Month: August 2021

Fishing Lines #20-#11

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Quite a collection of not only fish in this bunch of tunes but a veritable menagerie of creatures. The hits keep coming as we enter the Top 20 “Fishing Lines.”

20. “You got fins to the left, fins to the right and you’re the only bait in town.”
Fins – Jimmy Buffett (1979)

19. “Well, I love her, and I love to fish…Yeah, I’m gonna miss her, Oh, lookie there, I’ve got a bite.”
I’m Gonna Miss Her – Brad Paisley (2001)

18. “I like catchin’ fish on a cane pole just about sundown time, my kinda action is country relaxin’.”
Country Relaxin’ – Hank Williams Jr. (1984)

17. “Stoppin’ at the log where catfish bite”
Green River – Credence Clearwater Revival (1969)

16. “They don’t do much huntin’ and fishin’ up here, ya know, but I have met a few squirrels and one porcupine.”
Dixie On My Mind – Hank Williams, Jr. (1981)

15. “Blow across the home of the Seminole, the alligator and the gar.”
Seminole Wind – John Anderson (1992)

14. “I know there’s fish out there but where, God only knows.”
The Downeaster Alexa – Billy Joel (1989)

13. “I can catch catfish from dusk ‘til dawn.”
A Country Boy Can Survive – Hank Williams, Jr. (1981)

12. “I eat fish to pass the time away, ‘neath this blue Canadian moon, this world has made me crazy, crazy as a loon.”
Crazy As A Loon – John Prine (2005)

11. “You oughta see his wife, she’s a cute little dish, she smokes like a chimney and drinks like a fish.”
It’s A Big Old Goofy World – John Prine (1991)

One more day to go, stay tuned for the Top 10.

Fishing Lines #30-#21

Posted on by Troy Jackson

A bit more of an eclectic collection graces today’s edition of the Top 40 “Fishing Lines” countdown.

30. “I’m just laid up here in a country state of mind, catchin’ these fish like they’re goin’ out of style…”
Country State of Mind – Hank Williams, Jr. (1986)

29. “But I guarantee this memory’s a biggin’ and she thinks we’re just fishin’.”
Just Fishin’ – Trace Adkins (2011)

28. “If we don’t hook a perch or bass, we’ll cool our toes in dewy grass.”
The Fishing Hole – Andy Griffith (1960)

27. “Johnny’s daddy was takin’ him fishin’ when he was eight years old. A little girl came through the front gate holdin’ a fishin’ pole.”
Don’t Take The Girl – Tim McGraw (1994)

26. “Fish and whistle, whistle and fish, eat everything that they put on your dish.”
Fish and Whistle – John Prine (1978)

25. “Longer than there’ve been fishes in the ocean.”
Longer – Dan Fogelberg (1979)

24. “Trying to save our marriage and perhaps catch a few fish.”
Lake Marie – John Prine (1995)

23. “You flex your rod, fish takes the hook.”
5:01AM The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking – Roger Waters (1984)

22. “When I look back, boy, I must have been green, boppin’ in the country, fishing in a stream.”
Honky Cat – Elton John (1972)

21. “You gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn to the wick, oooo, barracuda.”
Barracuda – Heart (1977)

Well, we’re halfway to coveted chart topper. Tune in again tomorrow as we enter the Top 20. Talk to you later. Troy

Fishing Lines #40-#31

Posted on by Troy Jackson

Welcome, as we launch the “Fishing Lines” Top 40 countdown for the week beginning August 2, 2021. The following hits were compiled by yours truly and reflect the best I could do to create this multi-part blog series. Apart from one tune (#36), I stuck with the criteria that I had to be familiar with each song and not simply surf the internet in search of “fishing songs” to make the list. It was a bit of chore, but I did manage to reach my goal of 40 although I am sure there are many that I missed or have never heard. Therefore, feel free to chime in with any selections of your own as I’m always up for exploring some new jams.

40. “If I could make a nickel off a turning ‘em bass, never worry about the price of gas, I’d be wheelin’ and dealin’ and sittin’ there reelin’ ‘em in.”
Huntin’, Fishin; and Lovin’ Every Day – Luke Bryan (2015)

39. “Betty’s got a bass boat, Betty’s got a truck, all of a sudden things are looking up.”
Betty’s Got A Bass Boat – Pam Tillis (1995)

38. “Oh, Tennessee River and a mountain man, we get together anytime we can.”
Tennessee River – Alabama (1979)

37. “Settle down far from town get me a pirogue and I’ll catch all the fish in the bayou.”
Jambalaya – Hank Williams (1952)

36. “Everybody caught the limit yesterday; I think I’ll just haul off and go fishing yesterday.”
Fishin’ Song – Stringbean (????)

35. “It’s too hot to fish, and too hot for golf, and too cold at home.”
Too Cold at Home – Mark Chesnutt (1990)

34. “On the dock the fish were stinkin’, I simply didn’t have a care.”
He Forgot That It Was Sunday – John Prine (1995)

33. “I can almost see the bobber dancin’, but I just dream, keep on bein’ the way I am.”
The Way I Am – Merle Haggard (1980)

32. “Skippin’ rocks across the water, fishin’ on an old trotline.”
Red River – Alabama (1983)

31. “When I’d skip school, he’d take me fishin’, sittin’ on the creek bank talkin’ and a wishin’.”
Shoestring – Mel McDaniel (1986)

Heavy on the country tunes to kick off our countdown but I suppose fishing goes a bit more hand in hand with that genre. It is also interestin’ how many words in the lyrics drop the “g”. And we’ve only just begun, as the countdown continues with another ten hits tomorrow. Talk to you later. Troy

Fishing Lines

Posted on by Troy Jackson

 

Whenever I get to mix music into an outdoor blog, I’m pretty fired up. And sometimes I get a little carried away, like this project. I’ve explored this topic before but for a 40th anniversary, I’m taking it up a notch. So, here we go.

It was forty years ago today when a fourteen-year-old music fan (and millions of others) was introduced to something completely different; MTV – Music Television. August 1, 1981 opened the floodgates to an eclectic mix of legends (The Who, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie), legends to be (John Cougar, U2, Tom Petty), lady rockers (Pat Benatar, Stevie Nicks, Debbie Harry), future pop superstars (Madonna, Prince), strange new wave acts (Devo, Adam & The Ants, Siouxsie & The Banshees, Talking Heads) and one hit wonders (The Buggles, Aldo Nova, Taco, Dexy’s Midnight Runners, Tommy Tutone).

Prior to this rock around the clock menagerie of television tunes I’d had to get my weekly fix via programs such as “The Midnight Special”, “Don Kirshner’s Rock Concert”, “Night Flight”, “Solid Gold’’, “American Bandstand” and an occasional dose of “Soul Train.” In addition, there were also the brief glimpses of performers on Saturday Night Live. For a kid raised on these bits and pieces of musical performance and Chicago’s classic WLS 890AM, music television was a revolution. And, yes, unlike today it was videos all day, every day. For an impressionable teenaged music lover, it was “Just What the Doctor Ordered“(can’t resist the Ted Nugent reference).

So, here’s a little background on this project. Ten years ago, on August 1, 2011, as part of another blogging gig, I celebrated MTV’s 30th anniversary with my Top 3 fishing tunes. I revisited the post on August 1, 2017, after launching this blog earlier that spring. Once again, that post include my Top 3 tunes. For the 40th anniversary, however, it only seemed right to do a Top 40 Countdown ala Casey Kasem.

Stay tuned throughout the week as we combine fishing and music with “Fishing Lines.” Talk to you later. Troy