Today, in honor of Squirrel Appreciation Day, I am filling my ears with
the closest thing I can find to squirrel-centric music: Alvin and the
Chipmunks. After all, chipmunks have, over the years, been known as
“chip squirrels,” “striped squirrels” and “ground squirrels,” so I think
they qualify. Chipmunks in Low Places has a lot of squeaky
voices, but it also features quite a few folks with normal voices.
That’s because it’s an all-star country album, loaded with special
guests that will be familiar to anyone who enjoys country music.
Country Pride
- This harmonica-heavy opener starts out slow and forlorn before the
rollicking piano and wailing electric guitar kicks it up a notch. Alvin
takes the lead on this track that is a dizzying ode to country
superstars. Have a listen to this album original and see if you can
catch them all; he drops 32 names, ranging from Gene Autry to Clint
Black, making this about the most crowded song since Rock and Roll Heaven.
“Country colors are shades of Sawyer Brown, / Red Foley, Lee Greenwood,
I love all those sounds. / I get hungry for some country when I think
of Jimmy Dean / Then I get a Reba Mac attack; my appetite's obscene.”
Achy Breaky Heart
- Head Chipette Brittany drops by the studio to ask Alvin permission to
sit in on their recording session. “I’ll pretend Billy Ray is singing
to me,” she gushes. Little does she expect Billy Ray Cyrus to actually
show up, sending her into a full swoon. A lot of cute dialogue
accompanies this infectious
song that dominated the airwaves for what seemed like years when I was
in elementary school. Alvin hopes the song will make him a chick magnet;
Simon is understandably skeptical, while affable Billy Ray just seems
tickled that the Chipmunks who entertained him as a kid are now covering
his song. “You can tell your ma I moved to Arkansas / Or you can tell
your dog to bite my leg / Or tell your brother Cliff, whose fist can
tell my lips / He never really liked me anyway...”
There Ain't Nothing Wrong With the Radio
- I’m not familiar with Aaron Tippin, but as a grammar geek, I love the
banter he and intellectual Simon share. Simon, who insists on calling
his special guest “Mr. Tippin,” takes creative license by fixing all of
the grammatical mistakes in the song, starting with “There isn’t
anything wrong with the radio.” So what if it doesn’t quite scan? And so
what if the changes make initially friendly Aaron red in the face?
Again, Aaron doesn’t sing, he merely comments on Simon’s performance -
and his comments become more and more irritated with each altered
“ain’t”. Very fun song.
Stand by Your Man - Jealous
Brittany is in a huff because Alvin evidently has been making eyes at
Minnie Mouse and Miss Piggy. She’s supposed to record Stand By Your Man,
but she’s so frustrated by her “thoughtless furball” that she can
barely bring herself to do it. Tammy Wynette drops by to help get her in
the proper mindset, but things don‘t go exactly as planned... “But if
you love him you'll forgive him / Even though he's hard to understand, /
And if you love him, / Oh be proud of him / 'Cause after all he's just a
man.”
Gotta Believe in Pumpkins - Alvin sings this
piano-driven inspirational ballad beautifully, up until the portion
toward the end when he hams it up William Shatner-style, but it’s hard
to take it seriously as a rousing anthem, even when the choir chimes in
for the last chorus. That’s because the context is Alvin receiving - or,
rather, ignoring - a lecture from perpetually irritated guardian Dave
Seville about the deplorable state of his room. Rather reminiscent of Alvin’s Orchestra from my favorite Chipmunks album, Sing Again with the Chipmunks,
this original song is pure melodic mayhem. “Faith is just like planting
seeds, / They help your dreams come true. / Believe in what's around
you, / and good things will come to you.”
Brothers and Old Boots
- Charlie Daniels steps in to break up a fight among the three brothers
on this song written especially for the album. For the first time on
this CD, the special guest actually sings, to the accompaniment of
heart-rending violins. It’s a touching performance, at least from him;
Alvin, Simon and Theodore, however, seem a little less than sincere,
particularly as they alter choice lyrics. Will the message ever sink in?
“Now you know there will be days / you'll think of 50 different ways /
to put their little bodies in a cast. / But if someone gives you
trouble, / you can bet that it’s your brother, / 'Cus bozos and old
boots are made to last.”
Don't Rock the Jukebox - Alan Jackson
stops by to join the boys in their recording, and before the singing
starts, he confesses to some trepidation. Alvin, he’s heard, is
notoriously difficult to work with. Alvin protests, but Simon figures
that’s a pretty accurate assessment. A fun song, though I’m not sure
what Alan is worried about since he doesn’t seem to be actually
participating, unless he’s playing an instrument. “I don’t feel like
rocking / Since my baby's gone, / So don’t rock the jukebox; / Play me a
country song.”
Down at the Twist and Shout - It’s
hoe-down time for the Chipmunks and Dave, who is eager to demonstrate
what a great dancer he is as his boys sing this cheerful Mary Chapin Carpenter
song. But judging by the agonized noises he keeps making, it’s not
going so well... “Saturday night and the moon is out. / I wanna head on
over to the Twist and Shout, / Find a two-step partner and a Cajun beat.
/ When it lifts me up I'm gonna find my feet.”
Outlaws
- Alvin declares Waylon Jennings his hero as fiddle music plays in the
background. He rhapsodizes about how cool it would be to live as an
outlaw, while Waylon counters with the less palatable aspects of such a
lifestyle. The back-and-forth singing is fun, with inventive lyrics and
relentless percussion, and Alvin’s not-so-contrite confession of sins is
pretty memorable. Another terrific song that seems to have been written
especially for this album. “Robbin' banks and buyin' candy / And eat it
all - all by myself. / I'd buy a brand new bike and skateboard / For me
to ride and no one else. // It ain't no fun to be an outlaw / When
there's a posse on your trail. / It ain't no fun to be an outlaw /
Behind some bars - in a jail.”
I Feel Lucky - Another
Mary Chapin Carpenter song, and a pretty rockin’ one, with lots of
honky-tonk piano. The Chipettes have this song to themselves, and they
seem to be doing their best to make themselves as alluring to the guys
as possible. Real men, that is; evidently they’ve had it with lads of
their own species. Energetic, but as it’s neither an original nor
accompanied by dialogue, it feels a little flat in comparison to the
other tracks. The only really distinct thing here is that a couple of
lines have been sanitized for younger audiences. “Now eleven million
later, I was sitting at the bar. / I'd bought the house a double, and
the waitress a new car. / Dwight Yoakam's in the corner, trying to catch
my eye / Lyle Lovett's comin’ over; I’m tryin’ not to sigh.”
I Ain't No Dang Cartoon
- Another original song concludes the album. Alvin sings his life story
as guitars twang and low-voiced guys croon in the background. The most
famous of the Chipmunks sounds more countryish on this song than any
other, at times lapsing into some shrieks that test the tolerance of
one’s ears. Incensed at being underestimated and wearing his ego on his
sleeve, he compares himself to such towering figures as Albert Einstein,
Christopher Columbus and Desmond Tutu. My only complaint? That Dave
never cuts in to try putting Alvin in his place. “ My face has been on
plates and cups, / Bed sheets, a baby’s potty, / PJs, lunch pails, /
Shoes and gowns, / From nice to semi-gaudy. / But that don't mean I'm
just a joke / And don't deserve respect. / I may have a tail and be
covered with fur, / But I ain't nobody's pet.”
This album,
released in 1992, was one of the Chipmunks’ most popular albums, which
isn’t too surprising considering all of the crossover potential. It
peaked at number six on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and
managed to go platinum. It’s fun to hear the Chipmunks interact with all
those acclaimed singers, but what I really love is how they put their
unique Chipmunks stamp on every song (with the possible exception of I Feel Lucky).
Thanks to the surrounding dialogue, the covers are funny, and the
originals are clever and full of personality, so even though country
isn’t a genre I listen to that often, I can happily say that Chipmunks in Low Places is one of the best Chipmunks albums I’ve ever heard.
No comments:
Post a Comment