I’m from the millennial generation,
but the reason I ventured into country music was because of some old singers
with lovely voices, whose songs have an appeal that transcends the borders of
the United States to the world at large – I’m talking of John Denver and Anne
Murray.
Tape Recorder Memories
I have memories of my dad’s tape
recorder and John Denver’s Greatest Hits cassette cover beside it on the couch
in our living room. Despite all the Bluetooth players and USB pen-drives you
have these days where you can just store so many songs or get them downloaded
from the Internet, there’s something about listening to a cassette player
that’s missing these days. Those tape recorders were the greatest relaxation
tools. You listen to them and just relax on your couch, dreaming of scenes
conjured up by the singer, and no one was quite as good as Denver in making you
dream.
Nature and Beauty
The most famous Denver song that comes
to mind is obviously “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” Sure that brings to mind
the beauty of West Virginia, the Blue Ridge Mountains and Shenandoah
River though I’m sure people anywhere in the world would conjure up images of
their homeland and the rivers and mountains they have there. Prominent rocky
peaks come to mind when the chorus of “Rocky Mountain High Colorado” rings
through the tape recorder’s speakers. The harsh realities of life raise their
gloomy heads in “Wild Montana Skies,” for which Denver was accompanied by
Emmylou Harris.
Love and Infatuation
But Denver’s songs weren’t about
just nature. There was love, tender love. “Annie’s Song” talks of tender
affection, and it makes you wish you were there, experiencing everything Denver
sang. And then you have plain infatuation depicted in “Fly Away,” made more
beautiful by the timeless voice of the 70s and early 80s diva Olivia Newton
John. You’re floating in a ton of emotions when you experience the chorus of
that song to which Olivia brilliantly renders the background vocals.
Deep Voice that Evokes Deep Emotions
Canadian Anne Murray’s country hits
are more sophisticated, but what’s mesmerizing is her deep voice. And you get
to experience that deep voice at its best in the deeply romantic ballad, “I’d
Fall in Love Tonight.” “Shadows in the Moonlight” presents how fun love can be.
In fact there are so many of Anne Murray’s ballads that I love, that I can’t
talk about all of them here.
Country music has significantly
transformed over the years, but these two artists laid the foundation of my
love for the genre. Which artiste has been your inspiration?
