  He made the following announcement on his facebook page:

"Ok so I've thought about it for a while and I wanted everyone to hear it from me first. I am officially going to retire from playing music. I've spent the last 7 years traveling, playing, and entertaining all of you and it's been a blessing. I've been able to do and see some amazing things. But there is another side of music that I don't much care for. The band part being one. Just tired of having to deal with other members who are usually unappreciative and deceitful. Those who know me know drugs and such has never been my thing. Unfortunately other band members do not see things the way I do. Nashville is a nasty, cut throat town and I'm not willing to change into someone I don't wanna be for them. Does this mean I'll never play again? Of course not. I'll always find a stage to sing and play on. I'm just done dealing with all the unnecessary drama that comes with everything. I love you all and want you all who have truly supported my music to know I love and appreciate each one of you. As I said earlier, I'll continue to play just not to the caliber I was! Thank you all again for an amazing experience!"

Frankly, I don't blame him.  It doesn't sound like an avenue I would want to travel either.  However, I'm sad that country music has lost an artist with such potential, and I'm especially sad that he retired so shortly after I learned about him.

Marching Bands in Country Songs

Have you ever wondered how often marching bands come up in country songs?  No?  Nobody else has ever wondered that?  Oh well, here's a fun playlist anyway. It includes as many country songs as I could find that mention marching band at least once, somewhere in their lyrics. The list starts with Brad Paisley's #1 hit "Online," and ends with another well-known song that is not typically considered country, but still feels right at home with the rest of the list.

The Napster version can be found here Marching Bands in Country Songs on Napster

The Spotify version can be found here Marching Bands in Country Music on Spotify

The Youtube version can be found here Marching Bands in Country Music on Youtube

1. "Online" by Brad Paisley

2. "A Really Long Year" by Rosie Thomas (Not included on the Spotify playlist)

3. "Senor (Tales of Yankee Power) by Dierks Bentley

4. "Girl Next Door" by Julie Roberts

5. "Be A Little Quieter" by Porter Wagoner

6. "Travelin' Soldier" by Dixie Chicks

7. "Hang On" by Country Joe & The Fish

8. "Quarterback" by Kira Isabella

9. "Must Be Love" by Lonestar

10. "Trouble No More" by Mindy Gledhill

11. "Country Man" by Jeff Bates

12. "A Little Left of Center" by Randy Travis

13. "American Pie" by Don McLean

Country Must Be Country Wide

"Country Must be Country Wide" is a country song by Brantley Gilbert that was released in 2011.  All through the process of creating this playlist, fragments of that song kept running through my head, and just seemed so fitting. Here are a few of the most appropriate lyrics:

Country must be country wide

In every state

There's a station

Playin' Cash, Hank, Willie, and Waylon

In foreign cars and four wheel drives

There's cowboys and hillbillies

From farm towns to big cities

There ain't no doubt in my mind

Country must be country wide

It ain't where

It's how you live

You can also find a similar theme in "Country Is," a song by Tom T. Hall released in 1974. 

Country is 

sittin' on the back porch 

listen to the whippoorwills 

late in the day

Country is

mindin' your business 

helpin' a stranger 

if he comes your way

Country is 

livin' in the city

knowin' your people 

knowin' your kind

Country is 

what you make it 

country is all in your mind

Without further delay, here is a playlist of fifty country songs about every state in the nation (by fifty different artists, no less), plus the two bonus songs I quoted above.

The Napster version can be found here: Napster Version of Country Must be Country Wide
The Spotify Version can be found here: Spotify Version of Country Must be Country Wide

The Youtube version is here Country must be Country Wide on Youtube  (As always, I select videos for the sound quality, not necessarily for video content).

(By the way, if you don't want to listen to the whole list, at least check out Iowa, Maryland, and South Dakota. They are some top-notch bluegrass songs by relatively unknown artists and are definitely worth your time).

"All in Alabama" by Hank Williams Jr.

"North to Alaska" by Johnny Horton

"Arizona Whiz" by Cal Smith

"Arkansas Dave" by George Strait

"All the Gold in California" by Gatlin Brothers

"I Guess He's Rather Be in Colorado" by John Denver

"Connecticut Redneck Song" by David Stephens

"Man from Delaware" by Jason Frye

"My Florida Sunshine" by Claire Lynch

"The Devil Went Down to Georgia" Charlie Daniels Band

"Blue for Old Hawaii" by Hank Snow (Not included in the Spotify playlist)

"Boise, Idaho" by Cimarron (Not included in the Youtube playlist)

"Illinois" by Brett Eldredge

"Indiana's Angel" by Brantley Gilbert (Not included in the Youtube playlist)

"Iowa Winter" by Finders and Youngberg

"You're Not in Kansas Anymore" by Jo Dee Messina

"Blue Moon of Kentucky" by Bill Monroe

"Louisiana Saturday Night" by Mel McDaniel

"Portland, Maine" by Tim McGraw

"Maryland County Road" by Erica Wheeler (Not included in the Spotify playlist)

"Massachusetts" by Aaron Lewis

"Saginaw, Michigan" by Lefty Frizzell

"Minnesota Flatwoods Farm Boy" by Jeff Young

"Mississippi Girl" by Faith Hill

"Missing Missouri" by Sara Evans

"Meet Me in Montana" by Marie Osmond

"Little Nebraska Town" by Rachel Price

"Sierra Nevada" by Sons of the Pioneers

"Waltz Across New Hampshire" by Bradley Winfield Parker

"I'm From New Jersey" by John Gorka

"New Mexico" by Johnny Cash

"In a New York Minute" by Ronnie McDowell

"North Carolina" by Divine Maggees

"North Dakota" by Tigirlily

"Look at Miss Ohio" by Miranda Lambert

"You're the Reason God Made Oklahoma" by David Frizzell

"Eugene, Oregon" by Dolly Parton

"Pennsylvania Avenue" by Reckless Kelly

"Rhode Island" by Kydells

"South Carolina Low Country" by Josh Turner

"On the South Dakota Wind" by Becky Buller

"Tennessee Whiskey" by Chris Stapleton

"If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)" by Alabama

"Utah Carol" by Marty Robbins

"Moonlight in Vermont" by Willie Nelson

"Carry Me Back to Virginia" by Old Crow Medicine Show

"My Washington Woman" by Kenny Rogers

"West Virginia Coal Mine" by Jim Cook and the Taylormacs

"Wisconsin Water" by Horseshoes and Handgrenades

"Why Wyoming" by Kellie Coffey

"Country Must be Country Wide" by Brantley Gilbert

"Country Is" by Tom T. Hall

As a random side note, I was particularly impressed with the songs about North Dakota and had a very difficult time choosing a top song to put in this playlist.  Just in case you want to see them out, the runners up included "North Dakota Girl" by James Talley and "North Dakota Boy" by Doc Walker.

Composers A-Z

I've been building unusual music playlists for years, often using odd themes or strict rules that I assign myself.  I simply enjoy the challenge, but this has a secondary effect of allowing me to discover interesting and unusual music I would have never found otherwise. After years of this somewhat odd hobby, I decided it was time to share some of my playlists with the world.

The most appropriate way to start this blog seems like it should be with the very first playlist I ever built, way back during my college days as a music education major. As you might imagine, during this period of my life I was completely and totally immersed in classical music, which is how this list came about.

I build my playlists primarily with Napster (formerly Rhapsody), so if you have a Napster account, this will be the most complete, original list. You can find the playlist here: A-Z Composers on Napster
If you prefer Spotify, you can find the playlist here: A-Z Composers on Spotify
If you prefer to listen through Youtube, this playlist contains as much of the original list as I was able to find on youtube, but I did not spend any time critiquing the videos as this is primarily focused on sound.   The playlist can be found here:
A-Z Composers on Youtube

And if you just want to see the list without bothering to listen to it, here it is below:

Albinoni, Tomaso: Adagio in G Minor: Giazotto
Bach, Johann Sebastian: Toccata and Fugue in D Minor
Chopin, Frederic: Prelude, Op. 28 No. 13 in F sharp major, Lento
Debussy, Claude: Clair De Lune
Elgar, Edward: Salut d'amour
Franck, Cesar: Violin Sonata in A Major: III Recitativo
Grieg, Edvard: Peer Gynt Suite: In the Hall of the Mountain King
Haydn, Franz Joseph: Symphony No. 94, Surprise Minuet
Isaac, Heinrich: Carmen a 5
Janacek, Leos: Idyll for Strings, Adagio
Katchaturian, Aram: Sabre Dance
Liszt, Franz: Mephisto waltz No.1
Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus: Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, K 525 Allegro
Nielsen, Carl: Canto Serioso
Offenbach, Jacques: Barcarolle from "The Tales of Hoffman"
Prokofiev, Sergey: Romeo and Juliet: Dance of the Knights
Quantz, Johann Joachim: Concerto for Flute, Bassoon, Strings, and B.C. in G Major - III Allegretto (The Spotify playlist has a different song by Quantz: Flute Concerto in A Minor: Allegretto)
Rimsky-Korsakov, Nikolai: Flight of the Bumble Bee
Schubert, Franz: Piano Sonata No. 6 in E minor - IV. Rondo Allegretto ( the Spotify and youtube video include the first movement - I. Moderato)
Tchaikovsky, Pyotr Illyich: Neapolitan Dance
Ullman, Viktor: Piano Sonata N. 5 Op. 45 - Andante
Vivaldi, Antonio: Four Seasons Violin Concert in E Major - "Spring"
Wagner, Richard: Ride of the Valkyries
Xenakis, Iannis: Six Chansons pour piano
Ysaye, Eugene: Sonata No, 1 in G minor - I. Grave (Lento assai)
Ziehrer, Carl Michael: Pfiffig op. 384 Polka Francaise pfiffig