Country music has always had a soft spot for southern gothic. Whether it be Porter Wagoner's downright strange recordings in the 60s/70s (more on those later) or just plain old murder ballads, the darker side of country is one that folks don't always immediately think about. I started thinking about this after Alan Jackson's "Midnight in Montgomery" came up on my shuffle. The song is about seeing the ghost of Hank Williams (as spoonfed to you at the end of the song, almost as if to say, 'did you get it?')...an experience that more than a few others have shared. At first listen this song appears just to be a mid nineties update of "The Ride," but if you listen closer, it's just a full on rip off of "The Ride." I mean that in the best possible way. With all the stereotyping country music endures, it's nice to have another topic to sing about other than drinking, women, and general blue-collarness.
What better subject than hard drinking, womanizing, blue-collar sangin' GHOSTS?
Alan Jackson - Midnight in Montgomery
David Allan Coe - The Ride
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