Many times the first song we hear from a new artist is the one that sticks with us the longest.  It's a phenomenon. There's something about remembering how you felt the first time you heard a new song as you are introduced to a new artist that is extra special. These songs also seem to get the biggest cheers at concerts, as they mean as much to the artist as they do to us. This will be some of the BEST debut songs ever!

We started last week at 1980 and are working our way forward to today, as this is the second of a two part series.  (Read Part One If You Missed It) . I'm sure there are others on your list and you can comment and add to it.  So, let's look at some of the real great debut songs ever.

Billy Ray Cyrus  -  Achy Breaky Heart (1992)

OK, I can see the eye rolls already, but this song has to be given its due, and it does have a great story. This song was offered to the Oak Ridge Boys, but the word was they didn't like the term "Achy Breaky" for many reasons.  This was recorded by a group called the Marcy Brothers a year or so earlier under the title, Don't Tell My Heart.  So the song eventually ended up here. I was doing mornings and programming at KLIK in Jefferson City  (The Big 950) at this time and I am proud to say we were among the very first to play this song. Our Music Director, Jay Walker played it for me and we went with it. In our ears this was a no-doubt-er.  This album Some Gave All, (which is very good) sold a staggering 9 million copies in the first year alone, and as many as 20 million world wide to date some say.  It went #1 in many countries and broke sales records wherever it went. This was a gigantic hit, but it was polarizing, as it was much parodied as well.  BUT in the end, this song was done by the right guy at the right time.

Terri Clark  - Better Things To Do (1995)

I always thought Terri Clark (My Profile On Her) had the absolute right idea.  She came along during the Country Boom of the 1990's as a jeans, boot and T wearing, electric guitar playing, female "Hat Act."  There were none, she was the only one.  Her very powerful voice, and truly guitar driven brand of country was the perfect match for this really great song.  This song introduced us to a new kind of female vocalist and launched a very good career. I loved the video, I believed the song, and was very intrigued about this image. The song is perfectly arranged and had great success on the charts, peaking at #3, but should have been a #1.  The potential of a tremendous debut song is that is can really help define who that new artist is. This one really did.  I liked a lot of Terri Clark songs, as they cut through, and really stood out.  I think there is room for a person with this image always.

Blake Shelton  - Austin (2001)

Is there anyone alive that doesn't love this song?  When he released this song, it was the feel bad, then feel good song of the year.  I remember getting a call on the air one day here at WQMX from guy listener who was just beside himself over this song.  He loved how everything works out in the end of this song.  The strength of this really terrific song is its visualization. You not only can see this guy, but you know this guy, you are this guy, or you have been this guy.  We all have at some time in our lives wanted this to happen to us, and in this song it does.  This is about as good as written country songs get.  But the thing that really made this work was, it was sung by an total unknown, and that is what made this song so relatable. The star of this song was....the song. We were rooting for the guy in the song, and it's our nature to root for new acts too. And later Blake Shelton became a megastar.  (What a different image he has today)

Sugarland -  Baby Girl (2004)

This is another feel good song that people gravitated to.  This didn't go #1 and it should have. (#2)  This was fresh and new, and again a very visual song.  It also introduced us to a new kind of act in country, which was actually kind of a throwback at the same time. A group with a heavy vocal driven sound, as groups like Lady A were a few years away yet.  We also got to know Jennifer Nettles who would become a star in her own right.  But this is another great example of the song being the star. It was also a very savvy move writing and recording a song about the extreme struggle to the top of the music biz, by a group trying to do just that.  Again, this only works with an unknown act.  Little known fact too, this became the highest charting debut song for a country group in 13 years. With respect to the hits that would follow, and there were plenty,  I still think it's their best song, and the one that defined them for the length of their run.

Florida Georgia Line  - Cruise (2012)

There's not much to really say about this.  It's one of the biggest songs ever in our format, or any format.  It's part of pop-culture and it will be remembered for years.  They were here to stay and are still here. This set sales records everywhere, it's just a behemoth. But I will say this. That debut album was recorded with confidence that is very rare for a new act. The entire album is great and well beyond the years of a new act. They sang this song on our morning show here at WQMX with me and Sue Wilson as a no-name act the morning of a show at the Dusty Armadillo!  It's a great memory and their run is still full steam ahead.

Maren Morris  - My Church (2016)

Maren Morris was on our morning show here at WQMX before anyone knew her at all.  She sang this song on our show, and me and Sarah K talked with her and wondered who she was going to be. This song is so darn good, it was about the perfect way to introduce her to our format. This is about 10 great things rolled into one big song. This song helped her win a Grammy, and a CMA. It sold a ton, and is on one of the really great albums of the past 10 years, Hero. (I Profiled That Album) One thing that this song did better than most, is that it seemed that she was not a new artist singing it.  It was like she had always been here.  Of course Morris has gone on to sing lots of big songs, and has dabbled in other formats and that's fine as she brings us new listeners.  And with all her success, to my ear, this is the song that really resonates with me and many.  What a song!

OK, I'm eating this~!  I love a good burger. In fact, it may be about my favorite thing to eat on the regular.  I know, it doesn't replace a great steak, but for daily use it's tough to beat. But how do you dress your burger?

I learned a GREAT tip from the Food Network (Guy Fieri) about how to do it in a very interesting way. Put the burger fixins on the BOTTOM!  Because that's where your taste buds are when you bite into it!  GREAT PLAN, and it tastes better.

But what order do you put the fixins on?  Well, let's find out!  Click Below

Burger Tip~!

The Brothers Osborne certainly have a sound and a feel, and this is so them.  I always think these guys are a good example of what a lot of the format it today.  They sound right on point for where we are right now.  They sound young, and fresh and they certainly have a distinct sound and you know it's them on the radio. Always a great sign.

Love this new song!  Grab a coffee and take a listen here!

About Half – Of us feel good about returning to a movie theater (Cinamasafe)

Box Office Results - The Hitmans Wife Bodyguard is #1

New This Week - F-9 (Yes, still making these)

Steven Spielberg  - Has signed a multiyear deal to make movies for Netflix (Story)

Another Disney Ride - Is coming to the big screen. Scarlett Johansson will produce Tower of Terror. Plot details are being kept under wraps  (Story) 

Unfrosted – A new Netflix movie comnig soon with Jerry Seinfeld based on his obsession with Pop Tarts  (Story)

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

Check out  - My articles from this week -  Eat Of The Week  /  MLB - Replay A Good Idea?

Some forms of instant replay have been a part of MLB now for a few years and I think that's how long you need to see if it's a good thing or not.  I have mixed feelings on it still. But there is a place for it.

I am not a fan of a ton of replay reviews in any sport. The NFL is the worst with it.  It has ruined the game in general as the biggest sport now has by far the worst officiating there is.  The replays can be ruled "inconclusive" with too many ways out with too much time spent AND too much job protecting going on. And the whole "not reviewable" thing is just dumb.  The NHL does the right thing I feel. They use it in scoring and rules violations. Perfect!  Did the goal go in?  Was the guy off sides?  Things happen fast in the NHL and it's a great tool to get scoring right.  It can also be effective in matters of the clock in other sports.

In MLB, they sort of have the right idea.  I love it in cases of home runs, and fair or foul home runs.  Geographically it's a long way away for the human eye, and it's a scoring play that happens fast.  I don't like it on the bases or in a challenge situation, baseball games are long enough. I do like them in cases of rules violations. Possible runner, fielder or fan interference.  I also think on the occasion of a scoring play at the plate they should look at them. Again, it happens fast, and it is a scoring play.  And that's it!

Scoring and rules problems GREAT!   This whole challenge thing is overkill.  We have got to accept that the game is human and let it be so.  If they get it wrong sometimes, that's the breaks. Play on.  Too much replay slows every sport down and changes the flow of the game. 

Use it wisely.

Many times the first song we hear from a new artist is the one that sticks with us the longest.  It's a phenomenon. There's something about remembering how you felt the first time you heard a new song as you are introduced to a new artist that is extra special. These songs also seem to get the biggest cheers at concerts, as they mean as much to the artist as they do to us. This will be some of the BEST debut songs ever!

We will go back to 1980 and work our way forward to today, as this will be a two part series again. I'm sure there are others on your list and you can comment and add to it.  So, let's look at some of the real great debut songs ever.

George Strait  - Unwound (1981)

It's hard to imagine that yes, even George Strait had a first song.  Strait recorded a few songs about 5 years before this that no one on the planet heard, but we all heard this one. Unwound went to #8 on the charts but this showed us that there was a new sound coming. That country was not all soft crossover Urban Cowboy that was ruling the day.  Strait was new, different, and this was Texas Country, with a searing fiddle and catchy beat. It got right to the point in it's 2:23 seconds, and was so memorable that there was no way you could not, not finish listening to this song.  This album, Strait Country was just that with two more songs off it.  He was instantly popular and in a year or so was a huge star, and this started it all.  A songwrter named Dean Dillon wrote this song, one of 70 he wrote for George Strait.  This song would be the beginning of the music that would make him a legend!

Clint Black  -   Better Man (1989)

I've written about this song before. This was a big hit that led to a run of huge songs off his debut album, Killin' Time.  The album itself is one of the best country albums of all time.  Better Man was the kind of song that got you noticed.  It had a great message and a great inner story.  It was heartfelt, and even positive in a song about love gone wrong.  At that moment too, Clint Black was the marriage of Merle Haggard and George Strait.  When he arrived he was the talk of Nashville.  Listeners loved this song, and instantly wanted to hear more from this young singer, and they did.  He, as much as anyone from that incredible class of 1989, helped throw country into the highest gear it has ever seen, and this was the song that got him going.

Garth Brooks -  Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old) (1989)

When a young talented singer showed up in 1989 singing about rodeo life, it was bound to be a big hit.  This only went to #8, but, well we knew where this was going.  George Strait wowed us all with Amarillo By Morning a few years earlier and this had the same lyrical kind of feel.  Singing effectively about rodeo is right where the core country listener lives.  They feel that the song is about them, and their lifestyle on their farm or property.  No other style of music does it.  Garth was singing about the rodeo life, but what fans heard was that someone understands my life and my challenges. This is a perfectly written song about all of us was we get a bit older, live more, and things aren't the same as they once were.  And that we face our mistakes and accept them as a part of who we are, even when it's tough. This song understand this.  Garth performance on this is still my favorite on any song he ever recorded. This was the perfect way to introduce yourself to a "country" audience. Note - Garth was a co-writer on this song.

Mark Chesnutt -  Too Cold At Home (1990)

Peaking at #3, seldom has a debut song been as good as this one was. The second I heard this song in 1990, I knew this was a gigantic hit. This is traditional country that grabbed everyone and didn't let go. This story song introduced us to a guy that ran off a long line of big hits, 48 hits to be exact.  For some reason, even those reluctant to embrace  traditional country loved this song.  There are times you have to give someone their due, and this one of them. It's tough to think of a whole lot of better debut songs than this.  Chesnutt became a honky-tonk legend and his Texas brand of country was hard not to like. This song is direct to the point and about perfect.  I will love this song if I live to be 100, because this is about 10 great country songs rolled into one.  (My Profile On Him)

Doug Stone  -  I'd Be Better Off  (In A Pine Box)  (1990)

I get it. This #4 hit song is very hard core in every regard.  Yes, it's big time traditional but that's the least of it as it has its twin fiddles, steel and insanely melancholy message. Stone rolled off a bunch of big songs -  over 30 of them -  in the 1990's, but none of it would have happened without this haunting, heart killing song.  To listen to this song for many is too much and can really dig up some tough memories, but to me that is something we do very well in our format. This is a song of love loss, broken hearts, and its permanence.  This gem was written by Johnny MacRae who wrote for every major star in Nashville for decades, some 250 recorded songs. There are times we all like a good party song, a good bonfire song, or a fun old Bro song. Then there are times that only a deep country hurtin' song will do. This is the latter - by a mile. Extraordinarily good song.   (If you dare.......)

Brooks and Dunn - Brand New Man (1991)

I have felt for many years this may be the best debut song ever in country. It did go #1 as did the first 4 songs off that debut album.  Very few songs have ever said, "here we are!," better than this one.  This song first, is just great.  And it really captured who they were and are.  This fast moving, slick country song has a great message, a fiery feel, and it zings along effortlessly for its 3:00.  It gets right to the point with its vocal opening and says what it needs to say. I can't imaging anyone else really singing this song. As many great hits as they had over the next 25 years, this still may be my favorite or one of them. I remember thinking, "who are these guys?"  I want to hear more..much more. Above all, this song makes you happy.  It introduced us to what would become the largest selling duo of all time. What an incredible song.

OK, I'm eating this. But I will admit it sounds like something that I wouldn't want to.  I love to grill out like you do, and I take my streak pretty serious.  There has always been that story that you can grill a frozen steak to perfection on the grill. Sounds like it wouldn't be good.

But, it does work out in the air fryer pretty well, so I am open to it on the grill. So let's give it a go!

Frozen Steak On The Grill?

About Half – Of us feel good about returning to a movie theater (Cinamasafe)

Box Office Results - A Quiet Place 2 #1  /   In The Heights #2

New This Week - Space Jam 2 HBO Max (Wednesday) 12 Mighty Orphans / Luca (Disney Plus) / Fatherhood (Netflix)

Ned Beatty - Died at the age of 83. (Story)

Ted - A live-action series based on the Ted movies has been ordered at Peacock.  (Story) 

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

Check out my Articles this week -Electronic Strike Zone / The Eat Of The Week / Tickets Stops Are Back

It is SO good to be back out there with YOU!  WQMX Ticket Stops are back and I was at hte Pizza Hut in Wadsworth and the crowd was GREAT!

GRAND PRIZE WINNER!  You should be next!

Love making winners of Country Fest TIX!

Big crowd, nice people and great PIZZA

Hope to see you soon at a ticket stop!

As much as stars shape country music, songs shape the stars.  Some songs turn out to be more than just "songs" for an artist.  They can change the trajectory of their career and send them to heights they dreamed of the day they got off the Greyhound with a guitar.

This is the second of my two-part series, and we'll look at career changing songs, we started in 1980's and are working our way forward. (PART 1 IF YOU MISSED IT) These are songs I played, and in some cases still play on the radio in my four decades in this format.  Also, this is NOT to minimize any of these artists songs before, since, or still.  But there are songs that really do make a gigantic difference, so let's take a look now.  Our biggest stars didn't just happen, they all had those breakout 3 minutes.

Career Changing Songs Part 2!

Don't Take The Girl - Tim McGraw - 1994

I was doing the morning show at WPCV in Lakeland, Florida at this time. McGraw had a few songs before this. Indian Outlaw peaked at #8, was a real favorite and got him noticed.  He also had a song called Welcome To The Club that I really liked before that that peaked at #47.  But the song that changed everything was this one by a mile.  It was an instant classic and stations will play this song for 25 more years.  This song is universally loved -  and after this, he went on a huge run that continues today. This song would have been a career changer for anyone. The written song is incredible and he was the perfect artist to bring it to life.  This is on a short list of country legendary songs.

This Kiss - Faith Hill - 1998

Faith Hill had a number of big songs before this with very good success.  But this song signaled a big shift in her direction. This was a big, big country number one and had great success on charts outside of country and outside of the USA.  It also helped her shed the "country girl" image that she had built.  This was more pop sounding and was not at all like previous hits.  This is as good example of the perfect marriage of an artist and a song that I can think of.  I simply can't imagine anyone else singing this song.  She had a ton of new fans after this and brought many to our format. Her image and sound was forever different after this and so was her mass appeal.  Whether your favorite Faith was before this, or after, or both, what is undeniable as it even says in the song, this was the "pivotal moment" of her personal recording career.

How Do You Like Me Now - Toby Keith - 1999

This is an interesting song for many reasons.  It was well into his career and he had a lot of success before this that included three number ones since 1993.  BUT this song changed a ton. A gigantic hit, that made a great career into a mega career. After this song, Toby went on a run that included 11 of the next 13 songs going number one over a 5 year span.  His image shifted too, and Toby Keith was now a format leading artist for the next decade or so. This song spoke directly to about everybody on earth.  Who hasn't wanted to show an old crush that they are doing better than ever either directly or silently?  But the beauty of this song is it's done in a way that is relatable to both men and women, and has a casual feel that isn't offensive.  This song took a big star, and made him a bigger star. Hard to do!

I Hope You Dance - Lee Ann Womack - 2000

This song is as big of a country hit and crossover hit song can be. Everyone loves it, and it's a staple in pop culture still.  This won awards and is a work of art. It was the ninth single of her career, and her only number one.  I was a big Womack fan as I thought she was real country, and I always rooted for her and felt she was a great vocalist and was highly believable. But this is the best example of having that gigantic song that sometimes can be too big.  This was a song that signaled the only time Lee Ann Womack would be number one, and only one more song would reach the top ten after this, the followup Ashes By Now  (A song I love too).  It is hard to out-do a song of this size.  This is a beautiful song, with a incredible message with terrific backing vocals by Sons Of The Desert that took her to heights any singer could only imagine. Plus a video that has a couple hundred million total views. Perfect artist, prefect song.

Dirt Road Anthem - Jason Aldean - 2010

Here at WQMX, I was in the 6th year of hosting the morning show when Jason Aldean put out this song. He had a bunch of hits before this with great success and had a ton of fans.  But this song was on the charts about six years into his run, and the sheer popularity of this highy unique song catapulted him to a whole different level.  The album, My Kinda Party was immensely popular as well, and all singles from it (5) were huge hits.  Fans loved this song, and we couldn't play it enough. This song was so different at that time, it really cut through and showed another hue in his musical rainbow.  This song was very influential in the fact that others tried to "imitate" this song style after, but this was the OG.  As big as he was before this song, he was way bigger after.

Country Girl Shake It For Me - Luke Bryan - 2011

Four years after his debut song this song hit the charts and changed everything for Luke Bryan.  This song plus a very memorable Country Awards show performance provided the springboard for him to reach superstardom.  Since this song, every single Luke Bryan song has gone at least to number 5 on the charts with the majority going number one.  Seldom does a 4 minute segment on national TV make as much of a difference as this one did.  Luke went from being a young hit maker to the top of the format almost over-nite.  This song is still a favorite on the air, and in his live shows.  This song, and that moment gave us the Luke Bryan we know today.   (TV Performance Below)