Few songs had a bigger impact on listeners than this one. Many times timing is everything.  For whom it was most intended, this is a country music work of art.  When Toby wrote and released this song, America was recovering from 911, and soldiers were deployed all over the world with some families really hurting in many areas as a result for many reasons.  What makes this song so important is  - well about everything.  It spoke to the soldier, and to the families directly who desperately wanted to be heard and understood.   It also was a wake up call to those not affected directly by world events, and helped them gain some needed perspective.  And it honored veterans of conflicts, or just service time passed, or long passed that someone with a big voice and platform remembered them and shared their experiences in song on the radio.  Plus, this song gently introduced us to the life of many soldiers by being straightforward and honest.  Can you imagine anyone else singing this song?  Yeah, me either as it is as believable and any song in the last 40 years. This sold millions as a single, and the album was certified 4 times Platinum.  Toby Keith recorded a ton of huge songs that millions loved, but this is the song that I feel is his real signature.  How Do You Like Me Now changed his career for sure, and could also be his signature, but this song made his already gigantic popularity soar to another level and making already big fans, loyal fans for life.   Toby also has a song at #47 on this list - (Should Have Been A Cowboy)

Toby passed away in 2024

Last Week #9

My Full Profile On Toby Keith - (written prior to his passing)

I think we all love French Onion Soup, and most think we have to go out to get some. Actually it's NOT that hard to make, and you can make buckets of it at the house!

Thanks for listening and reading everyday!

Making French Onion Soup!

Clearly this season has not gone according to their plan, and another challenge today as the Bengals come to town opening up divisional play.  Thankfully the easy part of the schedule is over.  Should be noted they went 0-4 against the NFC East Division.  So we limp home after an 0-3 road trip with three games at home.  The next few games with the Bengals, Ravens and the new look Los Angeles Chargers.  Tough road.

We're in a very interesting situation with an organization that's becoming difficult to root for. The owner isn't popular, same with the QB, the front office, and those above them in some made up role that no one seems to really understand making decisions that puts pride over winning.  So we sit here at 1-5, all the while having done stellar work in revitalizing other franchises like the Lions and the Texans.  Yes, the Lions too.  Sure Baker is having great success in Tampa, Flacco in Indy, and now Kareem Hunt running for the Chiefs, but they are far lesser of the offenders.  The Browns seemed to personally hate Baker and had no choice but to let Flacco go so we woudn't have a mutiny, or any chance to win.  And Hunt seemed personal as well, 2 years in a row.  The Browns with their inflated view of self, honestly thought in 2022 they were Watson away from winning the Superbowl.

The Lions are now a real contender and when was the last time we said that?  We hired John Dorsey from the Chiefs in 2017 and he ran the Browns until 2019.  While at Kansas City, he was part of the team that traded UP to get Patrick Mahomes.  He was blasted in the media for taking Mahomes over Deshaun Watson.  Here, he drafted Myles Garrett, David Njoku, Nick Chubb, Denzel Ward, and others including Baker.  He made some mistakes here too, Freddie Kitchens?  But the biggest mistake he made was to challenge the front office in his root football beliefs.  He was a football man and they're mathematicians.  He lost and was fired.  He went to the Lions, helped pull them off the scrap heap and now they are one of the best teams in the entire NFL, with many picking them to go to the Superbowl. They like us, have never been.  Can you imagine?   Too bad he wasn't good enough to work here.

Then there's the Texans. The minute they were able to gladly rid themselves of the troubled Watson to a desperate trading partner they could begin their rebuilding.  Enter the Browns, who have literally done a far better job at constructing a winner in Houston than here.  Dumping Watson, getting very draft rich from us has led the way to hire the games best young coach making Houston a real destination for free agents too. They went from 3-13 to a divisional title, to a home playoff game, to beating us in the playoffs by a mile.  BTW the Browns have not won their own division since the late 80's, and THIS stadium has never hosted a playoff game.  To be fair, that trade had nothing to do with them getting CJ Stroud, but had a lot to do with a whole lot of other great young players on rookie contracts.  They too, like us have never been to the Superbowl.  Can you imagine?

From cutting, losing and firing good players and coaches, to drafting horribly since 2020, the Watson trade, to just not getting much of anything right the Browns are a mess right now.  The Lions and Texans are laughing at us, along with the rest of the NFL.  But as fans we are not.  It's a real shame because many of the pieces were here at one time to go forward and be much better.

This team does have some pieces still in place. But with the trading deadline not far away, you wonder for how much longer.  The Browns have a player or two that could really help them beef up the draft next year and get things going again, and that has already begun.  But, you then have to pick the right players.  A loss to the Bengals today and I feel you may have to brace yourself.

In the meantime, Go Browns

In case you missed any of my articles this week from WQMX.com, grab a coffee and let's get you caught up!  Thanks for listening and reading everyday!

BROWNS - Trying To Be Right

Eat Of The Week

50 Most Important Country Songs 1980-Today #9

Forgotten Jukebox MM-01

The Mega Star Series - Dwight Yoakam (B-Day Revisit)

Wynn At The Movies And More

Box Office Results -

#1 – Terrifier 3  -   18  million

#2 - Wild Robot   -   14 Million

#3 - Joker 2  -   7 Million

Joker 2 – Is expected to lose over 200 million dollars at the box office!

New This Week - Smile 2 / Gracie And Pedro: Pets To The Rescue / Goodri

There's A Chance - That Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman may host the Oscars this year

Hugh Jackman and Kate Hudson - Will star in the musical drama Song Sung Blue, which tells the story of a Neil Diamond tribute band.

Happy Gilmore 2 - Is filming and yes, Travis Kelce is in it. Filmed it last week as the Chiefs had a bye week

Colleen Hoover's - Book Reminders of Him will be a movie in theaters on February 13th, 2026, ahead of Valentine’s Day.

My - Country Music Memory Lane (Link)

Also - 50 Most Important Country Songs 1980 – Today #9 (Link)

Dwight Yoakam is having a birthday this month, and he has been featured in my Mega Star Series. Let's check out his great career and his contributions to Country Music.

Mega Star Dwight Yoakam

Mark McGuinn  - Mrs. Steven Rudy - 2001  - (Album - Mark McGuinn)

This is a real gem in the jukebox.  This song was a big hit, fans loved it and it made history.  This song went #6 on the charts, nothing earth-shattering there, but there's another side to this song.  It was NOT the single that they wanted to release. The actual hit single was a song no one knows called, That's The Plan.  But a disc jockey in Dallas started playing this song instead, and that was the one that caught on. Very strange scenario.  It also marked the first time in over 40 years a new artist, on an independent label (VFR) scored a top ten hit.  That matches the strangeness or uniqueness of this song and video in general.  It was a bit off beat, as was his image.  This is the only song he ever really charted, but it was a big song, then it faded away as many do. I loved this song, and it was fun to play and for a year or two I played it a bunch here at WQMX.   This has a story and a history and that's why it's in the Forgotten Jukebox.  

Last Weeks Selection

As we march toward the top, we are starting to get to the really big songs.  We owe Alabama a whole lot as they were the clear and runaway number one act in Country Music through a good deal of the 1980's, especially the first 7 years or so. Debuting in 1980, but they really hit their stride with this album and song in 1982.  There is no question that the first successful couple of albums were hits, but this song and album was the push they needed to really get over the top and go to places that few get to go.  They had 5 #1 songs before this, impressive yes, that were real favorites, but there was something about this song that fans could not get enough of.  The feel of it, the fiddle solo, they just loved this song.  Alabama of course went on to rattle off more #1 songs for many years and soared well into the 90's still going strong.   They, as far as sales, popularity and exposure are concerned kept country going until we could figure out what direction we were going.  And after many new stars showed up, Alabama kept going strong on the charts till about 1997.  They had way too many songs to mention, but this song, to me was the one that sent them into an orbit few see.  What a smash, 5 million sold. - Supergroup Alabama.  Signature song?  Possibly, they had so many.

Last Week #10

My Full Profile On Alabama

Eggs are delicious and I know some don't care for them.  But here is a new way or two to cook eggs, if you're looking for a new way to go!

Thanks for reading and listening everyday!

Eggs This Way - Try Them!!!

For the record I was never a fan of the Watson trade.  I knew they wanted to jettison Baker, and it's their team they can do as they please.  I felt with Baker, it was 100% personal, and in the end it was.  Then last year it was Flacco, who led them to the playoffs along with a good defense and a few breaks along the way.  But this year was the year that the egos in Berea were going to be "right" about Watson.  And that has not gone well at least so far.

I didn't like the trade for many reasons.  First, I have always felt Watson was highly overrated in an NFL sense, and of course his off field problems were disturbing and distracting.  Plus, mortgaging the future for almost any professional franchise is never a good idea.  The guaranteed money, putting all the eggs in the one basket thing.  And I just feel he is not a leader of men, and that is a big problem on an NFL field.  Is that right?  Right now it seems so, and I really don't like that.  But what's going on here, has way more to do with the organization than just Watson.  I have felt all along this roster is overrated as well.  But he's not played well, and there is something very, very wrong here.

It appears the 2-time Coach Of The Year has virtually no say on his team.  This front office is bound and determined to be right about this trade.  And this is the year they are either going to be right, or they are going to scramble to convince us somehow they're not wrong.  I think the Browns could be 2-12, and Watson will continue to play, in hopes of a late season turn around in his play.  The front office seems far more committed to him than to winning.  Stefanski is stuck with this problem and he's the guy responsible, and that's sad.  My feeling is, this trade and move was done way over his head.   And I don't think he can bench him, as that probably has to come from the top.

Last year when Flacco was playing here, I never saw Stefanski more relaxed and happy watching Old Joe carve up defenses within Stefanski's patented offense.   The Browns were rolling and finished great, but lost in the playoffs.  But you know how this goes, Flacco had to go, to clear the way for Watson.  Then many coaches, many of Stefanski's friends were canned to do what the front office wants.  Watson's offense.  Stefanski is sort of a sympathetic figure here as he has a mess here.  There is too much money and given up capitol for the front office to ignore.  And we stink right now.

This is what happens to teams when real "non-football"  people are making football decisions.  The team that just destroyed us, Washington?  Had that exact same issue for YEARS.  Team sold, house cleaned and a good product is now on the field.  The Browns organization is good at a few things.  Giving out big long term contracts to who they view as core players is one of them.  Properly identifying who those are, is another story.  And now it's starting to dawn on them, just how expensive that trade was.  All those high draft picks lost are catching up to us and have built the Texans quickly, what a great trade for them.  And what we have gotten in return is zero, and a big bill.  It's among the biggest trade disaster in, well.....maybe ever.

It's no fun trying to be right.  The Browns are learning that at 1-4 - and right now being almost non-competitive, that is exactly true.

GO BROWNS!