Taylor Swift was a polarizing figure in country music. She left us for Pop a few years ago and I respect that, especially not using us as a safety net as has been done many times prior.  When she was country, there was great success and a ton of new and younger fans. I felt this was a very important song for her.  Until this song, Swift was recording songs that had that wonderful feel of youth.  It was easy to see why young fans loved her dearly.  But to me, this song was the bridge to a far more adult sound and Swift.  It's a song of incredible sorrow, grown up regret, and total accountability. Not many songs have the guts to be that vulnerable anymore.  In short, it's very real.  The fantastic musical arrangement was very different for her and this qualifies as a solid power ballad.  After hearing this the first few times, it was clear Taylor Swift was capable of much more than we had heard up until this.  Fantastic song, written and sung by the right artist  -  at the right time.  Perfection in many ways from a remarkable story teller. This song doesn't age at all, as it still sounds great.

Last Week #49

Other Articles I've Written Featuring Taylor Swift

Food secret - I love asparagus, I just don't know how to spell it without looking it up.  It's one of my favorite veggies. I love to grill it, or make it in the oven with olive oil and sea salt.  But there are many ways to make it.  Ken Stewart's in Akron breads it and deep fries it as an appetizer, and it's GREAT!   If you don't really know how to do it, or are looking for ways to freshen it up, here are some really great recipes!

Enjoy -

HOW TO REALLY MAKE ASPARAGUS

Box Office Results -  Avatar   -  Still #1

A Megan – Sequel is already in the development stages - out July 2025 -   (Story) 

New This Week - Alice, Darling / Missing / Women Talking

February 3rd - 80 For Brady   (Lots of buzz) 

Top Gun 3 - Is on hold right now, only because Tom Cruise is too busy with his Mission Impossible franchise - but it's gonna happen   (Story) 

Antoine Fuqua - Will direct the biopic Michael, based on the life of Michael Jackson (Story)

Channing Tatum - Says he's planning a remake of the classic movie – Ghost!  (Story)

Jeremy Renner - Is now out of the hospital and recovering at home  (Story)

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

Also - My 50 Favorites Over 40+ Years This Week  - #49  (Link)

I don't know if I have mentioned before, but my family has been vacationing in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee (Dolly Parton's hometown) for almost 25 years. It's so beautiful there with so much to do for everyone. Did I mention the people? They are so nice!

One of the most fun things to do there is spend a day (or two) at Dollywood. The park offers something for everyone! Shopping, eating, live shows, and rides! The rides are starting to really be top notch! Plus, the lines are not nearly as long as you find at that amusement park in Sandusky, lol (ssshhhh).   

If you and your family are looking for a place to go for vacation and have never been, I highly suggest going to Pigeon Forge/Sevierville/Gatlinburg, TN. You will have SO MUCH FUN and will not regret it!

I'm participating in Dry January this year, and it's been going pretty well so far. I didn't realize how often drinking came up in my life, and it's weird to not say no just cause I don't want it, but also because I can't have it. But alas, this story doesn't start here, it starts where my food stories usually do: I bought a thing from Trader Joes and wanted to find a way to use it.

I got "Quite Possibly The World's Largest Fusilli" a few weeks ago, and instead of making a giant fusilli Jerry, I decided to date a craving I had: Pasta Alla Vodka. I thought the pastas size was perfect for holding onto the sauce. If you have a bar with vodka in it, you probably have the other ingredients you need already at home: butter, garlic, an onion or shallot, heavy cream, tomato paste, crushed red pepper, and of course, vodka. You just combine all the ingredients, add pasta water, and you have a delicious sauce on your hands.

I definitely should've halved the amount of pasta I used, and maybe less tomato paste, but overall it was delicious. It does make me wonder though, is this allowed during dry January? Since the alcohol gets cooked out, I don't think so, and it might help you get rid of any booze you have in your home without drinking!

OK. News Years Day was two weeks ago, so I'm a little late to the party with this list. Anyway, 2022 was a year that had a lot of great music so it was hard to decide which songs I thought were in my top 5.

I gave this a lot of thought late last week to put the list together and did my fair share of research to make sure I had things correct and the way I wanted them. There were many that ALMOST made the list, or I couldn't decide between two, etc.

Long story short, here are my Top 5 songs of 2022:

5. Gabby Barrett - Pick Me Up

4. Cole Swindell - She Had Me at Heads Carolina

3. Kane Brown - Like I Love Country Music

2. Kelsea Ballerini - Heartfirst

1. Nate Smith - Whiskey on You

I got an e-mail from Jeremy this week asking where he could see some of my Memory Lane articles from a long while ago. They are all here at WQMX.com, but I have been doing this series for almost three years, so for the next couple weeks, I'll post some articles you may have missed. For the next two weeks, we will feature some great country bands that I have written about over the years.  These bands all had GREAT success! 

We'll start with these five in case you missed them the first time around.  The Southern Pacific article was the first one I ever wrote n this series.   And THANKS for reading and listening every week!

Alabama

Atlanta

Southern Pacific

Shenandoah

The Bellamy Brothers

Chris Young has sent his next single to radio! Chris released two new songs that will be on his upcoming album, which he says is pretty much done, and "Looking For You" will be the lead single. It's a song about love at first sight, sometimes you're looking and you can't find it, then it just happens out of nowhere. 

Everyday we bring you the Entertainment Update. It's a look at the concert calendar for Northeast Ohio. 

This time of year it can be pretty short, as not a lot is going on in the middle of January, lol. BUT, let me tell you...things are going to change fast! We've had a couple big announcements this week, and more to come. A couple I cannot tell you about quite yet, but they are BIG!

It'll be fun to get out to outdoor venues again for Summertime shows and frankly back out to concerts again no matter what! Looking forward to another great concert season!

This trailer Thursday I'm highlighting the latest from A24: Beau is Afraid. A24 is not usually known for its linear storytelling, and this trailer is no exception. I'm not even entirely sure how to explain it, but if you're a Joaquin Phoenix fan, be sure to check it out! I definitely will be.

Here's the trailer for Beau is Afraid.