Powerline

     Every so often a popular song finds itself the center of a controversy. It's usually when it strays from the familiar themes and comments on an issue in the public eye. 

    Prior to the 60s it was less often, writers kept to the safe subjects, mostly romance. One early example of a song that raised eyebrows was "Wake Up Little Susie" by the Everly Brothers. It was considered suggestive of irresponsible behavior and was even banned in Boston, despite being a #1 hit. 

    

    Folk singers, as well as the Blues, had been writing songs about social conditions for decades. During the 60's songs like "Eve of Destruction" (Barry McGuire) and "Masters of War" (Bob Dylan) were just two of many that questioned the politics of the time. If you look back though, it's sex that has really found it's way into popular music to the point where now it's explicit, pervasive and largely accepted.

    Country music has been less so in this way, sticking to themes that celebrate America's rural traditions; hard work and struggle, rugged independence, community, and family. Some songs like "The Pill" (Loretta Lynn) and "Ode to Billie Joe" (Bobby Gentry) were exceptions, but for the most part country music stayed pretty predictable and so when one does cross the line it's notable.

    Rather than get into the controversy of "Small Town", there's plenty of that. I thought I'd offer a songwriter's view.

    One of the things I learned during my time in Nashville was that songwriting is magnitudes more competitive than I ever imagined. I've written before that there are literally thousands of writers in town, all striving to break through, and it has its own world. This is great for inspiring creativity, however it also encourages pushing boundaries. One classic theme has been the small town, which has become a symbol with political overtones.

    My song, "Powerline Road", is about my upbringing on a small farm in Idaho. It's on my "Home For Good" record from 2013. It's not strictly political, really more nostalgic, but I do have a line; "City's getting closer and it just seems wrong", that laments the loss of small farms near growing communities. Our family farm, which was a couple of miles from town, is now the site of a High School and is surrounded by subdivisions.

    So it was inevitable I suppose, that Nashville would produce a song with this theme that, purposely or not, would reflect the polarity we are experiencing. It's simply a product of the relentless competition to grab attention, and perhaps a level of tone deafness on the part of the music business infrastructure. 

Credit: ESA/Hubble & NASA

Singer/Songwriter Rick Millward lived and worked on the West Coast until moving to Nashville in 2000. He was part of the Music City songwriter community, collaborating with other artists and producing projects in his boutique studio, including two EMMY nominated soundtracks. Now in Southern Oregon, Rick has discovered a vibrant local music scene centered around the many tasting rooms. 

His records: "Limited Edition", "Home for Good", and “Loveland” are available on Spotify and other streaming platforms. His new recordings, "Astronomy", will be released later this year.

LOVELAND ON SPOTIFY