Taking Requests for My Nashville Flight
One of my colleagues once told me that he measured road-trip distances in beer. Like, Austin to Houston's about four beers. And Austin to Dallas? More like a six-pack. But I tend to measure distances in songs. And I know for a fact that a flight from Chicago to Nashville, which I'm taking tomorrow morning for the CMA Awards, is a 12-song flight, give or take a few tunes in the case of high winds and/or turbulence. From the time the pilot says, "Flight attendants, prepare for departure," to the time you hear, "Welcome to Nashville and thank you for flying with us," it takes me just a dozen songs to get through it. Well, music and Xanax. But I've already come clean on that one. The question is, which 12 songs?
Tunes like "Live Like You Were Dying" obviously don't work to calm my fear of flying. Nor do songs about heaven, tragedies and dying too young. So, "Who You'd Be Today" is out. As is "What Hurts the Most." And no double-meaning stuff like "Defying Gravity," which would just remind me that I am indeed defying gravity when I reach the cruising altitude of really, really high.
So I'm asking you, fine readers, to help me create the perfect flight plan. Think happy, carefree, and even novelty songs. Ballads and barn burners. Feel free to go heavy on the steel guitar, fiddle and banjo, as those three instruments always have a calming affect on me. And no instrumentals, because I need lyrics to keep my mind off that fact that I am in the air in a 187,000-lb. machine.
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Alison W says:
I love listening to fun country music while traveling. It’s better in a car, but a plane will do. This would be my current list, if I were you. Then again, if I were you, I’d be way too distracted by the fact that I was on my was to Nashville, much less on my way to the CMA Awards. But that’s probably old news for you.
This Time- Carrie Underwood
Amie- Pure Prairie League
Get Out of This Town- Carrie Underwood
Young and Wild- Eric Church
Right on the Money- Alan Jackson
Airstream Song- Miranda Lambert
Fast Cars and Freedom- Rascal Flatts
Drive- Alan Jackson
I’m With the Band- Little Big Town
You’re the Love I Wanna Be In- Jason Aldean
Oklahoma Girl- Eli Young Band
Truth No. 2- Dixie Chicks
lori jean says:
Martina McBride - Anyway
hotelmotel says:
Why listen to country music when you could spend your time more wisely? Read a good book or learn something. Country music is fine as background noise when cooking dinner or driving in your car, but life is too short to waste on country if its possible that you can concentrate on a book or even a decent movie. If you can concentrate on a book or reading the newspaper or something worthwile I recommend that instead.
Barb-vamp124 says:
Anything by Jimmy Wayne would work, or Jason Michael Carroll enjoy your flight!!
Alison W says:
Hotelmotel,
Maybe you should go concentrate on a book rather than on trying to anger country music fans. If thats the best thing you have to do right now, I don’t think you should be dishing out advice on how people should spend their time.
Jeff Dykhuis says:
Gary Allan “Watching Airplanes”
Chantal Kreviazuk “Leaving on a Jet Plane” cool laid back version of the John Denver classic.
Sara Evans “Born to Fly”
Frank Sinatra or Diana Krall “Fly me to the Moon”
Garth Brooks “A New way to Fly”
Sugarland “Fly Away”
Townes Van Zandt “To live is to Fly”
Little Big Town “Firebird Fly”
Todd Snider “Nashville” This is my first choice, sarcastic view of music city, check out the lyrics!
Or if your looking for some good mood music and like Jazz, check out Brad Mehldau “Places”
If you don’t like Jazz, the album “Nashville” by Josh Rouse is one of my favorites. If your willing to venture to the genre of Americana music, check out Kathleen Edwards.
Steven says:
Are your “colleagues” even old enough to go on road trips? Maybe field trips. With their parents written permission of course.
hotelmotel says:
Good one, Steven! And Alison W: I am reading a book tonight. But every 50 min or so I take a 5 minute break, and post a post. I know CMT isn’t the best use of my time, I admit it. But to spent 5 minutes here and there taking a break is a lot better listening to lowest common denominator music for two hours straight.
Yeah, thats what todays mainstream country is: lowest common denominator music. Its not music that makes you think. Its just the equivalent of junk food music.
Alison Bonaguro says:
Thanks for all the great ideas!
hotelmotel, you are absolutely right. I love to read. Am reading the new Dan Brown book now. But I have to be kind of sedated to fly, so music’s better for me!
Swilly, that’s a stock photo. It’s not me. But that was SO funny about the neck thing.
And Michael? I don’t get your joke. Are you comparing me to a witch?
Nicole says:
TelluRide - “Stay”
It’s a great upbeat tune that’ll take your mind off the flight! :)
countryiscool says:
Someone here is cranky. Don’t like the blog, go find something else to read. I’m with you Alison, as much
as I like to read, I’d much rather zone out on a plane.
HM, I’m not big on movies, but what are you reading????
elizabeth says:
And, then “off to see the wizard”
Melissa says:
Michelle Branch “Sooner or Later.” It’s such a catchy tune!!! It definitely makes me smile =]
Chrissy says:
“Hillbilly Stomp” - Brooks & Dunn
“Undo It” - Carrie Underwood
2 of my fav. tunes at the moment! :)
Jeff Dykhuis says:
While i am not the biggest mainstream country music fan to say the least, i find it pretty amusing that some one who thinks they are “intellectual” because they read and then take a break to come here and try to judge everyone else is some how smarter than us country music fans. There is more to Country music than what Nashville’s machine feeds us, check out the music coming from Texas and Oklahoma, guys like Wade Bowen and Ryan Bingham, Robert Earl Keen, Will Hoge and Radney Foster, to name a few. Actually its hard to just label it all country, way to many styles involved to pin it down. It is simply American music, i am sure we would all love to sit here and judge what you think is better music. By the time you mention your favorite musicians, their career is probably over and the next one hit wonder corporate pro tools auto tune manufactured pop star is on the charts. Or is your music a little more artsy fartsy than that? Maybe created by a skate boarding art school drop out that works at subway? has some real angst from living a tough life?
BIGKUFAN says:
Anything by Keith Urban would be great!!
merlefan49 says:
All these years I thought Leaving on a jet plane was a Peter Paul and Mary Classic.
Scarlett says:
Some Little Big Town songs would be great! their harmonies are really soothing. Here are a few that I really like…
Bring It On Home
Boondocks
Novocaine
You’re Gonna Love Me
and there’s a lot more :) Lady A would be great too!
Jeff Dykhuis says:
Nope, John Denver wrote that one very early on in his career back in 1966. Two other groups recorded the song before Peter, Paul and Mary did.
elizabeth says:
Loving the cowboy music of the Southwest far more than mainstream country.
Jeff Dykhuis says:
When i lived in Colorado i really started getting into music from Michael Martin Murphy like the “Cowboy Songs” CD’s and then Don Edwards, Don Walser ect. I’m not too old yet but i do have 78’s going back to the 1920’s of Tex Ritter, Gene Autry, Roy Rogers and many more, Two kinds of music, Country and Western!