The few country songs in my music collection are mostly holdovers from a college summer spent working at Dairy Queen, a time when Billy Ray Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart” was a monster hit. Because my comrades-in-cones loved country, the radio was usually tuned to Chicago’s US99 (“America’s Country Station”) while we were mixing up a storm of Blizzards. Thus, my lingering affection for Wynonna’s “I Saw The Light” and “No One Else On Earth,” songs I wouldn’t have otherwise sought out.
Music has often flirted with the line between country and pop, beginning with Patsy Cline in the 1960s. In the two decades that followed, Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers were big purveyors of so-called country pop (even partnering for the Bee Gees-penned “Islands In The Stream,” a #1 hit on pop, country, and adult contemporary charts). In the mid-to-late ’90s, Shania Twain, Faith Hill, and the previously mentioned Billy Ray Cyrus found receptive pop audiences.
Tim McGraw and Nelly teamed up on 2004’s “Over And Over,” reaching #3. On CMT’s current reality series Gone Country, John Rich (of Big and Rich) is helping faded stars like Bobby Brown and Sisqo navigate Nashville as they angle for crossover success in unfamiliar waters.
Cascade – “What Hurts The Most”
Though country and pop may not always be “two great tastes that taste great together,” give either genre a dancefloor do-over and the resulting remixes can be exponentially delicious. So while Rascal Flatts has me reaching for the radio dial, Cascada‘s cover of “What Hurts The Most” wins my heart by working me over.
The Cascada version is admittedly a tad frenetic, heavy on the keyboard stabs typical of Euro NRG (the group does “heil” from Germany, after all). And though the sad lyrics don’t really lend themselves to such upbeat treatment, when vocalist Natalie Horley sings “What hurts the most is being SO CLOSE” around the 3:12 mark—well that’s calling selling it to the cheap seats, ladies and gentlemen. And I’m totally buying it:
LeAnn Rimes – “Nothing Better To Do” (Soul Seekerz Radio Edit)
Since her 1996 “Blue” debut, LeAnn Rimes has often taken the pop-country path. “How Do I Live” remains her most successful bid in that arena to date, remaining on the Billboard Hot 100 for a record 69 weeks and selling over 3 million copies.
The “How Do I Live” maxi-single was packed with dance versions, as Rimes’ record label realized that retooling her songs for clubs could broaden the singer’s appeal. Since then, Rimes has continued to issue remixes (some DJ-only, others widely available). There’s even a 2004 import compilation gathering radio edits of many of these.
Rimes’ dance-friendly history continues with her latest, “Nothin’ Better To Do.” There are several mixes, but my favorite is the Soul Seekerz Radio Edit, which replaces the original’s honky-tonk rhythm with a bouncy, insistent beat and a squiggly synth line:
Got yourself some idle hands with nothing better to do? Take a gander at the Chicago-inspired video.
