Close, but not quite
When my wife and I took a drive from Michigan to Colorado a few years ago, we tried to give ourselves enough time to do some exploring on the way out. We split the trip up into about three days, and the plan was to just kind of meander our way out west. There was a point as we were going through Nebraska that I thought about swinging up into South Dakota just to check it out a bit. Specifically, I was hoping to see some of the old ruts that have been worn into the Earth from the old wagon trains that used to head out west in search of a brighter future.
Unfortunately, our scheduled changed a bit, and we had to hurry up and get to Colorado a little quicker than we had planned. It turned out our family who was flying there were going to arrive a little earlier than they had planned, so rather than have them waiting at the airport alone, we got to Denver about a half a day early so we could pick them up.
Which means Nebraska is about the closest to South Dakota we have ever been. I would still love to make my way back there one day and actually visit the state. I know that when I was a kid, my grandma used to head out west with her siblings and I am pretty sure they spent a good deal of time in South Dakota. I remember she used to have a small sculpture of Crazy Horse. It's insane just how long it has taken them to complete it. I wonder if it will ever be done in my lifetime. If you aren't familiar with it, go ahead and Google it.
Anyway, in case you haven't guessed, we are heading to South Dakota today for our #threetunetuesday post sponsored by @ablaze. As we head into the last leg of our musical road trip through the United States, it has been really fun sharing these songs with you. If this is your first time reading, remember I pick three songs that have the name of the state in either the title or lyrics (or both). It can't be a city or anything like that, it has to be the actual name of the state.
Some states have been pretty hard, and some of them are almost too easy. South Dakota sits somewhere in the middle with a couple of really great songs referencing it.
"Stays in Mexico" by Toby Keith might seem like an odd place to start, but it is a really clever and good song that does mention South Dakota if you listen closely. Whether you agree with his politics or not, Toby Keith was a talented artist and songwriter. He had some interesting turn of lyrics and a great sense of humor. It's sad that we lost him when we did.
Despite it fitting so well in this post, this isn't one of my favorite Toby Keith songs. I actually prefer "How Do You Like Me Now", and "A Little To Late" a bit more. It's just crazy to think how much he proliferated the country playlists back in the early 2000's. The video above was posted seventeen years ago. Where does the time go?
No stranger to my #threetunetuesday posts, Chris Stapleton just felt like a natural addition with his song "South Dakota". I've actually had the chance to see Stapleton live twice in my life and while he might not put on the flashiest show, he delivers in a lot of big ways. If you ever get the chance to see him live, I highly recommend it. He has so many great songs and he can totally shred on the guitar. It's quite impressive.
This song is from an album that was released about two years ago now, but I think it's a great example of the kind of music you expect from Stapleton. It has a fantastic groove and a solid rhythm. Plus, it hits the theme on the nose for this week, so can you really complain?
Finally, I'm going to throw a bit of a curveball at you and share a song from a band that I never would have associated with South Dakota. Though I guess when you write a song called Massachusetts, nothing is really off the table for the Bee Gees. "South Dakota Morning" was the perfect song to close out this post. I don't think I have ever actually heard it before. It clearly wasn't one of their big hits, but there is no denying it belongs in this post today. I am a fan of the Bee Gees and unlike a lot of people out there I have been able to look beyond the stigma of disco to really see what gifted talents they were musically.
Even if you don't like the direct product of their efforts, they had their hands in so many different things with so many other artists. I'd even go as far to say they were probably one of the most influential groups of their time. Don't believe me? Go ahead and look up for yourself just how many things the Gibb brothers left their mark on.
South Dakota certainly appreciates their love!
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Have heard of Toby Keith and the Bee Gees, but they were not my cup of tea 🤣 Not really got that whole disco thing
I don't hate disco. There are some good tunes out there!
Hehe yeah there are some, I think Staying Alive etc would be my pick
These are lovely songs mahn..
Are the wagon trails at South Dakota preserved?
Cause for them to still remain right now on those roads without weather and erosion doing its work, that's quite impressive..
There are some that they protect, then there are others that you just kind of happen upon and realize what they used to be and the historical significance of them. In the grand scheme of things, it was really not that long ago.
fine tunes
Thank you!