Tuesday, May 28, 2013

A Milestone for Women: "Once a Day" by Connie Smith



I'm sorry, guys.  I offer my deepest, heartfelt apologies for my inexplicable absence these past few weeks.  I'm not quite sure how time got so far away from me but I'm thinking that if I blow these next few blog posts out of the water this whole fiasco will be forgivable in time.  Ok, here we go :)

You know that paid program that advertises a box set of country songs from the '50s and '60s and plays like 24 hours a day?  It draws you in by showing up as "Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, and more" on your TV guide and you click on it excitedly thinking that it is a TV special on their lives or their music, only to find that it is actually just an advertisement (let's just pretend like I'm not the only one who gets fooled into clicking on paid programs).
Look familiar?
          Even though half of me had this unjustified resentment toward the program, the other half really wanted the CDs they were advertising.  Lo and behold, my wonderful parents bought me the set for my birthday and I discovered some amazing country music.  One of my favorite songs in the collection is "Once a Day" by Connie Smith.  The song stuck out to me because of the uniquely country lyrics in the chorus ("The only time I wish you weren't gone is once a day, everyday, all day long"); they are quirky, clever, and sad.  What more could you want in a country song?

I didn't realize until later how important this song is to the history of country music.  It was written for Connie by Whisperin' Bill Anderson, a legendary songwriter who has written modern hits such as "Give It Away" for George Strait and "Whiskey Lullaby" for Brad Paisley and Allison Kraus, and was the first ever debut single by a female to reach No.1.  Pretty impressive stuff.  For 48 years it also held the record for the country record with the most weeks spent at No.1 (for a female).  Taylor Swift broke this record last December when "We Are Never Ever Ever Getting Back Together" stayed at the No.1 position one week longer than "Once a Day" (Whether or not "We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together" should even be considered a country song is a discussion for a different day, I suppose).

Remember, we're talking about 1964 here.  Record companies still didn't totally buy the idea that women could be just as successful as men and women had to fight hard for respect in the music industry.  "Once a Day" was influential in breaking down these boundaries and helped pave the way for the female singers we love today.                        

  


  

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