#217) "It's All Over But the Crying" by Hank Williams Jr. - Recorded in 1968, "It's All Over But the Crying" pre-dates the "Bocephus" persona that distinguished Hank Jr. in no uncertain terms from his father, whom Nashville was hell-bent (hell bound?) on forcing the younger Williams to look and sound exactly like for most of the 1960s.
It's not surprising that he wanted to shake all that off and establish himself as an artist in his own right, but there's something to be said - a lot, actually - for the old country music sound, as thin and clear as the AM band it was broadcast over in the days when that's all there was. It possesses none of the aggressive flair and flash pumping out of FM "Hot Country" radio today...it's really kind of an acquired taste, at this point. But it also doesn't inadvertently stereotype itself, as so many modern artists do by going out of their way to prove to the world how "country" or "southern" they are....it just kind of exists, a reflection of ordinary people, in ordinary towns, living ordinary lives fraught with joy, sorrow and turmoil. Honestly, it could be said classic country music is as much "folk music" as anything...which, in a way, makes "It's All Over But the Crying" a great road trip song, as the best road trips, the important ones at least, journey through the ordinary lives of ordinary people.
"It sounded so true when you said I love you / Now I'll say my good-byin', cause it's all over but the crying..."
#218) "Montana Cafe" by Hank Williams Jr. - This song is from the Hank Jr. era most people associate with him, the sunglasses, beard and bluster, but it's slower-paced, introspective, and illustrates his range as an artist, which too often gets overlooked. I like the sentiment a lot...the idea of escaping to a simpler life somewhere that almost seems like a simpler time and place...and I've always kept it a part of the ideal existence I maintain in my mind, and hope one day to get to.
A Montana Cafe still exists in the town of Darby. I'm not sure if it's the exact one Hank Jr. sang about in 1986...it does indeed seem to be "off Highway 93", but I think it may have been closed for a time, then re-opened under new ownership. In any case, it gets high marks on sites like Trip Advisor. Definitely a potential way point on 1/48/50. Hopefully it hasn't become too touristy and gimmicky.
Although who knows, maybe it was touristy and gimmicky when Hank Jr. was there (and Ernest Hemingway and Teddy Roosevelt, so the song goes...). Still worth a look. I suspect there's a lot in Montana, and out west in general, worth a look.
"I'm so glad I reached this point in my life, I finally got my priorities right / And I'm way out here, on the Idaho line..."
