The Race is On – And the winners loses all. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #GeorgeJones #DonRollins #JimmieGray #WaylonJennings #JackJones #LorettaLynn #PeterandGordon #ConwayTwitty #GratefulDead #DaveEdmunds #StrayCats #GeorgiaSatellites #SawyerBrown #BlackberrySmoke

Ten years ago today, country music legend George Jones died.

Today’s feature takes us back 60 years to a song the man known as ‘the Possum’ recorded in June of 1963. ‘The Race is On’ became one of his signature songs. Here’s a quick look at how George Jones was introduced to the song and a walk through the years that shares an interesting range of artists who have covered this carefully crafted song.

In order to take it right back to its origin, the credit for ‘The Race is On’ has to go to Don Rollins. As the story goes, Rollins had spent a day at the races when the idea for the metaphorical lyrics came his way. Turf Paradise Race Course in Phoenix was the scene. The ebb and flow of gambling on a thoroughbred became the inspiration for an analysis of his own love life.

Here are the lyrics.

I feel tears wellin’ up cold and deep inside
Like my heart’s sprung a big break
And the stab of loneliness, sharp and painful
That I may never shake
Now you might say that I was taking it hard
Since you wrote me off with a call
But don’t you wager that I’ll hide the sorrow
When I may break right down and bawl

Now the race is on and here comes pride up the backstretch
Heartaches are going to the inside
My tears are holding back
They’re trying not to fall
My heart’s out of the running
True love’s scratched for another’s sake
The race is on and it looks like heartaches
And the winner loses all

One day I had ventured in love, never once suspecting
What the final results would be
How I lived in fear of waking up each morning
And finding that you’d gone from me
There’s aching and pain in my heart
For the day was the one that I hated to face
Somebody new came up to win her
And I came out in second place

Now the race is on and here comes pride up the backstretch
Heartaches are going to the inside
My tears are holding back
They’re trying not to fall
My heart’s out of the running
True love’s scratched for another’s sake
The race is on and it looks like heartaches
And the winner loses all”

Don Rollins

George Jones first heard ‘The Race is On’ in the office of the Longhorn Ballroom in Dallas. The venue was owned by Dewey Groom. Groom was charged with seeking out demos that would be suitable for Jones to record. In the liner notes of his 1984 greatest hits album, Jones recalls, the session was not going well, and he was ready to leave when Groom pressed play on a demo of ‘The Race is On’ recorded by Jimmie Gray. After the first line, George Jones exclaimed “I’ll take it’.

I feel tears wellin’ up cold and deep inside
Like my heart’s sprung a big break

Don Rollins

Don Rollins wrote ‘The Race is On’ for Gray in 1961, but it didn’t go anywhere. Upon hearing the demo, Jones asked to meet with the relatively unknown singer. He was captured by the vocals. Gray sang a whole step higher. Jones’s intent was to get to know Jimmie Gray a little and get a sense of his musical direction. In no time, the pair became friends and Jimmie Gray became a touring member of George Jones’s backing band, playing bass and adding harmonies.

To get a sense of what Jimmie Gray added to ‘The Race is On’ watch this live version from 1965.

It should be noted that the studio version of ‘The Race is On’ features an iconic six string bass guitar solo. This was provided by Kelso Herston. Herston became a long time George Jones collaborator who wrote a handful of hit songs and even produced an album, before going on to become a prolific jingle writer for a host of major advertising campaigns including Budweiser, Pepsi, 7-Up, Oscar Mayer, Burger King and McDonald’s.

Getting back to the song itself, it was George Jones’s delivery that took everything to another level. He tells the story of a man who is on the edge of heartbreak. Here is a quote from Bob Allen in his George Jones biography ‘The Life and Times of a Honky Tonk Legend’.

George imbued ‘The Race Is On’ with a masterfully frenetic, on-the-edge vocal reading, full of whining emotional ambivalence and mock sadness. By gleefully bending and stretching the notes and singing, at times, slightly ahead of or behind the song’s fast-clipped meter, he embellished it with a subtle sense of tension and release that perfectly complemented the rapid-fire cascading effect of the song’s lyrics.”

Bob Allen

Jones rode ‘The Race is On’ to a #3 position on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart and it enjoyed a degree of success on the Billboard Hot 100. Through the years it became a set standard for the prolific country artist whose hit inspired countless other acts to take a shot at both emulating his style and telling the story originally related by Don Rollins.

One of the first covers of ‘The Race is On’ was recorded later in 1964 by rising star, Waylon Jennings. You can hear his distinct voice in this version that was released as a single in 1964, before being added as an album track on his 1970 album, ‘Don’t Think Twice’.

As much as George Jones is known for ‘The Race is On’ it was Jack Jones that had the most wide ranging early success. The ‘other Jones’ in this story took ‘The Race is On’ to #15 on the Billboard Hot 100, and #1 on the Billboard Middle-Road Singles.

The big names continue with this quality cover from Loretta Lynn who offers the women’s perspective. What a gem.

The story of Peter and Gordon is well documented in terms of their evolution as an act emerging out of the British Invasion. In time, Peter Asher gravitated to the American country rock style. He became extremely influential in the career of James Taylor and Linda Ronstadt among others. This cover could demonstrate the beginning of that transformation. It is from their 1966 album ‘Peter and Gordon Sing and Play the Hits of Nashville Tennessee’.

A decade later another country music legend took a shot at ‘The Race is On’. This is Conway Twitty from his appropriately entitled album ‘This Time I Hurt Her More Than She Loves Me’.

Here is where everything changed for me, and what drew me to ‘The Race Is On’. Everyone has their own story and this is mine. In the early part of 1984 I was introduced to the Grateful Dead by my friend Steve. It all began with ‘The Grateful Dead Movie. Then he handed me an arm full of albums that included ‘American Beauty’, ‘Blues for Allah’, ‘Skeletons from the Closet’ as well as ‘Dead Set’ and its live companion piece, ‘Reckoning’. The ‘Reckoning’ album really intrigued me because it was an acoustic set that featured the Dead in a more intimate environment. This really drew me to their prowess as instrumentalists as well as unique look at their cohesiveness as a band. One of the songs that really grabbed me was ‘The Race is On’. As always, I needed to learn more. It was here that I learned that it was a classic George Jones song.

Ted Tocks Covers is on record as saying that my indoctrination as a music fan has many core influences, but there is no act I credit more for opening the door to a world of music than the Grateful Dead. Their original work resides on a pedestal unto itself, but their reverence for the artists that came before is noteworthy. From bluegrass to country, to blues, folk and even jazz, the Grateful Dead brought it all to the stage and from their earliest days as The Warlocks they made sure everyone knew who they were honouring. As a result, Grateful Dead fans; sorry ‘Deadheads’, exist as among the most educated in terms of the history of music and the lines of influence that take us from the early 1900s to the present day.

So, to bring a long chapter to a fitting conclusion here is the Grateful Dead performing their acoustic set with Bob Weir belting out a capable tribute to George Jones, working his way up and down the fretboard of his acoustic guitar, like only he can. The rest of the band jam away in a subtle homage to the great George Jones. This is from the Dead’s Radio City Music Hall stand in October of 1980.

Thanks Steve!

For me the Grateful Dead will always be the standard for ‘The Race is On’ but I absolutely love what Dave Edmunds and the Stray Cats brought to the table in this 1983 collaboration. It is defined by its energy and their distinct rock-a-billy style. We have Dave Edmunds to thank for the Stray Cats. Here you get a little bit of the back story to this partnership. Listen to the interplay between The Stray Cats and Edmunds. So good.

Another band that just gets it is the Georgia Satellites. Another from the long list of proclamations from the keyboard of Ted Tocks Covers is my belief that this band saved rock and roll in the mid ‘80s. Bold! I know, but I stand by this statement. I just love these guys. Check out this high-octane cover from a 1987 live show. The Georgia Satellites peel the paint off the walls, but they served notice, that rock and roll was here to stay. One other thing they wanted to emphasize was the influence came from several places. Listen as they take it all down in the middle. They go from blazing rock and roll to classic country and back again. Did I mention, how much I appreciate this band? Checks notes…Yep!

Okay. As I researched ‘The Race is On’ I noticed that a quarter century after its original release, a country music act from Florida called Sawyer Brown took the song to a top 5 position North America wide. I thought this must be good, so I checked it out. Sorry man! Not digging it. This 1989 release seems to signify the formulaic style that has destroyed the true country genre. I should have checked out when I saw the Florida connection. The piano saves this cover, but just barely.

I needed to get back to my safe place. Who better to take me there than good ol’ Blackberry Smoke. Lo and behold, look who joins them on stage to deliver the goods. Warner Hodges of Jason and the Scorchers and Dan Baird from the Georgia Satellites rock their way through the song, and an appreciative audience is swept up in the moment.

I wish it would never end.

The race goes on.

May your days be filled with positive energy and your heartaches be very few.

If things become challenging, just know that music will always be there to get you through.

I think I just wrote the chorus for a song.

Rhinestone Cowboy – A man that loves you ‘til the end. #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #GlenCampbell #LarryWeiss #TheAmericanBreed #JimmyDean #LorettaLynn #SlimWhitman #CharleyPride #LeonRussell #DavidHasselhoff #BruceSpringsteen #JimCuddy #EltonJohn

I am sure you have a song that you can relate to so strongly that you remember the first time you heard it played. That is the beauty of music. It can take you back to a time and place. This is why music has healing powers. It has always been my contention that if more people drew from this therapeutic potential, the world would be a better place.

For Glen Campbell, the attraction to ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ was immediate and strong. He was on tour in Australia when he heard the song on the radio. It was a minor hit down under. The legendary country singer was drawn to the story being told in the lyrics. Upon the song’s completion, he went out and bought the cassette by a songwriter named Larry Weiss and listened to it over and over again. Campbell felt that Larry Weiss had captured his story.

So, who is Larry Weiss?

The original version of ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ was released by Larry Weiss on his album ‘Black and Blue Suite’ in 1974. He originally heard the phrase in a conversation and thought it would make a perfect song title.

I heard the phrase and thought, ‘Boy, I like that title’. I put my own meaning to it and wrote the song. I’ll always be a kid at heart, and ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ was sort of a summation of all my childhood cowboy movie heroes – particularly Hopalong Cassidy.”

Larry Weiss

Back in the ‘60s and ‘70s rhinestones were very popular accessories to the country singer’s attire. They are fake jewels that glitter nicely while an artist performed on a lighted stage. Country star David Allan Coe actually called himself the ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’. His 1974 album was called ‘The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy’. This moniker went back to his first performance at the Grand Ol’ Opry. Country star Mel Tillis gave Coe some rhinestone suits to wear so he would seem like a bigger star to the waiting audience. After his show, Coe signed autographs ‘The Mysterious Rhinestone Cowboy’.

Larry Weiss was very familiar with this story, and when the song was done, he offered it to David Allan Coe, but Coe opted to turn him down because he did not feel comfortable singing about himself.

‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ is a song about a country singer who is paying his dues. Like many, he is struggling to hit the big time, and doing whatever it takes. In essence, Weiss was also telling his story.

The idea for the song was also a crying out of myself. It was the spirit of a bunch of us on Broadway where I started out – Neil Diamond, Tony Orlando – we all had dreams of making it.”

Larry Weiss

Larry Weiss was on the edge of making it big. He just needed a push into the inner circle.

Those of you who may not be familiar with Larry Weiss may recognize his songwriting. Here is a song he wrote called ‘Bend Me, Shape Me’ by The American Breed.

Among many other contributions to music, he also sang the theme song for the popular ‘80s television show ‘Who’s the Boss’. The song is called ‘Brand New Life’. Weiss’s rendition was part of the show in season one and two.

Let’s get back to the man who made ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ famous.

When Glen Campbell returned from his Australian tour, he was clutching the tape containing ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’. He told his A&R man Al Coury that he had found the perfect song to record. Coury responded with the same statement. When they traded suggestions, they discovered they were both thinking of the same song. Without being too fatalistic it seems Glen Campbell was destined to record what would become his signature song.

For Campbell, it had come along at the perfect time. He had drifted into a bit of a dry period. He hadn’t had a hit in five years and his TV show had been canceled. As you read the lyrics you can see how the story spoke to the introspective side of the singer.

I’ve been walkin’ these streets so long
Singin’ the same old song
I know every crack in these dirty sidewalks of Broadway
Where hustle’s the name of the game
And nice guys get washed away like the snow and the rain
There’s been a load of compromisin’
On the road to my horizon
But I’m gonna be where the lights are shinin’ on me

Like a rhinestone cowboy
Riding out on a horse in a star-spangled rodeo
Like a rhinestone cowboy
Getting cards and letters from people I don’t even know
And offers comin’ over the phone

Well, I really don’t mind the rain
And a smile can hide all the pain
But you’re down when you’re ridin’ the train
That’s takin’ the long way
And I dream of the things I’ll do
With a subway token and a dollar tucked inside my shoe
There’ll be a load of compromisin’
On the road to my horizon
But I’m gonna be where the lights are shinin’ on me

Like a rhinestone cowboy
Riding out on a horse in a star-spangled rodeo
Rhinestone cowboy
Gettin’ cards and letters from people I don’t even know
And offers comin’ over the phone

Like a rhinestone cowboy
Riding out on a horse in a star-spangled rodeo

Like a rhinestone cowboy
Gettin’ cards and letters from people I don’t even know….”

Larry Weiss

Campbell could relate. As far back as the ‘50s, he played honky-tonks and bars, before heading to Los Angeles. He worked as a demo singer and a staff writer in L.A. studios. His time as a member of The Wrecking Crew is well documented. Campbell even did a stint as a ‘Beach Boy’ before striking out on his own and making it big in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.

Glen Campbell’s version of ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ was recorded over two months in the first quarter of 1975. It was released in May and by the summer of that year it was everywhere. The prototypical cross genre hit went to #1 on both the Billboard Hot 100 chart and the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It also hit #1 in Canada, Ireland and Yugoslavia. The fact that ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ went to #1 on both the Country and Mainstream charts was significant at the time. It was the first song to accomplish this milestone since Jimmy Dean did it in 1961 with ‘Big Bad John’.

This opened music lovers up to a wider range of possibilities. The floodgates opened and within a relatively short period during 1975 five other songs accomplished this same feat. They were:

‘Before the Next Teardrop Falls’ – Freddy Fender

‘(Hey Won’t You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song’ – B.J. Thomas

‘Thank God I’m a Country Boy’ – John Denver

‘Calypso’ – John Denver

‘Convoy’ – C.W. McCall

This points out the importance of the Weiss/Campbell creation. No longer did artists need to be pigeon-holed to any particular style. Open minded lovers of music the world over began to explore other camps.

It was a world of discovery.

The success of ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ also created an immediate demand for a series of prominent artists to record their own version of the song. One of the first was Loretta Lynn in 1976. This is from her album ‘When the Tingle Becomes a Chill’. There is something about her voice. She is so authentic. You feel the emotion.

One year later, here is Slim Whitman with a sped up orchestral version of ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’. A little yodel is added to the mix, but the reflective quality of the song remains. It’s an interesting take on the song. It was released on his album ‘Red River Valley’.

One of my favourite country singers is the great Charley Pride.  In 1977 he released ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ on his album ‘She’s Just an Old Love Turned Memory’. With Charley, there is never any pretense. Straight forward quality from a man who paid more than his share of dues, and came out shining. From rhinestones to diamonds.

Here is a special version of ‘Rhinestone Cowboy’ featuring Glen Campbell and the piano prowess of the great Leon Russell. This is from 1983. Two incredible talents who met in the studios of Los Angeles and contributed their talent to hundreds of songs by other artists before taking their respective shot at stardom.

In 2019, Bruce Springsteen released his critically acclaimed album ‘Western Stars’. For Bruce Springsteen, Glen Campbell was an acquired taste, but he gravitated to Campbell’s work ethic and dedication to quality. The acceptance of a broader base of influence is also noted in this quote.

When he first came out, I thought, ‘He’s a little mainstream,’ but then I realized he made well-crafted records. He can really sing and he was a great guitarist so, as I got older, I got into that music and thought, ‘Ah, I want to make a record with those influences.”

Bruce Springsteen

The Boss has spent decades tracing his musical roots. This is just one more example from the concert film that served as a companion to the highly anticipated album.

One more cover version before I share a very special encore. This recording from 2019 features actor David Hasselhoff of ‘Baywatch’ fame. He recorded the song in 2004 on an album called ‘David Hasselhoff Sings America’. In 2019 he revisited it with a special guest. Charlie Daniels adds a whole new dimension with his distinctive musical talent. It’s a shame that Daniels was a regressive bigot.

Bringing it back to Canada. Here is the immensely talented Jim Cuddy of Blue Rodeo fame. This is a fantastic cover from a performer who is well into his fifth decade of success.

This is an emotional release. ‘See You There’ was recorded by Glen Campbell over a four-year period from 2009 through 2013. It was put on hold while he embarked on his Goodbye Tour in 2011/12. It resides as his sixty-third album. You read that right. The penultimate Glen Campbell release coincided with the news that Glen Campbell was living with Alzheimer’s Disease. This was announced in June of 2011. One of Glen Campbell’s finest contributions was releasing the documentary ‘Glen Campbell: I’ll Be Me’ which chronicled the ravages of the disease and how it affected the singer as he toured the United States effectively saying good bye.

Sadly, Glen Campbell passed away on this day in 2017.

He is remembered with fondness, as a true gentleman of the stage.

Here is a take on his final recording, by Elton John. It exists as a virtual duet.

I will leave the final words to Glen Campbell.

I’m still here, but yet I’m gone
I don’t play guitar or sing my songs
They never defined who I am
The man that loves you ’til the end

You’re the last person I will love
You’re the last face I will recall
And best of all, I’m not gonna miss you
I’m not gonna miss you
I’m not gonna miss you

I’m never gonna hold you like I did
Or say I love you to the kids
You’re never gonna see it in my eyes
It’s not gonna hurt me when you cry

I’m never gonna know what you go through
All the things I say or do
All the hurt and all the pain
One thing selfishly remains

I’m not gonna miss you
I’m not gonna miss you”

Glen Campbell and Julian Raymond

Profound, right to the final note.

Stand By Your Man – After all he is just a man #MusicisLife #TedTocksCovers #TammyWynette #GratefulDead #LorettaLynn #BluesBrothers #Lemmy #WendyOWilliams #BrittanyMiller #LyleLovett #EltonJohn #GeorgetteJones #DrakeJensen #WillamBelli

For four years now, I have had ‘Stand by Your Man’ on the list of prospective features for Ted Tocks Covers. Each year, significant dates related to this song came and went and it ended up on the cutting room floor. I have always struggled with a way to present this as a feature because in many ways this signature offering by Tammy Wynette could only have been written and been a massive success in the era that it was released. Having said that, there is a catch. Read on.

‘Stand by Your Man’ was recorded on this day in 1968 and subsequently released on September 20, of that year. Initially, elements of the song made Tammy Wynette uncomfortable, but once the song gained widespread acceptance, she recognized its power and there was never a Tammy Wynette show without a rousing rendition of ‘Stand by Your Man’. This classic country song was co-written by Tammy Wynette and her producer, Billy Sherrill. As legend has it, it took the pair about 15 minutes to write, while recording at Columbia Recording Studios in Nashville. Not only was Wynette reluctant due to the nature of the message, the vocalist also had to really push herself to hit a high note at the end of the song. Part of the anxiety related to this point was alleviated by including the vocal prowess of the renowned backup group The Jordanaires, who were a prominent fixture on many Tammy Wynette recordings.

Even Billy Sherrill was surprised by the fact that ‘Stand by Your Man’ went straight to the top of the country music charts for three weeks. He thought Wynette would never surpass the success of her previous hit. There is some irony here, ‘D-I-V-O-R-C-E’. ‘Stand by Your Man’ became a crossover hit in the United States and Canada and it also reached #1 in the United Kingdom and the Netherlands. Interestingly, the album ‘Stand by Your Man’ was not released in Europe until 1975. In addition to the commercial success, ‘Stand by Your Man’ received a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Female and in 1999 the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. To add to the mystique, it was also selected by the Library of Congress in 2010 for inclusion in the National Recording Registry for being culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.

At the time of its release ‘Stand by Your Man’ was caught somewhat in a changing world. The feminist movement was taking form and they saw the song as flawed in its stance that suggests women should simply take on traditional roles. The debate raged on, but through the years Wynette stood by her song. She suggested it was not intended to make women subservient in any way, it was more a matter of acceptance. Overlook their husband’s shortcomings and faults and love them for who they truly are, because “after all, he’s just a man.”

In fact, that line right there is the one that made me once again consider writing this feature. The “after all, he’s just a man” line actually places women on a higher platform. Maybe the feminists had it wrong?

There are a few things I do know.

After nearly thirty years of marriage, I have detected a constant pattern. No matter how much I resist, Heather is always right. It’s uncanny.

Having said that, I don’t ever expect to hear Heather singing ‘Stand by Your Man’ in the shower any time soon. She will, however, agree with the suggestion to shake her head and remind herself that “I am just a man”.

Somewhat flawed and trying to do my best.

Meanwhile, I have no issue with singing this old classic. This will be a post for another day, but it fits in nicely here.

And not me but the people they say
That de man are leading de women astray
But I say, that the women of today
Smarter than the man in every way
That’s right de woman is uh smarter
That’s right de woman is uh smarter
That’s right de woman is uh smarter, that’s right, that’s right”

Harry Belafonte

Generally speaking, this has been my experience in life as I am comfortably into my second half century of existence, being “just a man”.

Let’s move on to the cover versions of today’s classic. There are many. I had to narrow it down to any combination of quality, significance, and lighthearted humour.

I begin with a cover by Loretta Lynn, who may just as well have co-written ‘Stand by Your Man’ alongside Tammy Wynette. While Tammy was struggling with her marriage to country legend and notorious partier George Jones, Lynn was literally standing by her marriage to the deeply flawed and appropriately named Doolittle ‘Mooney’ Lynn. Check out this quote and then the emotional cover released on her 1969 album ‘Women of the World/To Make a Man’.

I married Doo when I wasn’t but a child, and he was my life from that day on. But as important as my youth and upbringing was, there’s something else that made me stick to Doo. He thought I was something special, more special than anyone else in the world, and never let me forget it. That belief would be hard to shove out the door. Doo was my security, my safety net. And just remember, I’m explainin’, not excusin’… Doo was a good man and a hard worker. But he was an alcoholic, and it affected our marriage all the way through.”

Loretta Lynn

In 1980 The Blues Brothers movie came out and they famously performed this version while being protected by chicken wire. Just awesome. In addition to Dan Ackroyd and John Belushi, you also see several other music legends in this clip. That’s Steve Cropper and Matt ‘Guitar’ Murphy on guitar, Donald ‘Duck’ Dunn on bass, Murphy Dunne on keyboards, Tom ‘Bones’ Malone on trombone, ‘Blue’ Lou Marini on sax, and the drummer is Willie ‘Too Tall’ Hall.

This version by Lemmy of Motorhead fame along with Wendy O.Williams is an absolute treat. They may be playing it ironically, but they pull it off.

This version from Alvin and the Chipmunk’s Brittany Miller along with Tammy Wynette is fun and it comes with a bit of a life lesson.

In 1992, Lyle Lovett sang ‘Stand by Your Man’ as the closing song for the movie ‘The Crying Game’.

Whenever Elton John covers a song like ‘Stand by Your Man’ I am all in. Here is his version from a tribute album called ‘Tammy Wynette Remembered’. Fittingly, it was the opening track on this 1998 release, that was put together to commemorate Wynette’s career shortly after her death in April of 1998. She was only 55. If I was to rate the cover versions Elton John’s would be at the top.

This version just had to be shared. This is Georgette Jones. She is the daughter of Tammy Wynette and George Jones. Jones and Wynette were a country music super couple, but unfortunately their marriage was a turbulent one, with several allegations of violence and abuse. Jones denied the allegations…and the beat goes on. The good news is Tamala Georgette Jones has released a few successful albums in the past decade or so, and one of them is a tribute album called ‘‘Til I Can Make it On My Own’ which was released in 2013.

As my final cover, please enjoy this brilliant portrayal that includes Canadian country music artist Drake Jensen (‘Every Time I See Your Picture’). Jensen appears alongside American drag queen, actor, singer-songwriter Willam Belli. Willam came into prominence in season 4 of ‘Ru Paul’s Drag Race’ and is among the most recognizable performers in her genre. This was released back in 2012 on Belli’s release ‘The Wreckoning’. The pair cast an impressive presence in this video. Again, just a ton of fun and very well done.

As indicated above, there is no doubt ‘Stand by Your Man’ is a cultural classic. The more I write about, listen to, and watch the presentations, the more I see its positive implications. It has been incorporated in movies frequently. Many times, it has been referenced in songs by renowned artists like The Clash. It has been spoofed and it has been cited for its positive message of acceptance. Perhaps the most famous effort to attempt to bring it back to the mainstream, and possibly why my memory of this song was so jaded occurred in 1992 when Hillary Clinton attempted to bring the song into an interview on CBS’s 60 Minutes. Hillary was asked a question about her husband Bill Clinton’s extramarital affair with Gennifer Flowers. This allegation had been raised during the 1992 Presidential campaign, just ahead of the New Hampshire primary. The Clinton’s took part in the interview together and when confronted Bill Clinton, ultimately lied about his involvement with Flowers, and Hillary made a statement to the effect that “she could have chosen to be like women staying home and baking cookies and having teas but, wanted to pursue her career instead”. Then she went on to say that she wasn’t “some little woman standing by her my man, like Tammy Wynette.”

Oh Hillary!

I truly believe she has a heart, buried in there somewhere. Unfortunately, she is so far removed from the reality of the average American that her ability to come across as a sympathetic character is most accurately reflected in negative numbers.

We are still living the result.

The condemnation of Hillary Clinton based on this statement was immediate, and even Tammy Wynette chimed in.

With all that is in me, I resent your caustic remark. I, with no apologies,I am as angry as I can be with your statement…Mrs. Clinton, you have offended every woman and man who love that song…I will not stand by and allow you or any other person to embarrass, humiliate and degrade me on national television and print without hearing from me.”

Tammy Wynette

Imagine…this was before social media.

It’s all ‘whitewater’ under the bridge now, and the divide has grown even wider over the last three decades. Hopefully sanity will prevail someday.

So, referring back to the opening paragraph, it seems the catch within this offering is that perfect interjection that states “after all he’s just a man”. Perhaps it was never about subservience at all? It was about empowerment.

No matter, the interpretation, it remains a classic cross genre song. We really should be a long way past the battle of the sexes and equality discussions. Sadly, here too, there is a disparity. We need to work together to bridge the gap. In that space I will stand by any woman who shares the appropriate values. Bad actors, CONservatives and Republicans need not apply.

Let progress reign.

Stay safe everyone.