Tonight, the Dial turns it's ever lovin' spotlight toward Nashville, to bring you a tune that celebrates female singers and musical acts from two decades hence. Performed with irresistible gusto by eight year industry veteran Lauren Alaina (impressively, she is but a lass of 24 currently), let me present "Ladies in the '90s".
Of course, my personal favorite shout-outs are the lyrical references to Britney and the Spice Girls, two of my favorites of the decade. When Lauren sings “Come on baby hit me, just one more time”, and “I’ll tell you what I want, what I really really want”, it’s a guarantee there’s a smile wrapped around my big goofy face.
So how did I discover this song? One evening, I was reminded of a favorite number of mine by Deana Carter, her signature tune “Strawberry Wine”, a wistful and lovely ballad that speaks to anyone whom has ever missed somebody from their past. Deana’s tune topped the country charts in ‘96, but only crossed over as high as #65 at pop, yet it nevertheless managed to catch my ears and earn my love and respect forever.
I searched for Deana’s song online, and started seeing references to Lauren Alaina and how Strawberry Wine led off her musical roll call. I gave “Ladies” a listen and dug it right away. And the video is a campy and cute QVC spoof, so there’s that too. Amazingly, this nostalgia filled ditty only got as high as #49 on the hot country charts in late 2018, and didn’t make a blip at pop, which a darn shame. I’m stunned that this wasn’t at least a top 20 country hit.
I’ve heard that country radio has been largely dominated by the guys in recent years (the awfully formulaic “bro country” trend being largely to blame), but that the ladies are starting to make inroads into taking their rightful place back on the format. I’m all for that. I’ve not been a huge country music fan aside from when it crossed over into pop in the late 70s and early 80s, and again in the mid to late 90s, but I’ve always felt that as a whole, women’s voices tend to carry country songs better than their male counterparts. So more power to Lauren and all ladies like her!
So, is it uncool for a 45 year old Dad (like me) to like this song? I dunno, and I don’t really care. I can relate to Lauren’s love of the tunes that influenced her, as they echo my own affection toward my favorite tunes. And since our playlists clearly intersect to a degree, and I’m a sucker for musical nostalgia, I’m totally picking up what Lauren’s putting down. You go, girl.
