I was so unaware of country music throughout most of the 80's. The last time I had looked, Kenny Rogers was on an island with Dolly and Alabama were tossing out redneck make-out anthems and none of it seemed to sound much like country. It wasn't until the media got a case of the hysterics over Naomi Judd's hepatitis and subsequent retirement from The Judds that I was aware of their existence. Home from work one day because of a cold, I witnessed two over-sized drag queens - one bitch well known from the Baltimore days, the other bitch well known from Atlanta - on Sally Jesse (remember when that sort of thing was shocking)"performing" "Mama, He's Crazy" and I finally had a sound to put with the frenzy. Flipping through a stack of second hand cds a few weeks later, I found a copy of The Judd's greatest hits for $2.99 and thought "Why not?". A few days later, I went back for volume two.
Their are a lot of groaners in the catalog but when they were on, they were dead on, and the harmonies can not be denied even at their worst (and most condescendingly manipulative). But for every groaner ("Grandpa (Tell Me 'Bout The Good Old Days)" anyone) there is something as good, if not better, than "Why Not Me", the story of the girl left behind while her hearts desire wonders the world looking for the new. Lyrically, it's little more than another "the grass isn't always greener" story, but the delivery is so absolute in its charm that the listener can't help but think, "why not, indeed".
Another reason to love "Why Not Me" is the "yank" at a minute and a half in where Naomi jumps in for a bit harmony reinforcement. Oh, and for some reason, I find that it's the perfect tempo for vacuuming, and anything that makes that chore less tedious is worth it's wait in vinyl or plastic.
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