An Old Favorite Song

So I work up my little rant about modern country music, and just a few days later comes an oh-so-welcome blast from the past.
From YouTube, via Big White Hat, comes something I haven't seen in ages: the video to one of the best country songs of the 1980s -- indeed, one of the greatest songs of all-time from any genre -- Dan Seals' "Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)."



Hearing Seals back in his days as England Dan (with John Ford Coley), I for one would have never guessed he had something like this in him...but he did, and some other great songs as well. Seals co-wrote this particular piece with Beaumont native and Lamar University graduate Bob McDill; it was a No. 1 hit the week of July 5, 1986. I was only 8 years old then, and I can't say I really remembered much of what I was listening to at that age, but I remember hearing the song and other songs from Dan Seals' country days in later years and I liked them all, even the ones with a more contemporary sound to them. I think this one and "One Friend" are my favorites, though. Both of them bring back some great memories of days gone by, as they were just a couple of songs I'd hear on what was then Solid Gold Sunday, the Sunday night classic country show on Houston's heritage country station, FM 100.3 KILT. They'd play oldies mixed in during the week too, but from 7 to midnight on Sundays they'd play nothing but music from the '60s, '70s and '80s. Some of great songs I heard during that time slot were Cal Smith's "Country Bumpkin," John Conlee's "Old School" and Gary Stewart's "Out Of Hand." I can hear those songs, close my eyes and I am back there again...
I'd like to say thanks to JR at A Keyboard And A .45 for bringing my attention to the Big White Hat blog via the link on his sidebar. He'll be a regular read of mine from now on.