Song Review – Toby Keith’s “35 MPH Town”
Toby Keith has given true country music fans plenty to hate him for over the years. From his opportunist to borderline offensive flag-waving odes, to completely stupid songs like “Red Solo Cup,” to having one of the first country rap songs in “I Wanna Take About Me,” he’s made himself into one of the most polarizing country music artists in history.
But Toby Keith’s polarization has never affected his pocketbook. In fact quite the contrary. Though Toby Keith feels like an artist whose commercial relevance is in the process of slipping out to pasture, he remains the highest paid country music artist annually, mostly from his executive role in record label ownership. Along with owning his own Show Dog Universal label, Toby also has a stake in Scott Borchetta’s Big Machine. That’s right, every time Taylor Swift sells a record, Toby Keith’s cash register also goes “ca-ching!” to the tune of taking in more cash than Swift in 2014.
Toby Keith and Scott Borchetta were once label partners that split early on, but as Borchetta’s Big Machine continues to add more and more divisions and artists, Keith’s Show Dog is in serious contraction. After losing Trace Adkins recently, Show Dog doesn’t even have a full roster anymore. But maybe the continued influx from Big Machine earnings continues to keep Show Dog and Toby Keith afloat, and just maybe, has given him the creative freedom here late in his career to do whatever he wants, regardless if it impresses country radio.
Toby Keith has a new album ready to be released on June 16th called 35 MPH Town, and the title track was released to radio in mid April. Just like the first single from the album called “Drunk Americans” written by Brandy Clark, Bob DiPiero, and Shane McAnally, “35 MPH Town” is something you traditionally wouldn’t expect to hear from Toby Keith, and something that probably won’t fare too well in today’s country radio environment.
Written by Keith with Bobby Pinson, the song tries to do something similar to “Drunk Americans,” which is make a statement about the current climate of society. Cutting completely against the grain of current country trends, as opposed to glorifying small town life as this idyllic full-time party of constant bonfire soirees beside bodies of water down dirt roads for bored suburbanites to live vicariously through, Toby Keith speaks to the reality of many of America’s small towns, where factory jobs have been vacated to China, the agrarian economy is in free fall, and most notably, methamphetamine is rotting communities from the inside out.
The protagonist of “35 MPH Town” bemoans how you no longer can leave your doors unlocked, kids can’t play out in the streets, and people stay “higher than the water tower” and there’s a “lower higher power” in a town where 35 is the posted speed limit.
Hats off for the attempt by Toby Keith to portray the realities of rural life as opposed to the corporate rendition, but the song overall doesn’t resonate with any real potency. “35 MPH Town” comes across more like “old people” yammering; “Kids get off my lawn” good old day syndrome instead of a true, heartfelt account gleaned from real life experiences or sentimentality. It feels like Toby Keith trying to be deep, but just coming across as sort of one-dimensional within the framework of what is really an overdone theme in country music, despite its absence from country radio lately.
Toby Keith addresses the symptoms, but not the cause. Why are 35 MPH towns facing these issues? As you listen you wonder to yourself, are things truly worse, or are they worse through the eyes of someone who is looking for things to complain about?
It is good to see Toby Keith effort to put something out there that is more than just a stupid drinking song or a pandering etude to the troops, and then to serve it to country radio even if it does eventually peak out in the mid 20’s on the charts and becomes an “also ran” in the greater scheme of things. It’s just a shame the effort wasn’t a little more inspirational and resonant, as opposed to judgmental and only skimming the surface of a very real dilemma plaguing America’s rural landscape.
1 1/4 of 2 Guns Up.
May 11, 2015 @ 12:52 pm
I have to say (and have in the past) that I actually like Toby Keith for the most part. A few of his songs are nostalgic for me so I admit such bias when talking about him, but he’s also never struck me as all that bad. I’d take 10 Tobys for every 1 Sam Hunt, Chase Rice, Jason Aldean or Luke Bryan. Also, let’s not forget that he took Willie Nelson to the top of the charts for what’s likely to be the latter’s final hurrah on the radio with “Beer For My Horses.” I even appreciate his jingoistic anthems, dunderheaded as they may come across. He’s nothing if not sincere with those little ditties (although his Ford endorsements work to cheapen that appeal a bit).
Ultimately, I think Keith’s worst quality is that he more or less perfected the “trashy and proud” country star stereotype where you show off your bling whilst bragging about being from the backroads. The fact that he has an album called Big Dog Daddy really says it all. However, despite that, I think his actual music isn’t bad at all. I’m very much a fan of “I Love This Bar” and “As Good As I Once Was,” and it should be noted that I absolutely HATE alcohol.
I’m thinking he’s pretty much done, though. When he released “Shut Up and Hold On” from his album Drinks After Work a few years ago, it became the first single of his career to completely miss the top 40. Only once he dropped the title track, yet another drinking song, did he get back on the radio for a spell. I haven’t heard “Drunk Americans” once on the radio so I assume it tanked by now. If anything, by this description “35 MPH Town” is looking to be an interesting single from an interesting album. He might not be hitting the mark, but at least Keith comes across as actually trying to do something interesting after a few years of stagnation.
By the way, can someone explain this phrase to me? I’m at work at the moment so I can’t listen to the song (assuming that would clarify anything), but this just isn’t clicking for me.
May 11, 2015 @ 1:34 pm
I’d guess what Toby meant by “higher than the water tower” is that people are on drugs.
A “lower higher power” seems to do with the devil.
But I’m not exactly sure what you’re asking to clarify.
May 11, 2015 @ 2:19 pm
You answered my question. I got the water tower quip after I posted my comment but the other one was giving me trouble. Again, I’m sure if I actually were listening to the song it would have made much more sense. Thanks for the reply.
May 11, 2015 @ 2:22 pm
By the way, Trigger, what makes “I Wanna Talk About Me” a proto-country rap song but not “The Devil Went Down to Georgia”? I’ve read your article on the differences between rap and talking in music, but those don’t seem to far apart from one another to me.
May 11, 2015 @ 9:05 pm
Because one is rap, and one is talking in music. 🙂
May 12, 2015 @ 6:06 am
Pardon me, I committed a syntactical error with that previous statement. I myself know and agree that rap and spoke word are two different things. What I actually meant was that the specific songs “I Wanna Talk About Me” and “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” didn’t seem that different in their approach, not that rap and spoken word were basically the same thing. I’ve had enough mainstream rap forced into my noggin in my day that I very much know the difference. I was poorly asking why you consider Toby’s song rap but give a pass to Charlie.
May 11, 2015 @ 2:11 pm
I’m with you, Acca Dacca. Although I can see why some don’t like him, I’ve never had a problem with Toby Keith. I’ve always enjoyed his music, as it is nostalgic for me too. I really liked Drunk Americans, but it may take some time for this one to grow on me. I respect what he is trying to do here, just not sure if this particular song is my cup of tea.
May 11, 2015 @ 2:24 pm
Well said, I don’t mind Toby Keith, he isn’t that bad of an artist or at least he wasn’t with some of his earlier stuff. That being said I think you’re right when you said he is just about done in country music, hell he has been for a few years. I won’t buy any of his recent shit but it’s a hell of a lot better than a Brantley Gilbert song explaining how it’s still okay to talk about lifted trucks and drinkin beer.
May 11, 2015 @ 6:48 pm
I’m pretty sure “lower higher power” refers to God, not the devil. I think what he’s trying to say is that the respect for the God -the higher power – is lower than it used to be.
May 11, 2015 @ 7:11 pm
A.D.,
You know I hate Toby Keith, but I like this one. This may be the best thing he’s ever done.
May 11, 2015 @ 9:07 pm
It’s worth noting this is the only positive review I’ve ever given Toby Keith.
May 12, 2015 @ 6:11 am
To be fair, though, haven’t you only reviewed about four of his songs? And he’s been past his prime for a while now.
May 12, 2015 @ 6:08 am
What do you know? Our very own “get off my lawn” advocate likes a song that boils down to people getting off of someone’s lawn? I might have to sit down from the shock 😛
May 12, 2015 @ 2:57 am
Me, too. I have always been a fan of Toby. Recently his album titles seem to be getting more drink oriented than I would like. But one of the better “stars” out there today.
May 11, 2015 @ 1:08 pm
I have to say that I really like this song and would have rated it a little higher, but we all feel songs a little differently. I felt like it was a well written song and I didn’t find it that judgmental, more of a feeling about something. I mean most songs are voicing a point of view from an artist, I don’t necessary feel they are being judgmental when they give feelings about how they see things. Maybe I rate the song higher, because I am glad Toby brought out something that wasn’t trying to fit in. He has written a lot of great songs, but it seems like he wasted a lot of singles on songs that were stupid. Glad to see he released a solid song though and I think we are at the point where Toby Keith is not going to be a radio hit any more, so I wonder if he might start writing songs a little more seriously or if he will keep chasing being popular.
May 11, 2015 @ 2:02 pm
Bobby Pinson’s 2005 album “Man Like Me” has always been a favorite of mine. Even though it’s not exactly traditional country in terms of its arrangements/instrumentation, it’s a good listen and lyrically, it was very strong.
I can definitely see Pinson’s touch on this song by TK.
May 11, 2015 @ 3:34 pm
I agree completely. It still pisses me off that Pinson didn’t have a bigger career after the success of Don’t Ask Me How I Know, which I consider one of the 10 best country songs of the 2000’s. If you haven’t done so I’d recommend you check out his follow up Songs for Somebody, which I think picked up nicely from Man Like Me.
May 11, 2015 @ 2:18 pm
I may be different than most people who read this site, but I actually don’t like songs like this. I don’t want to listen to songs about meth and lost jobs. I listen to music to feel happy and get away from my problems. I don’t like all the bro party songs, but Id rather hear a song that makes living in the country or a small town sound great, because to me it is. And I’m not a bored suburbanite either. I’m a full time farmer. I know its not all peachy, but my lifes pretty good. Just my 2 cents.
May 11, 2015 @ 2:35 pm
I can understand your perspective, but the key is balance. That’s the problem with Country radio for a long time now, the genre goes chasing trends so ALL you get is pro-small town life, small town life is great etc.
In my opinion there should be room at Country radio for a song or two that is what you describe, but also room for songs that shine a light on the darker side of small town life. For you and a lot of people living in small town or rural America is great, but for a lot of people it can be claustrophobic feeling.
I think there should be room for both views on Country radio. Variety is what’s important and the lack of it is part of the reason Country radio largely sucks now.
May 12, 2015 @ 8:33 am
Drew, I see what you are saying. If people are looking for country songs to comfort them, Toby’s latest song doesn’t do that. Nor does Kacey Musgraves’ “Merry Go Round”. I do think all points of view should be expressed in music. But my personal perspective on this is more similar to the lyrics of “It’s A Great Day To Be Alive” – they acknowledge that there are problems and hard times in the neighborhood, but still see the glass as half full.
May 11, 2015 @ 3:17 pm
I absolutely hate the message of this song. It serves as a jarring reminder of how conservative the genre can be, to the point of blaming unemployed people for being “lazy” and even advocating violent authoritarianism (e.g. the criticism of “sparing the rod”). If this is the direction of serious country music, then I would much rather listen to bro-country. As much as I despise bro-country, at least it is basically harmless at a societal level.
Here’s a song that explains the reality behind why small towns are suffering: the fact that there are no longer enough jobs, even for those of solid character and work ethic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWjkDfRcCus
May 11, 2015 @ 4:12 pm
sure, if you want to call objectifying women, glorifying drunk driving, and blatant disregard for authority “harmless.”
May 11, 2015 @ 4:14 pm
Agreed, both these types of songs and Bro-Country songs do little to represent the genre well.
May 11, 2015 @ 4:25 pm
At least bro-country songs do not advocate violence, like this song does. They glorify drinking, but not necessarily drunk driving.
I wish bro-country glorified disregard for authority. Then I might actually have liked it a bit.
May 11, 2015 @ 5:05 pm
Eric: I didn’t do hot in high school due to authority, so I understand your thoughts, but if we don’t respect our laws, then there won’t be any, and everybody will do what is right in their own eyes.
May 11, 2015 @ 5:18 pm
The question is what laws are just. Laws that stop people from violating others’ right to life, liberty, or property represent the fundamental purpose of government. Regulations that protect workers from private economic tyranny or require tax payment can be argued about (I personally believe that they are just, as long as they are enforced through fines rather than imprisonment).
On the other hand, when government starts infringing on personal liberty, such as it does with the War on Drugs, then the laws cease to be just.
The bigger point, though, is that this debate is completely non-germane to a music forum. This is exactly the type of tangential discussion and unnecessary controversy that unsubtle political songs spawn.
May 11, 2015 @ 9:13 pm
Reciting a Bible verse about “sparing the rod” I wouldn’t say “advocates violence.” It advocates corporal punishment. But it was lines like these which made me squeamish about some of the perspective evidenced in the song.
May 12, 2015 @ 6:14 am
Wrong. The prototypical bro-country single, Jason Aldean’s cover of “Dirt Road Anthem,” quite literally says as much in its fourth line.
Yeah I’m chilling on a dirt road,
Laid back swervin’ like I’m George Jones,
Smoke rollin’ out the window,
An ice cold beer sittin’ in the console
So it’s not just drinking and driving, but drinking WHILE driving. No wonder these idiots are so concerned with watching out for the “blue lights.”
May 12, 2015 @ 9:01 am
Wait until you hear the new Tyler Farr song, and what he says about it….
May 11, 2015 @ 4:20 pm
Toby Keith is by no means a conservative. His political views shift with the wind, from being ‘Murican and anti-Dixie Chicks in 2003, to claiming he never did support the invasion of Iraq,to speaking positively about Barack Obama, then becoming a”conservative'” again when Sarah Palin was selected. Toby is a very good business man who has the aw shucks routine down pat.
May 12, 2015 @ 4:38 pm
Dude’s a registered Democrat, and Natalie Maines started that whole “feud” up by taking a shot at “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” (a song which I enjoy because I believe that, like this one, it’s depicting, rather than endorsing, a certain feeling at a specific point in time), to which he responded by (quite fairly) asking her to write a song herself before talking shit about anyone else’s work.
That bad blood has nothing to do with the “Ashamed to be from Texas” incident. Maines started it by insulting Keith without provocation, and it’s pretty much the only thing that I’m not 100% behind the Chicks on.
May 11, 2015 @ 4:25 pm
Do you really demand that songs match your political viewpoint exactly? The Dunn song had a viewpoint and the Keith song comes from a somewhat different angle. They’re both good. Unless Toby’s going over the top, like advocating lynching in “Whiskey For My Horses,” I’m fine with letting him have his say. Same as Cash, Haggard, and Springsteen. I like all of them.
May 11, 2015 @ 4:36 pm
This is a good question. Basically, I dislike in-your-face preachy political songs like this one. This applies for all sides of the spectrum. A good political song is one that carries subtlety and tells a heartfelt story, like the Ronnie Dunn song.
Also, any type of advocacy of domestic violence is a complete turnoff.
May 11, 2015 @ 6:27 pm
We need less of the sparing of the rod.
Once, I spoke back rudely to my mother. She slapped me. I have never spoken back to her since.
Toby Keith nailed it with this song. It doesn’t cover all the bases, but very few songs can in 3-4 minutes.
May 12, 2015 @ 7:02 am
My Dad took a belt to me twice in my life. I’m glad that he did. I deserved it.
May 12, 2015 @ 4:27 pm
Getting slapped or spanked and getting beaten by a rod (or a wooden spoon, or a belt) are not similar things.
May 11, 2015 @ 7:05 pm
“VIOLENT AUTHORITARIANISM”!!?? OH NO! NOT VIOLENT AUTHORITARIANISM!!!!! AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!!
Why Eric, do you have to be such a drama queen all the time? You’re like a caricature of the most rigid secular-regressive in the world. I know you admit to being a lib, but you just cry so much, even for a lib.
You want to know what is absolutely NOT “harmless at a societal level”?
People who’s parents never spanked them when they were kids.
May 11, 2015 @ 10:08 pm
And you’re like the caricature of an angry, modernity-hating conservative.
I feel sorry for you if you actually believe what you just wrote about spanking. Study after study, along with loads of empirical evidence, have shown that children who are spanked regularly commit violent crime at a much higher rate as adults. Even using common sense, it’s obvious how corporal punishment teaches children that violence is an appropriate response to insults.
The greatest roles that parents can play in children’s lives are as nurturers, mentors, and hopefully best friends. Violence shatters that sacred bond.
May 12, 2015 @ 6:51 am
How many kids do you have?
May 12, 2015 @ 8:33 pm
Not important, RD.
The point is that I was a child once, like everybody else. Lest we forget, children are separate human beings with their own thoughts and feelings. The key to parenting is mutual respect.
May 13, 2015 @ 3:56 am
“The key to parenting is mutual respect.”
Right, because children are rational beings. Sage advice coming from a non-parent. You really do know everything, don’t you?
May 14, 2015 @ 11:55 pm
Note that I did not mention whether I was a parent or not. You are making an assumption here.
By your argument regarding “rational” beings, should we also beat people with mental disabilities that lower cognitive abilities? How about elderly people with dementia?
May 12, 2015 @ 1:20 pm
I feel sorry for me too, Eric; so I guess we have that in common, and I appreciate your concern. And I’m not a conservative by the way(they’re almost as silly as you are), nor particularly angry. You’re correct though; I do hate modern culture more every day, but I’d say I’m more bitter, or sad about it, than angry.
I feel sorry for me because my peace of mind is all but gone. The simple things in life that used to be so dependable, like a Country radio station, no longer exist. America is being overrun by hedonistic degenerates. And I feel like I’m living Don Williams’ song, ‘Lord Have Mercy On A Country Boy’.
If you don’t agree with spanking, Eric, that’s obviously your business. What makes you so obnoxious, is that you’re so dramatic, almost in a theatrical way; like if I didn’t know better, I’d think you were doing a parody of a stereotype; the way Lil’ Dale does.
You, and all your “empirical evidence” and “common sense”, are confusing spanking, with beating. I don’t know that I even know anyone who wasn’t spanked as a kid, and I also don’t know anyone without a stable job and a nice family who all love each other.
May 12, 2015 @ 8:35 pm
“I don”™t know that I even know anyone who wasn”™t spanked as a kid”
Then that is what you should have said in your initial comment, instead of implying that kids who are not spanked grow up to be harmful to society.
May 12, 2015 @ 4:25 pm
As someone who most people here would categorize as a bleeding heart (I believe in providing everyone an equal opportunity to make themselves unequal), I actually agree with Clint: spanking is not beating.
I’m not sure if I’d ever spank my kid, but someone who does spank them (with an open hand, not a fist or a belt or the wooden spoon my Irish grandmother was so fond of) isn’t a monster, they’re just someone with a specific type of parenting style.
May 12, 2015 @ 7:17 am
Thanks for posting the link to Ronnie Dunn’s “Cost of Living”–this is one of the hardest-hitting mainstream country songs since the 1970s, and I am happy to see it back in circulation. I had never seen this heartbreaking video. BUT listening to the song in mid-2015 does make its only weak point stand out more clearly–the economic woes of the small-town South have nothing to do with the price of gas. Gas is currently at its lowest price, adjusted for inflation, since 1972, but that is not helping people who got laid off when the tire plant closed down, or at least not helping them much.
Nevertheless, you are right that “Cost of Living” is easily more reflective and persuasive than “35 MPH Town.”
May 12, 2015 @ 8:43 am
Eric, just curious here, what do you think of the music and lyrics of George Strait? Would you consider it to be “conservative”?
What about the social issue oriented songs of Martina McBride? Are they “liberal” or “conservative” in your book? I know Sean Hannity used “Independence Day” for his conservative talk show, but her social issue songs seem more liberal to me.
May 12, 2015 @ 8:37 pm
I consider them to be basically apolitical, aside from maybe some subtle themes here and there.
As I said above, I dislike unsubtle political songs from either side, including from liberals that I agree with. This is one of the reasons that I prefer country over folk, despite the fact that my views align better with folk fans.
May 12, 2015 @ 4:20 pm
I find the song much more interesting if you approach it as being in the same vein as Okie from Muskogee:
He’s not endorsing the viewpoint of his speaker’s mother, but he does understand and empathize with it.
She literally is saying “get off my lawn,” and this song is an attempt to explain where that sentiment comes from, and give it a sympathetic face.
I’ve always considered Keith to be criminally underrated as a songwriter, so I’m giving him the benefit of the doubt here.
May 11, 2015 @ 3:40 pm
I took a break from Toby Keith during the Bullets in the Gun phase, but ever since he started collaborating with Bobby Pinson on his albums I’ve found them to be pretty enjoyable, even if the songs that have been getting put out there as singles have been on the blander side. In this day and age of interchangeable pretty boys whose names I don’t know it’d be great to have someone like Toby Keith back on country radio just to mix it up a little bit. I don’t know, maybe it’s just nostalgia for the 2000’s kicking in.
May 11, 2015 @ 3:49 pm
I didn’t even bother buying Drinks after Work.
The last few TK CDs were just sounding too similar to me, much like Alan Jacksons CDs got after a while.
I spend a fair amount of time in small towns and some are still pretty attractive to me.
The way you describe this song sounds a lot like Bruce Springsteen describing Rust Belt steel towns 30 years ago.
I will wait until the CD comes out and you review it before I pick it up.
May 11, 2015 @ 5:37 pm
I appreciate that he tries something different, but it just falls flat to me. Seriously, some of these lyrics are just stupid. Still, it’s more potent than most of his flag-waving ‘Murica crap, but if it is a hit, only in the South and some Western states as they are generally more conservative. I doubt the North will take kindly to this (then again most people were I live either don’t care about country or listen to Luke Bryan and Florida Georgia Line) . It’s better to be careful if you’re throwing political views into songs, and we all know how subtle Toby Keith is. Seriously, “why work when we give it to them”, “can’t blame the babies for growing up lazy” and “spare the rod and you’ll sour a 35 mph town”?
I pretty much agree with Eric here, I hate the message. I’d still rather listen to this over Sam Hunt (at least this tries to be deeper, and does succeed in doing so to a point) but it falls flat for me. I understand most of his target audience won’t think like I do, but it just doesn’t sit well with me.
May 11, 2015 @ 5:58 pm
I just can’t get behind this song, regardless if I choose to embrace or separate my personal convictions and attitudes from the record.
*
First, approaching this from a partial lens……………..sorry, but I just don’t buy a number of the insinuations this song raises.
To start, the narrator mentions her mother has locked the door for the first time in her life. And while I understand that not all neighborhoods and municipalities are the same and some regions bear higher crime densities than others…………all in all, overall crime is at its lowest levels in half a century (even despite record incarceration levels). Crime is about half of what it was at its peak in 1991. We’ve seen violent crime decline by 51%, property crime fall by 43% and homicides by 54%, just to name a handful of statistics I’ve seen. No one knows exactly or precisely what has driven the decreases across the board, but the statistics don’t lie. So, though I wouldn’t go so far as to call Keith and his co-writer dishonest because experience is subjective, I personally can’t buy the message myself.
Secondly, there’s a subtle hint of “Millennials are lazy, entitled brats!” sentiment; most notably following the second verse. The song’s writers paint youthful demographics as being lazy and unwilling to find work because they expect jobs to be handed to them, and that they make excuses when they can’t cut corners in the form of stealing and suing. All I can say in response to this is “Wow……………..what a strawman!”
Finally, I also sensed a Bill O’Reilly-esque “War on Religion” leaning to other lyrics. Now, I won’t dispute the fact that, in some instances, the ACLU certainly overreaches and overreacts…………..and so I can sympathize with where some of those sentiments come from. But at the same time, isn’t it utterly hyperbolic to assert that you’re not even allowed to put out the Bible anymore? Or that no one is growing up with Jesus? Did it not occur to the writers that some may prefer to relate to Jesus spiritually as opposed to religiously? I know plenty of peers who have a deep reverence for Jesus and his teachings despite being overtly critical of the church.
If there’s one aspect of the lyrics that resonated with me, it was that it hinted on the scourge of meth and other substances that have devoured many rural communities. Even that still came across as a bit overarching, but I get where the grim reality is absolutely real and widespread.
*
So, as much as I applaud Toby Keith for finally breaking out of his cold brew drinking wheelhouse for the first time in at least half a dozen consecutive single releases…………….what could have been a much more strident and piercing socially conscious song is undermined by disgruntled “Get off my lawn!” tirades.
I’ll give this half a thumb up for the effort, but 1 1/2 Thumbs Down otherwise.
May 11, 2015 @ 6:00 pm
I would like to see Toby Keith go back having top 10 hits again. He hasn’t doing to good with past 5 singles lately. Show Dog is going downhill, but I would like to see Toby be back on top again with this song.
May 11, 2015 @ 6:28 pm
I will have to listen to the song closer later but I like what I hear. Toby has been very hit or miss for me in the past. But either way I would take him over FGL or Sam Hunt.
May 11, 2015 @ 6:30 pm
I think “Drunk Americans” was Toby Keith’s last shot at a number one, since he combined patriotism and drinking. He might be accepting his new role as a slow charting artist with this kind of material.
May 12, 2015 @ 12:00 am
“Drunk Americans” never struck me as a hit single in the first place, frankly.
The corporate country landscape within these past five years hasn’t been so much apolitical as it is weary of politics. Most listeners just want to clamp their hands over their ears when almost anything even remotely barbed in social commentary finds its way on their radio dial because they look to corporate country radio as a gateway drug to endless summer utopia where all the women are attractive and all the men get lucky and they party-hardy every night.
Occasionally you get a song like “Girl Crush” or “Merry Go ‘Round” that briefly interrupts the carousel, but there certainly aren’t many songs of this breed and both registered intensely polarizing “Positive” and “Negative” scores on radio callout surveys. “Girl Crush” has plenty of passionate “Positive” response and also benefits from a low burn rate currently, but it also has one of the highest “Negative” scores as well. Which is indicative of how anything even remotely going off on a limb from that endless summer utopia is going to have a long uphill climb ahead of it.
Besides “Drunk Americans” just being too heady for some listeners, the production is also out of step with the current bro-country and metro-bro zeitgeist. Contemporary Celtic waltz-esque mid-tempos are a rarity on the corporate country airwaves lately; with Mickey Guyton’s “Better Than You Left Me” the only other clear example that comes to mind right now (which sadly looks like it has peaked………damn you radio!)
*
I think Toby Keith isn’t going to have another Top Ten hit as a lead artist again, and the only way he’s going to return to the Top Ten again is via featuring as a duet partner on a hot current act’s single.
May 12, 2015 @ 10:01 am
I based my prediction strictly off the title. It combined Toby Keith’s biggest hit making themes. Obviously, a deeper analysis shows the other factors resulting in an early peak.
May 11, 2015 @ 6:42 pm
This may be the greatest song Toby’s ever recorded. The only thing I don’t like about it is the light-rock arrangement.
I love everything this song has to say. This is the kind of song the world needs to hear. America has become a God-hating cesspool, and I’m glad this song points that out. Millennials are the laziest, most morally-depraved generation that’s ever walked the Earth, and it felt great to hear that in a song. People are too spineless to discipline their children anymore, and this is what we get. And I don’t care if this song is “judgmental” or not; judgment is a wonderful thing and America needs more of it.
May 11, 2015 @ 10:17 pm
You have a strange way of defining “depravity”. I’ve heard Millennials described as “lazy” and “whiny”, but never the “most morally-depraved generation”.
I think we can agree that the best way to judge depravity is through violent crime rates. Well, the facts show that Millennials have committed violent crime at the lowest rate since the Silent Generation, definitely much less than the Boomers or Generation Xers did. This is despite the fact that Millennials have come of age in a far more economically troubled and unequal period than either of the two preceding generations.
Thanks for the comic relief, though. After years of reading condescending articles about how Millennials are a bunch of “lazy whiners”, it gives me a perverse sense of pleasure to read about how evil our generation is >:)
May 12, 2015 @ 12:06 am
I wasn’t aware the entire Millennial generation was running for Congress! 😉
The political attack ad season has certainly started early, hasn’t it? Now cue the sinister-sounding incidental music and sobering narrative voiceovers! 😉
May 12, 2015 @ 2:09 pm
…”I think we can agree that the best way to judge depravity is through violent crime rates. Well, the facts show that Millennials have committed violent crime at the lowest rate since the Silent Generation, definitely much less than the Boomers or Generation Xers did.”…
So your point is Eric, that because Millennials are too lazy to kill, that that makes them less depraved? There are lots of ways to measure depravity, Eric. I could go on and on about this, but it makes my mind tired.
…”This is despite the fact that Millennials have come of age in a far more economically troubled and unequal period than either of the two preceding generations.”…
Whether that’s true or not, couldn’t be more irrelevant to the point you’re trying to make, considering that Millennials are the most pampered and spoiled generation ever. The firewall known as “Mom and Dad”, have protected them from having to deal with the real world.
…”Thanks for the comic relief, though. After years of reading condescending articles about how Millennials are a bunch of “lazy whiners”, it gives me a perverse sense of pleasure to read about how evil our generation is.”…
Does pretending like it’s funny help you cope with the sad reality that it’s all true? That’s cool, man; I guess we all have our own defense mechanisms.
May 12, 2015 @ 8:52 pm
I like to measure depravity using concrete factors. If a person is not actively harming others, then it is hard to call that person depraved.
Anyways, on to the economic point. You must imagine that Millennials are somehow all from rich families. The fact is that middle-class and poor people from all generations (except maybe retirees) suffered losses of homes, jobs, and income during the recession. This was especially true in small towns, where small businesses were decimated by the credit crunch. Millennials (specifically, early Millennials) were hit the hardest because the recession struck just as they were trying to start careers, but that does not mean that the older generations remained rich enough to support them financially to any significant extent either.
I will also add that the Great Recession was just the extreme culmination of a long-term slow-motion disaster. For decades, levels of income inequality had been rising and middle-class jobs were dying out due to outsourcing, automation, and de-unionization. Even the Millennials who began their careers before the recession were, generally speaking, worse off economically than the three preceding generations.
May 12, 2015 @ 6:18 am
Oh, Clint… you might be a crotchety bigot that pisses people off (myself included), but what you have to say is never less than interesting. If only you’d temper it back a bit and give a bit more credit to other people’s opinions then we could have some really constructive conversations around here.
Speaking of which, did you ever listen to Chris Stapleton’s album Traveller?
May 12, 2015 @ 2:38 pm
Oh, A.D… if I’m a bigot, then everyone’s a bigot. Either every person on Earth is a bigot, or nobody is. Everybody has something or someone they’re against.
People piss me off too (yourself included), so I guess we’re all even.
I give credit to people who have something genuine to say (I can rattle off some names if you’d like). When people say something contrived, or make dishonest arguments, they don’t deserve credit.
No. I haven’t heard Stapleton’s album, but that guy can sing his tail off.
May 12, 2015 @ 2:52 pm
“Bigot” is defined by Google as “a person who is intolerant toward those holding different opinions.” At what point around here have you not tried to tell everyone else their business and imply that they’re somehow “wrong” or “lack perspective” or “don’t know what country music is”? Having an opinion doesn’t make you a bigot. How you communicate that opinion does. I know plenty of people, including Trigger (who even on his most acidic ranting articles will tell folks that as long as the music brings them joy that’s all that matters), who are accepting of other opinions and not bigoted. Being “against” something is not being bigoted, and those rash generalizations of yours aren’t doing your point any favors. Perhaps you’re right; perhaps it’s not bigoted, but it’s certainly arrogant.
And who gets to decide that? You? Once again, it’s not the opinions that are bigoted but how you handle them. You can disagree all day long but that doesn’t make someone else wrong in and of itself. You love lamenting the state of the modern world, but one of its worst qualities is the cacophony of people who not only can’t accept what others have to say, but actively think the other side is full of idiots or somehow below you for thinking otherwise.
Note: I was mostly being facetious with my first comment that you responded to here, so if that happened to make you mad it wasn’t intentional and never is.
May 12, 2015 @ 7:06 pm
I stand by what I said A.D., and have nothing to add to it, except I’ll answer the question you asked.
….”And who gets to decide that? You?”…..
No A.D. Honesty is not subjective; just like what’s Country is not subjective.
An example of the dishonesty I’m talking about is Eric referring to spanking as “violent authoritarianism”. Or Homosexuals referring to Christians as hatemongers. These kind of arguments don’t deserve an ounce of respect or credit.
A while back we agreed that you’d stop reading my comments. You must be a glutton for punishment, or you just love to argue. I hate arguing. I wish everybody agreed with me and never wanted to argue with me. I leave comments because it relieves stress, not because I want to be responded to.
May 12, 2015 @ 7:40 pm
I don’t recall ever agreeing to stop reading your comments. Could you link me to that conversation? And how exactly am I a glutton for punishment? I don’t consider our debates to have winners or losers, just a lot of back and forth. I still read your responses because as I said they’re always interesting, even if I think sometimes you’re a bit closed-minded. I have no comment about Eric or on Christians, I’m talking solely about music here.
I’m sorry that you’re stressed so much. My intent by responding is not to make that burden worse, and I’m sorry if I have contributed to it in any way. I can appreciate not wanting to argue, so perhaps you might change your approach a tad and people wouldn’t become so indignant with you? As I’ve said, the only thing that bugs me about your comments is how you phrase them, not what you’re saying. Be safe and have a good night, Clint.
May 13, 2015 @ 6:46 am
….”And how exactly am I a glutton for punishment? I don”™t consider our debates to have winners or losers, just a lot of back and forth.”….
You’re a glutton for punishment A.D., because you keep reading comments that you know will piss you off. So it would seem that you enjoy being pissed. It has nothing to do with winning or losing, and I wasn’t implying that SCM discussions have winners or losers, though I suppose some do.
It’s an old saying A.D. Try not to over think it. I was half kidding anyway.
I tried to find the article where we discussed the possibility of you not reading my comments anymore, but I couldn’t remember which one it was. It was a subtle agreement. You said something like, “yeah, you’ve got a good point about not reading your comments”.
My points about Eric, and Christians, were just some examples of what I was talking about; not things I was looking to argue about further, with you. I know you typically stay on music topics.
I feel like I need to clarify a little further. I don’t mind discussions. I don’t mind being responded to. Feel free to continue responding to me as much as you want. I just meant that I don’t come on here and leave comments with the hopes that somebody will want to argue with me. I don’t have time for the endless back-and-forths; and when somebody challenges my opinions, I feel the need to defend my points, which drives my wife crazy, because she’d rather I spend time with her.
I leave comments because average people like us don’t have much say in what goes on in the music world and beyond. It’s very therapeutic for me to express my opinions on a public forum, and I appreciate Trigger for allowing us to do that.
Anyway A.D., no need for apologies. We’re all big boys here; and girls.
May 13, 2015 @ 7:50 am
Touche. I’m familiar with the phrasing, I just didn’t see how it applied to our conversation before you spelled it out. I admit, I tend to over-think things to the point of completely missing the point sometimes. As for my apology, that was mainly because of my passive aggressive approach to my responses. I never in a million years would have guessed that you consider commenting here and having your voice heard somewhat would be therapeutic in the way you say it is. By the nature of your comments I always assumed you were just being crotchety and finding something to complain about when that’s not the case. As such, I was a bit taken aback and felt badly for how I kind of prick at you (though many times I really am honestly just talking). So once again, despite the fact that we’re all big boys and girls, I’m sorry for that. (And it’s none of my business, I know, but it seems like your time might be better spent with your wife but that’s for you and her to decide, obviously, so please don’t think I’m sticking my nose in your affairs).
May 11, 2015 @ 7:36 pm
Normally I like Toby Keith, maybe it’s for nostalgias sake or maybe it’s due to him being better than bro country or maybe it’s because the guy has talent or a mix of two or more, but with some exceptions read red solo cup, I’ve liked his stuff it’s at the very least, for the most part real, or at least a ballad, this though it’s not bad but it’s not good either, it’s meh, it seems the standard for Toby Keith these days and a lot of non bro country artists I wouldn’t change the station if this comes on but I won’t turn it up either, it’s ok but it’s very… Meh.
May 11, 2015 @ 8:36 pm
I really like this song it will hit #1.
May 12, 2015 @ 1:14 am
FINALLY !!!….FINALLY a country song with something to say and doesn’t give a damn about who does or doesn’t wanna hear it . THIS SONG paints a picture of the new reality in so many small towns ( I live in one …the writers nailed it ) . Lack of challenging , decent paying work , crime and fear everywhere and a generation brought up with inadequate mentoring .
We pandered and pandered to children with material things , with shitty entertainment with few redeeming qualities , we showed them how to make the drugs they take , showed them how to smuggle them , held up ” gangstas” to them in video games , movies and TV programs as being cool , let the Britney Spears , the Christina Aguilaras and so many other entertainers sell sex to kids under the guise of ” music “…we ” spared the rod ” and we dumbed down an entire generation . We got lazy , greedy and uncompetitive allowing huge industries to move offshore or collapse completely.
Toby and Bobby Pinson stood up and told it like it is . THIS IS JUST SO UNBELIEVABLY refreshing on ‘country’ radio ( if radio even plays it ) after the musical pablum they force-feed youth non-stop . 2 guns up from me , Trigger
May 12, 2015 @ 1:47 am
Well well, Albert, I am definitely not surprised that you have jumped onto this bandwagon as well.
Let me start by noting that I completely agree with you about the lack of decent-paying work and outsourcing industries.
As for the rest of your comment, I suggest that you read the comments from me and Noah above and educate yourself about current events. The facts show that the current young generation commits violent crime at the lowest rates in 50 years or more. Also, I will add that young people today consume hard drugs at a lower rate than did young people in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. On top of that, this is also the best educated young generation in history – so much for your “dumbed down” theory.
Looks like all of that supposedly apocalyptically horrible entertainment that you endlessly preach against has not had much of a negative effect 😉
P.S.: I wonder what your students would think about your opinion regarding “sparing the rod”…
May 12, 2015 @ 8:36 am
” The facts show that the current young generation commits violent crime at the lowest rates in 50 years or more. ”
I didn’t say just” violent crime” – although our area ( Vancouver suburbs and outlying communities) has seen far too much gang war in the past years- shootings , beatings etc.. . I said that crime is rampant ….break-ins , vandalizing , grow-ops by the dozens , gas and dash ( gas stations are almost all PAY FIRST now ) missing persons , etc..
“Also, I will add that young people today consume hard drugs at a lower rate than did young people in the 70s, 80s, and 90s. ”
Not sure about this from what I read . Cigarette sales are down but more kids/people smoke grass than ever , apparently , and hard drug use is actually said to be far higher due to its ” hip” stature , affordability and availability . Alcohol promotion , outlets , and sales are higher than ever and the govn’t up here LOVES it for the sales tax it generates
“On top of that, this is also the best educated young generation in history ”“ so much for your “dumbed down” theory. ”
” Information ” and ” Education ” are two different things , Eric . People obviously have access to far , far more information and technology than ever . Unfortunately what they choose to do with all of that information reflects ‘smarts’ . Look no further than the support given modern country radio and its generic , mindless redundancy or the national TV programming that rises to the top of the ratings charts . I’m not blaming a younger generation for that altogether . I’m blaming society for putting $$$ ahead of mentoring . Recently we had Coke and various snack machines lining the hallways of our schools right outside classrooms where they taught Nutrition and Health . The schools were underfunded by government and had to be resourceful so they took funding from Coke and others in exchange for selling those products . ” Educated ” ??? After several years of this ‘partnership’ they decided it was a contradiction in the message . YEARS ! My high school principle in the 60’s would have veto-ed that insane idea in two seconds .
May 12, 2015 @ 4:42 pm
…the fact that people are smoking weed instead of cigarettes is a great indicator of their not being fucking idiots.
May 12, 2015 @ 9:00 pm
You failed to contradict either my point on violent crime or drug use with statistics.
The argument that I am making about Millennials on average having the most education of any generation comes from actual statistics of degree completion rates.
You also seem to be confusing “ignorance” with “freedom”. What young people believe today is that individuals should have the right to consume whatever substances they want and view whatever entertainment they want, as long as they have a broad range of options along with access to information available. Boiled down, this basically means that it’s fine if people have access to marijuana, alcohol, Coca-Cola, or snacks, so long as they also can find information regarding the health risks of over-consuming these with just a click of the mouse.
May 12, 2015 @ 9:59 am
Shouldn’t the proper sentence construction be Noah and I instead of me and Noah?
As a member of the Millennial generation, I do not believe we are the best educated generation. I have been around too many of my peers who cannot name all 50 states, cannot locate said states on a map, have atrocious US History knowledge, cannot find major European nations on a map, and gather their news from Comedy Central shows.
We do have the opportunity for more knowledge, but we simply don’t utilize the opportunity.
May 12, 2015 @ 11:31 am
I’m a millenial too. Let me discuss a guy I went to high school with. Just since 12th grade he’s totalled two cars, been to jail, lost two jobs, and committed a ghastly number of adulteries. I have been a full time college student since high school, until getting a job last week, and I still live with my parents. Most of my peers are like that guy from high school. Clint and Albert are right in their criticisms of millenials, even if that may stereotype me.
May 12, 2015 @ 4:52 pm
He’s married? Because sex between two consenting adults is not “adultery” if neither party is married. It’s “fornication,” and it’s terrifying that anyone considers it evidence of moral depravity these days.
Also, any blanket criticism of a generation is stupid, and anyone who makes such generalizations is being an idiot (whether or not they’re normally entirely reasonable, wonderful and intelligent human beings). People are people, and they’ve always been people. Some people are assholes, some people aren’t assholes. The only difference is that now some assholes are more visible, giving other assholes the opportunity to claim that everyone they don’t like is an asshole.
May 12, 2015 @ 9:15 pm
“I have been a full time college student since high school”
So you ARE highly educated and NOT “dumbed down”. And now you have a career to go along with that as well.
You should take pride in your own accomplishments.
May 12, 2015 @ 4:45 pm
No, it would not be. In that sentence, Eric is the object of the proposition “from,” and therefore “me” is the correct first person pronoun to use.
Make sure you know what you’re doing when you correct a me/I usage, because doing so incorrectly makes people look like the worst combination of uninformed and judgmental.
May 12, 2015 @ 5:03 pm
I wasn’t trying to correct it. I was asking to make sure what the correct form was. Hence, the question mark.
May 13, 2015 @ 2:56 am
Oh, I know. I’m not accusing you of anything, haha.
It’s just a good thing to know for life.
May 13, 2015 @ 4:40 am
Eric: I couldn’t get a career in the field I got my associates in, nor in the field in which I am currently working towards my bachelor’s. I’m just a cashier. and Clint is right. Mom and Dad have protected me. I still live at home, and they agreed they wouldn’t force me to work while I was in college. They have since decided they wanted me to pay for T.V. and internet so I got a job. Just like Clint is right that 60’s Country like the Louvin Brother’s and Patsy were better than 70’s Country, and 70’s country was better than eighties country. and Albert is right too about information. I can google anything right now, but remember that guy from my high school I was commiserating about? One of his many girlfriends doesn’t have a single clue about D-Day or American History in General, so whether or not you like it education isn’t doing so hot.
May 13, 2015 @ 3:26 pm
Lad, your parents are “protecting you” because college and housing now are far, far more expensive than college and housing were when they were growing up.
It’s not a comparable situation, especially if you went to a private college, so don’t make yourself feel bad by pretending it is.
May 12, 2015 @ 9:08 pm
And you think that Millennials are the only generation with poor geographical knowledge? I am reminded of a commercial from the 80s that I have heard about, where a woman expresses surprise about how “There are 50 states now?!”. Americans are great at a lot of things, but geography has never been our strong suit.
The point is that our generation IS utilizing knowledge, as evidenced by the fact that Millennials have earned/are earning degrees at every level at higher rates than any previous generation. Millennials who have gone to college have also chosen harder majors (such as STEM) than any prior generation.
May 12, 2015 @ 5:40 am
Honest question – I’m a huge Toby Keith of the 90s fan, and haven’t listened to him since “Shouldn’t Kiss Me Like This” on account of I hate his “big bad ass boss-man ‘Murikkka!” appeal. Has he done anything worth listening to in the past decade that reminds us of the old Toby?
May 12, 2015 @ 4:54 pm
I love “I Like Girls That Drink Beer” (it’s not what it sounds like) and a lot of stuff off of “Clancy’s Tavern.”
May 12, 2015 @ 7:24 am
don’t like this Toby Keith tune much.
but
Blackberry Smoke has a tune about small town life worth listening to
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xj60qju8OJ8&spfreload=10
May 12, 2015 @ 8:25 am
Trigger, I sense that there is an air of political correctness in this article. e.g. “borderline offensive flag-waving odes”? “pandering etude to the troops”? This is exactly how I would expect MSNBC to describe some of Toby’s past hits.
I happen to think that “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” and “American Soldier” were good songs, unlike some of his later singles.
May 12, 2015 @ 8:42 am
Right, because any political view different than yours must automatically be politically correct.
May 12, 2015 @ 8:49 am
You can dislike or disagree with the lyrics of “flag waving” songs, but that does not make them offensive.
I also think the term “pandering” is used very broadly here, so much so that it could apply to about 70% of all songs played on country radio. You could say that “American Soldier” pandered to the troops, just as Carrie Underwood’s “Jesus Take The Wheel” and “Something In The Water” pandered to Christians, and just as every romantic ballad recorded by a male country artist pandered to women.
May 12, 2015 @ 8:59 am
I find it offensive when someone tries to use “support the troops” sentiments to sell records. Have more regard and respect for those individuals. I’m not saying Toby Keith doesn’t support troops himself and that he hasn’t given tons of his money and time to such charities. But when it’s more about marketing than really trying to make people feel special, I’m offended.
May 12, 2015 @ 8:55 am
Political correctness? I don’t think that’s how I would describe it. I think Toby Keith is the origination point of the commercial exploitation of pro troop sentiment in the American population, and that was the only point I was trying to make. I’m not saying Toby Keith doesn’t “support the troops.” I think it’s pretty obvious he does. But in my opinion, there’s a line you can cross where you’re just looking to make lots of money off of people by exploiting their political leanings, and that’s not right no matter what side of the isle the issue breaks down. I’ve said similar things about Steve Earle and others, and it just goes along with my doctrine that politics have no place in music except in some very specific circumstances.
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May 12, 2015 @ 8:36 am
[…] Country Music reviewed Toby Keith’s “35 MPH Town,” crediting it with “cutting completely against […]
May 12, 2015 @ 10:18 am
Haven’t heard the song. But regarding being offended, I decided a long long time ago to not allow things to offend me. A person could wear themselves out working up moral outrage for all the “micro-agressions” by which we’re supposed to be offended these days. I’m on the conservative side of the spectrum, and heaven knows I could be mighty offended over crosses in jars of urine being displayed as “works of art”. But I can’t even keep track of all the things for which I am supposed to be offended these days, there are just too many. So, if I’m going to choose to just let it slide when it’s one of my own sacred cows, I’m sure not going to get worked up on behalf of other people’s aggressions, micro-aggressions, what-have-you. Now, I will get more than offended when the line is crossed into actual physical harm and murder, I will get downright angry and ready to do violence in return to those who would kill people who haven’t harmed them physically, first. That saying about being able to live in a peaceful and free society because rough men stand ready to do violence to those who would harm it, or something to that effect. But that’s a result of people choosing to be easily offended rather than trusting the all-powerful deity in which they claim to believe (as I do the Christian God), to take care of Himself and His own. I won’t commit any act which I consider to be blasphemous, but I can’t get all worked up about those who do. That’s the society we live in now, someone could always find something about which to be offended in this politically correct world if they wanted to. The values of the world in which I grew up, have been turned on their head, and I can’t change that, and will only give myself a stroke by being easily offended. So, I do my darndest to just avoid that which offends me. I must admit, I live a very reclusive life, lol. Or as we Christian fundamentalists define it, a “separated” one.
May 12, 2015 @ 11:17 am
“That”™s the society we live in now, someone could always find something about which to be offended in this politically correct world if they wanted to. The values of the world in which I grew up, have been turned on their head, and I can”™t change that,……..”
Amen . Choose your battles .
There’s a credo I put into effect playing bars all my life and its helped me to tolerate today’ s mores : ” NEVER ARGUE WITH A DRUNK ” . There are a lot of occasions where I see my energy would be wasted without society’s support . I try to expend it where I know it won’t be.
May 12, 2015 @ 10:26 am
Songs can generate good messages, even if you don’t agree with everything they say.
Music is art.
I don’t care whether Toby Keith, or any other artist, is a Democrat or a Republicn or a libertarian.
I listen to their music because it’s art, not because I need the songwriter’s take on a political matter.
Good grief.
May 12, 2015 @ 4:55 pm
But isn’t all art necessarily political? Any art that attempts to be apolitical, or totally lacking a point of view, renders itself kitsch.
May 14, 2015 @ 5:37 pm
Go Toby; go
May 15, 2015 @ 11:33 pm
Well this song was better than expected. It doesn’t make up for the past missteps but maybe ole Toby is growing up. Hoping he doesn’t end up on the youtubes slurring his way through this one.
May 17, 2015 @ 8:21 pm
Sounds about like the particular part of Southern Missouri I call my adopted home. Sad to say. Our throwaway culture hasn’t been kind.