I want to take a moment and say that my thoughts and prayers are with everyone who was affected by Hurricane Sandy, particularly those in New Jersey and New York. The pictures and footage they've been showing are just heartbreaking. They have a long road ahead of them and it's not going to be easy. Let's not forget about these people in the days to come. And of course, let's say a few prayers for all of the firefighters, police officers and all the other emergency responders in these places, along with all the crews that are going to be working to restore power to those who lost it.
I know there's a lot of information out there about ways we can help, but I thought I'd provide some links here as well:
The American Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/hurricane-sandy?scode=RSG00000E017&subcode=paiddonationsbrand&gclid=CIS7wZ66qrMCFYd9Ogod0HcA_g
World Vision: http://www.worldvision.org/?lpos=top_img_wvLogo
The Humane Society: http://www.humanesociety.org/news/dispatch/2012/10/hurricane-sandy-103012.html
Samaritan's Purse: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/articles/hurricane_sandy/
Those are just a handful of places where you can donate. I'm sure there's many others - just make sure that you give to a reputable charity if you do decide to donate.
Now, to talk about Song of the Year. Remember that this award is given to the songwriter(s). This is usually a pretty tough category and this year is no exception. I think I could make an argument for any of them.
The nominees:
"Even If It Breaks Your Heart", written by Will Hoge and Eric Paslay
"God Gave Me You", written be Dave Barnes
"Home", written by Dan Wilson, Brett Beavers and Dierks Bentley
"Over You", written by Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton
"Springsteen", written by Eric Church, Ryan Tyndell and Jeff Hyde
My pick for CMA Song of the Year? "Home", written by Dan Wilson, Brett Beavers and Dierks Bentley.
"Even If It Breaks Your Heart" is a strong contender. This song struck a chord with fans and artists alike, a song encouraging people to follow their dreams. Even when it's painful, as it often is. This song went all the way to #1. Proving to be the perfect follow up to Eli Young's previous single "Crazy Girl".
"God Gave Me You", the only song written by just one person. This is a beautifully crafted song and was very successful. I couldn't pick it, however, due to the same reason why I didn't feel right picking it for Single of the Year. It was released and went #1 last year and I can't get over my belief that Song of the Year should go to a song that was actually a single at some point of 2012. But it is a lovely song.
"Over You". One of the strongest in this category and probably the best song on Miranda Lambert's Four the Record CD. Written by Miranda and Blake about Blake's brother, this song hit fans on an emotional level. I'm sure that many will consider this to be the favorite and the fact that it was written by Miranda and Blake is going to be hard for the voters to ignore. But it wasn't my choice. I'm in the minority and well aware of it, but the more I heard it the less of an emotional punch it had. The opposite was true for a while, in the first couple of months after it was released. But it just didn't hold up as well for me for some reason. It wouldn't surprise me if it won though. As again, I'm pretty positive I'm in the minority.
Another song I wouldn't be surprised to see win is "Springsteen". This was my pick for Single of the Year after all and you could pretty much take what I said about it in that post and apply it here. This song hit a major nerve with fans. A song celebrating the magic of the right song. It was so nicely crafted and got its point across so well. There's a reason why people connected so much with it and I would have no problems whatsoever if Eric and the other two writers, Ryan Tyndell and Jeff Hyde, took this one.
Ultimately, I had to go with "Home" and I'll be honest and admit that a tiny part of that decision comes from my wanting to see Dierks win something. But a large part, the biggest part, is that I really believe that it's the best written song in the category. I say this acknowledging that every song nominated is extremely well written; I understand why each got nominated. I definitely don't want to take anything away from any of the other songwriters in this category. I'd say it has a good chance, a much better chance here than it does for Single. In saying that I kind of feel like this might be the underdog in the category or at least the most understated. That's part of its charm, I think.
See I think songwriters have to be careful when they write a song like "Home". Songs praising the United States tend to do well in country music, but a lot of those songs come across as trying too hard. Like the song is trying to beat you over the head with how patriotic it is - and in doing so, misses the point. It's not about proving anything. It's not about taking sides, as so many of these type of songs can be. This is a song that any and every American can relate to. I think the beauty of "Home" is that the songwriters don't try to pretend that our country is perfect. It doesn't take cheap shots at the country either. It's about loving the country, flaws and all. It's about taking pride in our country and caring enough to want to try to make it better. It's about remembering how we got to where we are; never forgetting those who fought and sacrificed to make this country what it is. It's about knowing that it's okay that we're not all the same and it's okay that we have our problems. Because that's part of what makes this country so great.
Lyrically speaking, there is not a weak spot to be found in the entire song. This was a beautifully crafted song and the music fits it so perfectly. There's something very majestic about it and that's not a word I generally use to describe songs. I've been listening to it as I've been writing and trying to decide what lyrics to include and it's so difficult because it's so strong. I'll go with this segment, "Brave, gotta call it brave/ To chase that dream across the sea/ Names, then they signed their names/ For something they believed/ Red, how the blood ran red/ We laid our dead in sacred ground/ Just think, wonder what they'd think/ If they could see us now". That's some fantastic songwriting right there.
And of course, "It's been a long hard ride/ Got a ways to go/ But this is still the place/ That we all call home/ It's been a long hard ride/ And I won't lose hope/ This is still the place/ That we all call home". Beautiful. My pick for Song of the Year.
I know there's a lot of information out there about ways we can help, but I thought I'd provide some links here as well:
The American Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org/hurricane-sandy?scode=RSG00000E017&subcode=paiddonationsbrand&gclid=CIS7wZ66qrMCFYd9Ogod0HcA_g
World Vision: http://www.worldvision.org/?lpos=top_img_wvLogo
The Humane Society: http://www.humanesociety.org/news/dispatch/2012/10/hurricane-sandy-103012.html
Samaritan's Purse: http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/articles/hurricane_sandy/
Those are just a handful of places where you can donate. I'm sure there's many others - just make sure that you give to a reputable charity if you do decide to donate.
Now, to talk about Song of the Year. Remember that this award is given to the songwriter(s). This is usually a pretty tough category and this year is no exception. I think I could make an argument for any of them.
The nominees:
"Even If It Breaks Your Heart", written by Will Hoge and Eric Paslay
"God Gave Me You", written be Dave Barnes
"Home", written by Dan Wilson, Brett Beavers and Dierks Bentley
"Over You", written by Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton
"Springsteen", written by Eric Church, Ryan Tyndell and Jeff Hyde
My pick for CMA Song of the Year? "Home", written by Dan Wilson, Brett Beavers and Dierks Bentley.
"Even If It Breaks Your Heart" is a strong contender. This song struck a chord with fans and artists alike, a song encouraging people to follow their dreams. Even when it's painful, as it often is. This song went all the way to #1. Proving to be the perfect follow up to Eli Young's previous single "Crazy Girl".
"God Gave Me You", the only song written by just one person. This is a beautifully crafted song and was very successful. I couldn't pick it, however, due to the same reason why I didn't feel right picking it for Single of the Year. It was released and went #1 last year and I can't get over my belief that Song of the Year should go to a song that was actually a single at some point of 2012. But it is a lovely song.
"Over You". One of the strongest in this category and probably the best song on Miranda Lambert's Four the Record CD. Written by Miranda and Blake about Blake's brother, this song hit fans on an emotional level. I'm sure that many will consider this to be the favorite and the fact that it was written by Miranda and Blake is going to be hard for the voters to ignore. But it wasn't my choice. I'm in the minority and well aware of it, but the more I heard it the less of an emotional punch it had. The opposite was true for a while, in the first couple of months after it was released. But it just didn't hold up as well for me for some reason. It wouldn't surprise me if it won though. As again, I'm pretty positive I'm in the minority.
Another song I wouldn't be surprised to see win is "Springsteen". This was my pick for Single of the Year after all and you could pretty much take what I said about it in that post and apply it here. This song hit a major nerve with fans. A song celebrating the magic of the right song. It was so nicely crafted and got its point across so well. There's a reason why people connected so much with it and I would have no problems whatsoever if Eric and the other two writers, Ryan Tyndell and Jeff Hyde, took this one.
Ultimately, I had to go with "Home" and I'll be honest and admit that a tiny part of that decision comes from my wanting to see Dierks win something. But a large part, the biggest part, is that I really believe that it's the best written song in the category. I say this acknowledging that every song nominated is extremely well written; I understand why each got nominated. I definitely don't want to take anything away from any of the other songwriters in this category. I'd say it has a good chance, a much better chance here than it does for Single. In saying that I kind of feel like this might be the underdog in the category or at least the most understated. That's part of its charm, I think.
See I think songwriters have to be careful when they write a song like "Home". Songs praising the United States tend to do well in country music, but a lot of those songs come across as trying too hard. Like the song is trying to beat you over the head with how patriotic it is - and in doing so, misses the point. It's not about proving anything. It's not about taking sides, as so many of these type of songs can be. This is a song that any and every American can relate to. I think the beauty of "Home" is that the songwriters don't try to pretend that our country is perfect. It doesn't take cheap shots at the country either. It's about loving the country, flaws and all. It's about taking pride in our country and caring enough to want to try to make it better. It's about remembering how we got to where we are; never forgetting those who fought and sacrificed to make this country what it is. It's about knowing that it's okay that we're not all the same and it's okay that we have our problems. Because that's part of what makes this country so great.
Lyrically speaking, there is not a weak spot to be found in the entire song. This was a beautifully crafted song and the music fits it so perfectly. There's something very majestic about it and that's not a word I generally use to describe songs. I've been listening to it as I've been writing and trying to decide what lyrics to include and it's so difficult because it's so strong. I'll go with this segment, "Brave, gotta call it brave/ To chase that dream across the sea/ Names, then they signed their names/ For something they believed/ Red, how the blood ran red/ We laid our dead in sacred ground/ Just think, wonder what they'd think/ If they could see us now". That's some fantastic songwriting right there.
And of course, "It's been a long hard ride/ Got a ways to go/ But this is still the place/ That we all call home/ It's been a long hard ride/ And I won't lose hope/ This is still the place/ That we all call home". Beautiful. My pick for Song of the Year.
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