The Best You’ve Never Heard #1… “What Would Waylon Do”
To kick off the Best You’ve Never Heard Series, I’ve chosen a track that I only discovered myself this past week. While thumbing through the Joe Diffie catalog, I realized that I’d never given his 2004 indie debut, Tougher Than Nails, a good listen. It is much the same as his earlier albums for Sony, and still a little too country for radio to embrace. But it’s light and fun, and authentic country. Tucked neatly at track number 8 is a tune titled What Would Waylon Do? Honestly, I was hooked from there, and this song is just as much fun as you might imagine.
Pairing Joe and the legendary Possum, George Jones, is a match made in hillbilly heaven. The banter that leads into the song is classic. George with his drawled and sarcastic “Yeah” is a touch that still makes me smile. And the fun just starts there. True in form to pay tribute to Waylon, we take an average hard luck night in the life of a two bar singers, and twist it around what the old Outlaw might have done. Kicking in doors, shootin’ out the lights, and going on to “Scare the dog out of the sound man, with a “Hoss, let’s get this right.”" I can actually buy that hook, line, and sinker. I can hear Ol’ Waylon, eyebrow cocked, saying that. It’s real. And it’s one of the best songs that name-drop a legend that I can sign off on. I say that as this wasn’t thrown down our throats like Taylor Swift (Tim McGraw) and Jason Aldean (Johnny Cash) as nothing more than cashing in on the name-drop, while the song and the title have, dare I say, nothing in common. Well worth the listen, and well worth the laughs.
Vitals: Released on 2004’s “Tougher Than Nails”, Broken Bow Records, Joe Diffie featuring George Jones.
June 5, 2008 at 2:29 pm
I think “The Best You’ve Never Heard” is a great idea since some of the best songs aren’t ever released as singles or don’t get the airplay they should. This song sounds interesting, but I haven’t been able to find a site where I can listen to the full song. Do you know of one?
June 6, 2008 at 4:24 am
Napster has the full version available with their basic membership. (Or with their free trial.)
June 7, 2008 at 1:24 pm
Thanks for the info, Mike. That’s a cool song. I love how country music has funny songs as well as deeply affecting serious ones.
November 3, 2008 at 8:18 pm
Actually, pretty much all of Joe Diffie’s songs are amazing. He’s an amazing song writer and his songs are so powerful. Many of them make you cry. You really have to listen to the words. I can fully feel the emotion in his voice. He’s wonderful =)