I have maintained for years, long before the following the following article that how people deal with shopping carts says a lot about who they are. 

When you go shopping and need a cart, it's generally one of the largest errands you can run, and it's part of a busy day. There is no argue in that. True, there are stresses and kids to deal with but in the end it's just a part of your day.  And I have to admit, it makes me shake my head when people don't return the cart, or don't put it in the corral and leave it out there for the rest of us to dodge and deal with in one way or another.  It's not 1979.  Stores have made things a lot better.  And you can show others in your world what the right thing to do is.

It doesn't make me mad because very little does, and that certainly is not worth that.  I feel that there is an inner anger that is in those who don't do the polite thing.  It seems so.  "I don't have to do that....."  Maybe they feel they just spent more money than they expected and are mad about that.  Or they are just lazy, or have some other excuse.

And in those efforts to "stick it to the store," all that is accomplished is making themselves look selfish and bad. 

Interesting Article

The new Old Dominion song is a real breath of fresh air in the middle of summer! This song starts off with a fun accordion or "squeezebox" and that's almost always a recipe for a fun song, and this one is.  I know they were just at Country Fest and they played to rave reviews on social media.  This is probably their most fun song to date.

GREAT New Song!

I love it when the occasional squeezebox song shows up in country music, there have been a few and as long as we're at it, let's look back at a few of them.  And a lot of them with very good success!

Mark Chesnutt  - Gonna Get A Life  (#1 - 1994)

Over the past year or so, many of us did more cooking at home than ever before.  And some have improved their skills and that's a good thing!  I love to eat and I love good food. The Beautiful Windy is a great cook, and we eat well.

But I ran across this and I thought it was worth sharing, simply because all of these things sound great! Shred by Chefs and they can elevate all of our games here!

Shared By Chefs!

About Half – Of us feel good about returning to a movie theater (Cinamasafe)

Is This YOU? - 13 percent of us never buy something from the concession stand at the movies 

Box Office Results - F-9 brought in 70 million (largest in over a year)

New This Week - The Boss Baby: Family Business / The Forever Purge / Summer Of Soul

NBC - Has canceled Good Girls, starring Christina Hendricks, after four seasons.  (Story)

Black Widow - In theaters July 9

Clifford - There is a huge backlash over the new trailer for the new Clifford The Big Red Dog movie. Live action and Clifford is GIGANTIC!!! 

Harry Connick Junior  - Will play Daddy Warbucks in the upcoming Annie Live! special on NBC. (Story)

Stuart Damon  - Best known for playing Dr. Alan Quartermaine on General Hospital, has died. He was 84.  (Story)

This Weekend – Check out my Country Music Memory Lane (link)

Check out my Song Of The Week - (Link)

And My Food Articles LOL   - The Eat Of The Week  /  Shared By Chefs

Many times the first song we hear from a new artist is the one that sticks with us the longest.  It's a phenomenon. There's something about remembering how you felt the first time you heard a new song as you are introduced to a new artist that is extra special. These songs also seem to get the biggest cheers at concerts, as they mean as much to the artist as they do to us. This will be some of the BEST debut songs ever!

We started last week at 1980 and are working our way forward to today, as this is the second of a two part series.  (Read Part One If You Missed It) . I'm sure there are others on your list and you can comment and add to it.  So, let's look at some of the real great debut songs ever.

Billy Ray Cyrus  -  Achy Breaky Heart (1992)

OK, I can see the eye rolls already, but this song has to be given its due, and it does have a great story. This song was offered to the Oak Ridge Boys, but the word was they didn't like the term "Achy Breaky" for many reasons.  This was recorded by a group called the Marcy Brothers a year or so earlier under the title, Don't Tell My Heart.  So the song eventually ended up here. I was doing mornings and programming at KLIK in Jefferson City  (The Big 950) at this time and I am proud to say we were among the very first to play this song. Our Music Director, Jay Walker played it for me and we went with it. In our ears this was a no-doubt-er.  This album Some Gave All, (which is very good) sold a staggering 9 million copies in the first year alone, and as many as 20 million world wide to date some say.  It went #1 in many countries and broke sales records wherever it went. This was a gigantic hit, but it was polarizing, as it was much parodied as well.  BUT in the end, this song was done by the right guy at the right time.

Terri Clark  - Better Things To Do (1995)

I always thought Terri Clark (My Profile On Her) had the absolute right idea.  She came along during the Country Boom of the 1990's as a jeans, boot and T wearing, electric guitar playing, female "Hat Act."  There were none, she was the only one.  Her very powerful voice, and truly guitar driven brand of country was the perfect match for this really great song.  This song introduced us to a new kind of female vocalist and launched a very good career. I loved the video, I believed the song, and was very intrigued about this image. The song is perfectly arranged and had great success on the charts, peaking at #3, but should have been a #1.  The potential of a tremendous debut song is that is can really help define who that new artist is. This one really did.  I liked a lot of Terri Clark songs, as they cut through, and really stood out.  I think there is room for a person with this image always.

Blake Shelton  - Austin (2001)

Is there anyone alive that doesn't love this song?  When he released this song, it was the feel bad, then feel good song of the year.  I remember getting a call on the air one day here at WQMX from guy listener who was just beside himself over this song.  He loved how everything works out in the end of this song.  The strength of this really terrific song is its visualization. You not only can see this guy, but you know this guy, you are this guy, or you have been this guy.  We all have at some time in our lives wanted this to happen to us, and in this song it does.  This is about as good as written country songs get.  But the thing that really made this work was, it was sung by an total unknown, and that is what made this song so relatable. The star of this song was....the song. We were rooting for the guy in the song, and it's our nature to root for new acts too. And later Blake Shelton became a megastar.  (What a different image he has today)

Sugarland -  Baby Girl (2004)

This is another feel good song that people gravitated to.  This didn't go #1 and it should have. (#2)  This was fresh and new, and again a very visual song.  It also introduced us to a new kind of act in country, which was actually kind of a throwback at the same time. A group with a heavy vocal driven sound, as groups like Lady A were a few years away yet.  We also got to know Jennifer Nettles who would become a star in her own right.  But this is another great example of the song being the star. It was also a very savvy move writing and recording a song about the extreme struggle to the top of the music biz, by a group trying to do just that.  Again, this only works with an unknown act.  Little known fact too, this became the highest charting debut song for a country group in 13 years. With respect to the hits that would follow, and there were plenty,  I still think it's their best song, and the one that defined them for the length of their run.

Florida Georgia Line  - Cruise (2012)

There's not much to really say about this.  It's one of the biggest songs ever in our format, or any format.  It's part of pop-culture and it will be remembered for years.  They were here to stay and are still here. This set sales records everywhere, it's just a behemoth. But I will say this. That debut album was recorded with confidence that is very rare for a new act. The entire album is great and well beyond the years of a new act. They sang this song on our morning show here at WQMX with me and Sue Wilson as a no-name act the morning of a show at the Dusty Armadillo!  It's a great memory and their run is still full steam ahead.

Maren Morris  - My Church (2016)

Maren Morris was on our morning show here at WQMX before anyone knew her at all.  She sang this song on our show, and me and Sarah K talked with her and wondered who she was going to be. This song is so darn good, it was about the perfect way to introduce her to our format. This is about 10 great things rolled into one big song. This song helped her win a Grammy, and a CMA. It sold a ton, and is on one of the really great albums of the past 10 years, Hero. (I Profiled That Album) One thing that this song did better than most, is that it seemed that she was not a new artist singing it.  It was like she had always been here.  Of course Morris has gone on to sing lots of big songs, and has dabbled in other formats and that's fine as she brings us new listeners.  And with all her success, to my ear, this is the song that really resonates with me and many.  What a song!

OK, I'm eating this~!  I love a good burger. In fact, it may be about my favorite thing to eat on the regular.  I know, it doesn't replace a great steak, but for daily use it's tough to beat. But how do you dress your burger?

I learned a GREAT tip from the Food Network (Guy Fieri) about how to do it in a very interesting way. Put the burger fixins on the BOTTOM!  Because that's where your taste buds are when you bite into it!  GREAT PLAN, and it tastes better.

But what order do you put the fixins on?  Well, let's find out!  Click Below

Burger Tip~!

The Brothers Osborne certainly have a sound and a feel, and this is so them.  I always think these guys are a good example of what a lot of the format it today.  They sound right on point for where we are right now.  They sound young, and fresh and they certainly have a distinct sound and you know it's them on the radio. Always a great sign.

Love this new song!  Grab a coffee and take a listen here!

About Half – Of us feel good about returning to a movie theater (Cinamasafe)

Box Office Results - The Hitmans Wife Bodyguard is #1

New This Week - F-9 (Yes, still making these)

Steven Spielberg  - Has signed a multiyear deal to make movies for Netflix (Story)

Another Disney Ride - Is coming to the big screen. Scarlett Johansson will produce Tower of Terror. Plot details are being kept under wraps  (Story) 

Unfrosted – A new Netflix movie comnig soon with Jerry Seinfeld based on his obsession with Pop Tarts  (Story)

This Weekend – Check out my Country Music Memory Lane (link) 

Check out  - My articles from this week -  Eat Of The Week  /  MLB - Replay A Good Idea?

Some forms of instant replay have been a part of MLB now for a few years and I think that's how long you need to see if it's a good thing or not.  I have mixed feelings on it still. But there is a place for it.

I am not a fan of a ton of replay reviews in any sport. The NFL is the worst with it.  It has ruined the game in general as the biggest sport now has by far the worst officiating there is.  The replays can be ruled "inconclusive" with too many ways out with too much time spent AND too much job protecting going on. And the whole "not reviewable" thing is just dumb.  The NHL does the right thing I feel. They use it in scoring and rules violations. Perfect!  Did the goal go in?  Was the guy off sides?  Things happen fast in the NHL and it's a great tool to get scoring right.  It can also be effective in matters of the clock in other sports.

In MLB, they sort of have the right idea.  I love it in cases of home runs, and fair or foul home runs.  Geographically it's a long way away for the human eye, and it's a scoring play that happens fast.  I don't like it on the bases or in a challenge situation, baseball games are long enough. I do like them in cases of rules violations. Possible runner, fielder or fan interference.  I also think on the occasion of a scoring play at the plate they should look at them. Again, it happens fast, and it is a scoring play.  And that's it!

Scoring and rules problems GREAT!   This whole challenge thing is overkill.  We have got to accept that the game is human and let it be so.  If they get it wrong sometimes, that's the breaks. Play on.  Too much replay slows every sport down and changes the flow of the game. 

Use it wisely.

Many times the first song we hear from a new artist is the one that sticks with us the longest.  It's a phenomenon. There's something about remembering how you felt the first time you heard a new song as you are introduced to a new artist that is extra special. These songs also seem to get the biggest cheers at concerts, as they mean as much to the artist as they do to us. This will be some of the BEST debut songs ever!

We will go back to 1980 and work our way forward to today, as this will be a two part series again. I'm sure there are others on your list and you can comment and add to it.  So, let's look at some of the real great debut songs ever.

George Strait  - Unwound (1981)

It's hard to imagine that yes, even George Strait had a first song.  Strait recorded a few songs about 5 years before this that no one on the planet heard, but we all heard this one. Unwound went to #8 on the charts but this showed us that there was a new sound coming. That country was not all soft crossover Urban Cowboy that was ruling the day.  Strait was new, different, and this was Texas Country, with a searing fiddle and catchy beat. It got right to the point in it's 2:23 seconds, and was so memorable that there was no way you could not, not finish listening to this song.  This album, Strait Country was just that with two more songs off it.  He was instantly popular and in a year or so was a huge star, and this started it all.  A songwrter named Dean Dillon wrote this song, one of 70 he wrote for George Strait.  This song would be the beginning of the music that would make him a legend!

Clint Black  -   Better Man (1989)

I've written about this song before. This was a big hit that led to a run of huge songs off his debut album, Killin' Time.  The album itself is one of the best country albums of all time.  Better Man was the kind of song that got you noticed.  It had a great message and a great inner story.  It was heartfelt, and even positive in a song about love gone wrong.  At that moment too, Clint Black was the marriage of Merle Haggard and George Strait.  When he arrived he was the talk of Nashville.  Listeners loved this song, and instantly wanted to hear more from this young singer, and they did.  He, as much as anyone from that incredible class of 1989, helped throw country into the highest gear it has ever seen, and this was the song that got him going.

Garth Brooks -  Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old) (1989)

When a young talented singer showed up in 1989 singing about rodeo life, it was bound to be a big hit.  This only went to #8, but, well we knew where this was going.  George Strait wowed us all with Amarillo By Morning a few years earlier and this had the same lyrical kind of feel.  Singing effectively about rodeo is right where the core country listener lives.  They feel that the song is about them, and their lifestyle on their farm or property.  No other style of music does it.  Garth was singing about the rodeo life, but what fans heard was that someone understands my life and my challenges. This is a perfectly written song about all of us was we get a bit older, live more, and things aren't the same as they once were.  And that we face our mistakes and accept them as a part of who we are, even when it's tough. This song understand this.  Garth performance on this is still my favorite on any song he ever recorded. This was the perfect way to introduce yourself to a "country" audience. Note - Garth was a co-writer on this song.

Mark Chesnutt -  Too Cold At Home (1990)

Peaking at #3, seldom has a debut song been as good as this one was. The second I heard this song in 1990, I knew this was a gigantic hit. This is traditional country that grabbed everyone and didn't let go. This story song introduced us to a guy that ran off a long line of big hits, 48 hits to be exact.  For some reason, even those reluctant to embrace  traditional country loved this song.  There are times you have to give someone their due, and this one of them. It's tough to think of a whole lot of better debut songs than this.  Chesnutt became a honky-tonk legend and his Texas brand of country was hard not to like. This song is direct to the point and about perfect.  I will love this song if I live to be 100, because this is about 10 great country songs rolled into one.  (My Profile On Him)

Doug Stone  -  I'd Be Better Off  (In A Pine Box)  (1990)

I get it. This #4 hit song is very hard core in every regard.  Yes, it's big time traditional but that's the least of it as it has its twin fiddles, steel and insanely melancholy message. Stone rolled off a bunch of big songs -  over 30 of them -  in the 1990's, but none of it would have happened without this haunting, heart killing song.  To listen to this song for many is too much and can really dig up some tough memories, but to me that is something we do very well in our format. This is a song of love loss, broken hearts, and its permanence.  This gem was written by Johnny MacRae who wrote for every major star in Nashville for decades, some 250 recorded songs. There are times we all like a good party song, a good bonfire song, or a fun old Bro song. Then there are times that only a deep country hurtin' song will do. This is the latter - by a mile. Extraordinarily good song.   (If you dare.......)

Brooks and Dunn - Brand New Man (1991)

I have felt for many years this may be the best debut song ever in country. It did go #1 as did the first 4 songs off that debut album.  Very few songs have ever said, "here we are!," better than this one.  This song first, is just great.  And it really captured who they were and are.  This fast moving, slick country song has a great message, a fiery feel, and it zings along effortlessly for its 3:00.  It gets right to the point with its vocal opening and says what it needs to say. I can't imaging anyone else really singing this song. As many great hits as they had over the next 25 years, this still may be my favorite or one of them. I remember thinking, "who are these guys?"  I want to hear more..much more. Above all, this song makes you happy.  It introduced us to what would become the largest selling duo of all time. What an incredible song.