I admit that, at first, I didn’t get it. One of the presidential candidates had supporters holding up signs that read “Country First.” What the heck did that have to do with anything? So, I’m on the phone with my Dad and I mention it.

“Don’t keep up on the news, do ya?” Dad asked. I thought I did, I told him. “Not good enough, ‘parently. You’d know that ‘Country First’ is the result of all them Hollywood rock ‘n roll types that ain’t lettin’ ‘em use their songs. They wanted to use that 'Barracuda' song, but them gals that done it didn’t want them usin’ it.”

Yeah, I heard about that. Seemed to me a bad choice for a song to introduce a candidate, since it’s a bitter song about a nasty piece of work of a woman. Who wants that as their theme song, unless you were a woman wrestler or roller derby queen?

“Then, there was that Mountain Lion fella,” Dad went on. Mountain Lion fella? “Yeah, John the Mountain Lion or some dern thing like that. Sang some song about pink houses.”

John Cougar Mellenkamp. "Pink Houses" was another strange song to use as a campaign song. It ends with a lyric talking about how the simple guy gets taken in. I wouldn’t touch that song as a politician. Don't these guys actually read the lyrics to these songs?

So what are you saying, Dad?

“Well, them politicians, they just got tired of fightin’ them rock ‘n rollers. They went with real American music. Country First. Course, them advisors cut it down from Country Western First. Don’t sound quite right, does it? And you’d get a whole buncha them Southerners riled you go and say Western First. So Country First won out.”

Seems to me that candidate became a little elitist. What about jazz or classical? I haven’t read about Winton Marsalis blowing them off, although he is a man of color, so…. And I suppose Bebop First just doesn’t have the same cachet. Besides, Country First does explain Hank Williams Jr. on the stage the other day. Ol’ Pop sure is smart.