Hank Williams Jr. – “Red White and Pinkslip Blues”
There is a growing disconnect between the reality of life in the 21st century and the world in which country music exists. This is especially evident when it comes to social issue songs, which are, with increasing frequency, little more than hollow shells built around stereotypes and nuggets of dumbed-down populism. If, for instance, you took country music’s lyrics literally, you’d think that everyone worked in a mill and that babies all over the rural south were toddling around without shoes.
In “Red White and Pinkslip Blues,” Hank Jr. has lost his mill job, which was sent to Mexico. And although there are certainly millworkers in our country who have been handed pinkslips, the illustration drawn here is so symbolic that it maintains essentially no sense of realism. While Americans from all walks of life are struggling within a faltering economy, there can be little solace found in a song that presents the most simplistic view of life and hardship within that context.
From this critic’s perspective, it is evident that “Red White and Pinkslip Blues” is born from a desire to commercialize the topical issues and soundbytes we are constantly inundated within our society; it is outwardly derived and constructed from a framework of audience accessibility rather than being born from, and inwardly focused on, the observations and feelings of its creators.
That is not to say, by any stretch, that the song’s creators don’t believe what they wrote, or that they don’t feel–and even feel strongly–the emotion behind their words. What it is to say, however, is that the song is crafted in such a way that it exists as a caricature of itself, written to express the feelings of an anonymous audience member who bears little resemblance to our flesh and blood brethren. The lines that outline the portrait of this song’s character are stretched and exaggerated: A mill foreman who has had his job shipped to Mexico and who is losing his truck, his house and can’t afford to buy his kids’ shoes–even though he has “paid his bills,” his “due,” and his taxes.
This character is more a marketing concept than a real person, and this song is a heavy-handed attempt at scoring a hit by summing up a collective sense of discontent and worry into what amounts only to a soundbyte itself.
Construction theory aside, it’s hard to shake the inconsistencies that plague this story. The song’s singer declares that he’s paid his bills and his taxes, but if he has paid his bills and his taxes, why is he losing his truck and his house? We are to presume that he has been unable to fulfill those obligations since losing his job, but what has he been doing to rectify the situation? After all, it’s not as though once he was handed a pinkslip an alert was fired off to his creditors, who then begin repossession proceedings. There is time involved in such matters–18 months and two days, according to the lyric–and within that time there is pain and hardship and joy and victory; there is weakness and strength and all of the experiences that make up what we call being human.
But songs like this just focus on the topical issues, the most obvious solutions, and the easiest and most recognizable images. The emotion here may be genuine, but the construction is unbearably contrived. And that’s unfortunate, because I doubt there is an artist more suited to effectively convey sentiment like that which underlines this song than Hank Jr.
Williams voice sounds better here–more vibrant and less muffled by bloated low tones–than on the majority of his recent recordings. It is a highly enjoyable vocal performance from an artist who, although legendary, has perhaps compiled an underachieving catalog.
But although Williams sounds younger here than he has in years, lyrics about how the streets used to be safe and the schools used to be good make him sound like a cranky old man. And while “Red White and Pinkslip Blues” deserves considerable credit for forgoing any particular political association, it does little to actually address the very real people who it simplifies down to a single stock character. In trying to capture the shared emotions of the everyman, it is a song that struggles to connect, on a very intimate level, with all but the few who actually fit the stereotype.
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April 23, 2009 at 7:23 am Permalink
This song isn’t surpising as Hank Jr. has essentially become a caricature of himself. I lost any appreciation I had for him as an artist after seeing him in concert. Later I read a review that said watching him in concert was like watching a bad Hank Jr. tribute band. That pretty much sums it up. I’ve also read he’s thinking about running for office. God help us all.
April 23, 2009 at 7:32 am Permalink
I’m an old school Hank Jr. fan who has been mostly disappointed since about Montana Cafe. On the other hand I dig this tune. While the reviewer was writing a 9-10 paragraph essay about nothing, I was feelin’ it. Bocephus 1 – Critic 0
April 23, 2009 at 8:20 am Permalink
I havent heard Jr’s version of it (cant listen to it here at work) — but a couple of weeks ago I did hear the writer – Stephen Dale Jones – sing it at a writers round. I liked it.
April 23, 2009 at 8:36 am Permalink
I admit its nothing like his golden old stuff, but man…I dig this song too…and i usually dont like songs withese subjects…like I think John Rich’s song is very overated and average(Then again, I dont like John Rich as much)
April 23, 2009 at 9:19 am Permalink
When I first saw the title of this I thought “What an incredibly cool turn of phrase”. Then, I heard the song. Every fiber of me wants to like this, because I love the title and because I long for the “Ive Got Rights” Bocephus of old, but im just not that generous. To me, not only are the inconsistances there that you mentioned, but also, in places the phrasing feels very awkward. I do not doubt the writers’ hearts were in the right place, but they just didnt execute very well for me.
Great review Jim. I think, while it is very critical of the song, it is done with alot of respect and dignity.
April 23, 2009 at 9:29 am Permalink
“If, for instance, you took country music’s lyrics literally, you’d think that everyone worked in a mill and that babies all over the rural south were toddling around without shoes.”
One song is equivalent to the entirety of country music? Don’t you think you’re extrapolating things a bit far here. I think most people are perfectly capable of making reasonable assumptions based on the content of the song. It doesn’t need to spell it out to us that “No, not everyone who has been laid off fits the exact characteristics of this song or the guy in it;” such a disclaimer isn’t needed and no song can be so symbolically and exactly representative at the same time.
Should some other profession have been chosen? If he wasn’t able to buy milk for cereal, would we have to conclude that not everyone in the rural south can afford milk? Not being able to afford shoes for his baby poses both a very real problem to the character and is representative of the issues faced by anyone who can’t find work.
“And although there are certainly millworkers in our country who have been handed pinkslips, the illustration drawn here is so symbolic that it maintains essentially no sense of realism[...]The lines that outline the portrait of this song’s character are stretched and exaggerated: A mill foreman who has had his job shipped to Mexico and who is losing his truck, his house and can’t afford to buy his kids’ shoes–even though he has “paid his bills,” his “due,” and his taxes.”
So are there no mill works who have lost their jobs to Mexico? I don’t see how it’s not a realistic scenario. Again, the character is both realistic and symbolical and we’re allowed to commiserate with him and his problems. You say the character is unrealistic multiple times, but I don’t see any compelling reason to believe that to be the case. All of the problems presented are perfectly plausible if someone isn’t able to make a dime to pay their bills.
And the song doesn’t say he’s lost his house yet, but that he’ll need his truck when he does lose it. It’s inevitable; it’s something he’s worried about and has convinced himself is a certainty, although it is possible that actions have been made to evict him.
“Construction theory aside, it’s hard to shake the inconsistencies that plague this story. The song’s singer declares that he’s paid his bills and his taxes, but if he has paid his bills and his taxes, why is he losing his truck and his house?”
Paid is past tense, meaning he paid his bills as long as he could. It’s not meant to be inclusive of the entire 18 months and 2 days since he was laid off. It’s not a stretch to read it as him paying his bills and taxes up to that point, but such a reading is unrealistic, which you realize by saying “we’re to presume he’s been unable to fulfill those obligations since losing his job.”
Good job on the review and providing insight into your way of thinking, but I don’t agree with most of the “inconsistencies” you point out.
April 23, 2009 at 9:39 am Permalink
I agree with your concept of caricature, Jim, but is this really anything new from Bocephus?
What about “Country Boy Can Survive”? That is chock-full of caricature too, no? Yet, IMO, it’s a country classic.
April 23, 2009 at 9:53 am Permalink
After “McCain-Palin Tradition,” this sounds like a masterpiece.
April 23, 2009 at 10:36 am Permalink
Gee, remind me about the country songs written about the horrors of the loss of millions of textile and garment industry jobs in the Northeast when they moved to the South for the cheap labor here in the 40s to 60s! What goes arorund comes around–but you notice that less when your empathy–maybe the phrase should be “commercial empathy”–goes to one predictably limited set of people.
April 23, 2009 at 10:51 am Permalink
Does Top 40 country radio really need another “Shuttin’ Detroit Down” type song right now? Songs like these that pander to current times more than accurately reflect it tend to be caricatures themselves. I hope this song fails at radio just so it will put a damper on the release of similar themed singles that might be in the pipeline. I’d much rather hear a great old depression era song like Woody Guthrie’s “Do Re Me” than this dreck…
April 23, 2009 at 11:04 am Permalink
Brady..could you not make it as a song writer or singer..is that why you started this little blogger site?!?
April 23, 2009 at 11:15 am Permalink
Killer song, great to hear some more Hank Jr. And I’ve given up on even reading anything that commie Malec says.
April 23, 2009 at 11:26 am Permalink
Check out “You can keep the change”. Poetry? No. Badass? Yes.
April 23, 2009 at 12:11 pm Permalink
I enjoy this song due to the reasons Brady outlined, especially his points about losing the house. Where I live, there are lot of people losing their jobs because of the paper mills that are continuously closing down. While I know that’s not representative of all the stories of people going through economic trials, it’s easy to apply the character to other situations. I think it was better that the story was told from the perspective of an individual person’s situation rather than it trying to generalize to appeal to the masses. I like that it tries to avoid that pitfall. I also like it that it describes a character who has tried to do the right things as far as paying his taxes, but still doesn’t get to keep his property due to no real fault of his own. It’s reality. So many people are looked down upon because they default on mortgages these days. As for the eighteen months? That’s probably representative of another thing he tried to do right, had a savings account at least big enough to make partial payments long enough to keep the bank from actually taking the house up to that point. I don’t know how this song was truly written, but I take it as an example of it’s not always as easy as “pulling yourself up by your bootstraps”, as people seem to expect everyone to be able to do. Instead, it’s a sensitive portrayal of someone who worked hard but still can’t make it because of circumstances out of his control.
It helps that Hank sounds great here.
And Drew,
Seriously?
April 23, 2009 at 1:50 pm Permalink
Jim,
stop looking for reasons to dislike a song. a song doesn’t have to relate to all to successfully serve a purpose. while many of your reviews are very accurate, you point out things that are rather insignificant to the song. music doesn’t always have to be a beautiful story or have the most compelling lyrics to be “good.” do you know what music is about?
April 23, 2009 at 2:15 pm Permalink
I have to concur with Leeann w/r/t Drew. Drew, Jim and I don’t always agree (in fact I think we rarely agree) but I think It’s safe to say that he isn’t a ‘commie,’ particularly in the sense you mean it to mean. Also, that word’s not NEARLY as bad as you make it seem (like we’re still stuck in the cold war or something).
As for this song, I don’t have much of an opinion on it either way aside from the nice musical backdrop and fine vocal turn from Hank Jr.
April 23, 2009 at 2:57 pm Permalink
Also, that word’s not NEARLY as bad as you make it seem (like we’re still stuck in the cold war or something).
So you’re saying communism isn’t a bad thing? Isn’t that interesting ….
April 23, 2009 at 3:26 pm Permalink
I won’t get into geopolitics here but I have lived in a communist country and seen for my own eyes what has shaped my opinions to basically believe that some sections of communism aren’t bad while others clearly are. Same goes for capitalism.
April 23, 2009 at 3:34 pm Permalink
I’m still hung up on Rick preferring a Woody Guthrie tune!
but yeah, this song is absurd for a number of reasons, not the least of which is that its title doesn’t actually make sense.
He doesn’t have the Red, White and Pink Slip Blues. He has the pink slip blues. It sounds like it makes sense, and obviously we know what he means, and it sounds like it’d be a pun, but it’s really not.
Second, I’m onboard with Jim as far as this being a generic angst song seeking to connect with the everyman. Hank Jr. is an especially bad person to communicate this because he’s the son of the most famous country singer of all time and has been filthy rich his whole life, furthermore I think it shows.
Third, the production is so overdramatic.
and you know the whole effort is just so superficial. We get plenty of information – mill closed, 18 months, ricky bob’s driveway, town used to be awesome, I’m broke – but not really any revealing information as far as how he feels.
compare it to a song like “seeds and stem again blues”, which is similarly about a broke guy, and has lines like
“my dog died just yesterday
and left me all alone.
the finance company came today
to repossess my home,
but its just another drop in the bucket
next to losing you
and I’m down to seeds and stems again, too.”
and the latter seems so much more personal and unique. This one is dead on the page the whole way and fits the current country trend of providing boring information because it’s laboring under the false premise that what listeners need to connect to a song is to superficially identify with the factual details therein.
April 23, 2009 at 3:37 pm Permalink
superficially identify with the factual details therein.
Huh?
April 23, 2009 at 4:05 pm Permalink
bviously, the writer of this article is a socialist like obama and most of the dems in congress. They think the gov. will support to the poor and the needy. the gov. dosnt have any money until they take it from one of us. This man has spent more money than all presidents combined and we will never be able to pay it off. Exactly what obama wants. He wants to economcially destroy this country, abandon our allies, destroy our intelligence services and then he will happilhe hely leave office after one term, move to Saudi Arabia and proclaim his muslim faith. Knowing he has brought down the great satan, with the gleeful assistance of the left. This man does not love America.
April 23, 2009 at 4:07 pm Permalink
I actually think the title is sufficient, because he not only has the pink slip blues, he’s also struggling with the duality of loving his country while being frustrated with it.
April 23, 2009 at 4:17 pm Permalink
there’s nothing worse than Muslim, Socialist, Radical Christian, Fascist, Liberals, that’s true.
well, extreme cognitive dissonance is worse I guess. But how common is that, right?
April 23, 2009 at 4:18 pm Permalink
LeeAnn – you are articulating my thoughts very well today. Thank you! :-)
April 23, 2009 at 4:28 pm Permalink
While I obviously like this song more than Jim does, the political attacks seem to be random and irrelevant to his review of it.
April 23, 2009 at 4:47 pm Permalink
“I actually think the title is sufficient, because he not only has the pink slip blues, he’s also struggling with the duality of loving his country while being frustrated with it.
yeah, but saying “I’ve got the Red, White, and Blues” is not an expression of patriotism, and that seems to be the fictional expression that the pun would be based on. So what he is actually saying is that he’s got the Red slip blues, the white slip blues, and the pink slip blues – or he has the multi-color slip blues, and that doesn’t make sense.
Also, the pun would work if the flag were Red, White, and Pink, then it would work as a pun.
and maybe I’m missing something in the language, but I’m still not convinced it functions as a pun or even as a sensical title (though I know it resembles one) the way it currently stands.
April 23, 2009 at 5:05 pm Permalink
WOW What a song! I really like it, blows JR our of the water in my opinion (though i dont mind it). Theres no way this will get played on radio for the most part though…Sad. Good to hear some new Hank Jr. thats really good on top of that. Jim, I live in a town in “the rural south” where most people work on farms or plant nurseries or the local restaurants. And the kids do run around barefoot in the yard..or ride there horses to the gas station. So this still exists very much so.
April 23, 2009 at 5:23 pm Permalink
I was just reading today that there hasn’t been a functioning central government in Somalia for 18 years. Sounds like a right-winger’s idea of paradise to me.
April 23, 2009 at 6:08 pm Permalink
Chris N. said “I was just reading today that there hasn’t been a functioning central government in Somalia for 18 years. Sounds like a right-winger’s idea of paradise to me.”
Sounds like they need Warlord Obama a heck of a lot more than the US! I say we loan the “The One” to Somalia on an indefinite basis…
April 23, 2009 at 6:42 pm Permalink
Agreed. Send him back to his homeland, we don’t want him.
April 23, 2009 at 6:47 pm Permalink
we as in you and Rick, or “we” as in “we the people”.
because “we the people” voted for him and approve of him by a decent margin.
facts are facts, man.
April 23, 2009 at 7:07 pm Permalink
I don’t really want to get into a political argument here, but Drew, you do know Obama was born in Hawaii right? And was raised there and in Jakarta. I’m not sure in what sense Somalia can be considered his homeland…
April 23, 2009 at 7:37 pm Permalink
Now, I’m just horrified!
April 23, 2009 at 7:57 pm Permalink
There’s still debate over that, Steve.
April 23, 2009 at 8:01 pm Permalink
Hollerin’ Ben Obama ratings keep falling there was a news article on it today.
April 23, 2009 at 8:43 pm Permalink
“There’s still debate over that, Steve.”
Among very, very scary people.
April 23, 2009 at 8:45 pm Permalink
I was just reading today that there hasn’t been a functioning central government in Somalia for 18 years. Sounds like a right-winger’s idea of paradise to me.
There’s a world of difference between limited government and no government at all. And well you know it.
April 23, 2009 at 9:30 pm Permalink
Yes, well I do. That was what I like to call a “joke.”
April 23, 2009 at 9:31 pm Permalink
Can we get back to the song now?
April 24, 2009 at 1:48 am Permalink
It’s very amazing to me that people still think the President is Radical Muslim. It’s as tired as the arguments about what is or isn’t country…
April 24, 2009 at 2:13 am Permalink
Except that country/noncountry arguments actually have some relevance to this site!
April 24, 2009 at 7:29 am Permalink
How ’bout we quit derailing this conversation with talk of politics that don’t even pertain to the song? It’s like we can’t resist the urge to piss in public.
If you want to admonish something idiotic like Drew calling Jim a commie, then don’t provide unnecessary fodder for a reply.
April 24, 2009 at 7:44 am Permalink
Hey now, don’t give pissing in public a bad name.
April 24, 2009 at 8:49 am Permalink
I liked this song a lot myself – I find it to have a lot more substance than its counterpart, ‘Shuttin’ Detroit Down’. And I disagree with your assessment of the lyrics too, Jim. I think it has something to say and does so in a straightforward fashion. I also don’t think the man in the song is a ’stock character’ as you say. He is clearly characterized by lines talking about hiding his truck in his buddy’s garage, etc. – I know people like that personally. I also think you’re just being nit-picky about the timeline of events.
I am generally not a fan of politically-driven or social issue songs such as this, and I still won’t be adding it to my heavy rotation playlists, but I can appreciate the song for what it is: an accurate depiction of the economic situation the country is facing.
April 24, 2009 at 2:31 pm Permalink
Pissing in public is totally country.
April 26, 2009 at 9:09 pm Permalink
One of my favorite Dolly Parton quotes was about how she still peed off the porch of her Beverly Hills home.
April 26, 2009 at 9:44 pm Permalink
THIS A KICK ASS SONG I WOULD LOVE TO SEE U AND KID ROCK DO A SIMILAR VERSION OUR COUNTRY IS STILL BASED ON THE FOUNDATION OF US AMERICAN HARD WORKING PEOPLE IVE BEEN IN THE CAR BUSINESS SINCE I WAS 17 YRS OLD IM 38 I COULNT AFFORD TO GO TO COLLEGE . SO ALL U NON -AMERICAN FLAG BURNING PEOPLE TAKE UR ASSES BACK HOME BEFORE A B-2 HAS 2 ESCORT U OUT OF HERE !!!!!!! LETS TAKE BACK AMERICA NOW !!!!!!!
April 26, 2009 at 10:33 pm Permalink
Isn’t the recent tred in immigraton people moving back to Mexico because they cannot get work here to support their families?
April 26, 2009 at 10:33 pm Permalink
So if I went to college I am un-American? When is it “American” to protect inefficient and dying industries? Perhaps Washington should protect the typewriting makers of America.
April 27, 2009 at 11:51 am Permalink
Man, I am on this late, but good lord, this song sounds like lame background music in some dated, cheesy mid-80’s detective tv show that wouldve starred Ken Wahl or something…forget the politics and the lyrics even, it just doesnt sound good. Leave the soft-rock to Foreigner, Hank.
April 27, 2009 at 12:22 pm Permalink
Just now getting to listen to this (although as I stated earlier I did hear the song at a writers round) – If I’d heard this version first I might not have liked the song either because it sounds like Hank Jr has turned into one of the screaming divas! Ugh! I do still like the song though (just not this version of it).
April 27, 2009 at 1:27 pm Permalink
The only thing I didn’t like about the production here is the call and answer thing at the end. That sounded lame.
April 27, 2009 at 2:36 pm Permalink
Let’s not drag Ken Wahl into this.
April 27, 2009 at 3:40 pm Permalink
what? you have the complete Wiseguy library on DVD at home?
April 27, 2009 at 4:22 pm Permalink
Paula,
I’m pretty sure it’s not unusual for Hank to sing forcefully.
April 27, 2009 at 4:28 pm Permalink
I’m surprised how much I really like this song.
I agree, the reference to having “paid” his bills is regarding his ability to pay them until the job went away.
What makes “Shuttin’ Detroit Down” superior is its outright acknowledgment of where the blame lies. Why does Hank waste the bridge by, first, saying that he doesn’t want to complain, then pretending to wonder how this happened? Are we left to believe that Rich understands the America we live in today, and Hank doesn’t? If there’s any faux/posturing going on, it’s right there!
Otherwise, it’s a … just a … shockingly, surpringly good song from Hank. What’s it been, twenty years now?
April 27, 2009 at 5:31 pm Permalink
Leeann – maybe not. It’s been a while (a long while) since I heard anything by Hank Jr.
April 27, 2009 at 6:53 pm Permalink
Chris: You DO know that Ken Wahl is the root of all that’s evil, right?
April 28, 2009 at 2:51 pm Permalink
I’ve read with interest many of the comments. I’ve heard the song once. It made me think of my 60 some year old, Depression hardened Grand Daddy way back when I was a kid in the 60’s. I saw the textile mills close in Danville, VA; saw farmers getting paid not to grow tobacco/crops, idling many farm hands across the nation. The start of the Great Experiment with Society was begun during this time. My generation has seen some wonderful and strange changes over the last 50 years and I’m fortunate to be a part of it. Hank’s song really isn’t a cliche to my thinking; it’s the hard cold truth for a lot of men, women and children across this great land and it’s been sung more than once during the last couple hundred years.
May 8, 2009 at 1:52 pm Permalink
C’mon, The Blues are just that…”The Blues”. They aren’t written about rosy sunsets.
May 13, 2009 at 8:58 am Permalink
I’m old enough to have had the chance to see JR when he was the 3 time Entertainer of the Year. Everybody gets older and slides down the backside of the mountain, but I give Hank credit for staying true – to Himself. If you don’t LIKE it…..well, we all know the rest of THAT one :) What is he supposed to do, cover Taylor Swift songs? Hank, thanks for keeping the “O” in country!
May 28, 2009 at 7:18 pm Permalink
I love this song…I don’t know what life yall are living in but this is life here in Norhtern Michigan…I have family that is dealing with these issues along with myself. I love all of Hanks stuff…seems like yall want him to be his daddy all over again…he has proved to be able to do it all and kuddos to him for having the guts to do just that!
June 1, 2009 at 10:55 pm Permalink
Whether or not Hank is running for office or if he supports Obama is not the question here. I dont listen to ANY music to get my ideas about politics,but rather to get a groove on and maybe find somethin to relate to in some way.I have the sense to realize not everyone works in a mill and not all those down south are barefoot.. I DO hear a new song from Bocephus here that gives the feeling of loving the country and yet a lttle frustrated by the goings on within it.Red,White and Blue? Yes. Pink slips? Yes. Tax payin,law abidin,broke blues? Yeah,I can relate to that too.I learned at a young age that if you hold a match near a big speaker thats REALLY pumpin out some tunes,you can blow the match out. Make no mistake about it, I believe this song is a real match blower!! If you dont like the song,turn it down or off.It’s really that simple.
July 9, 2009 at 9:48 pm Permalink
Anyone that’s dumping on the song just because of its subject matter being “too cliche” is a dick. You probably work in some plush office behind a desk with no clue as to where that desk came from. Or the computer that you’re typing on. Factory workers are what make every other position in the world possible. Without them, there wouldn’t be a need for crappy critics like the bozo that wrote this article, because there wouldn’t be anything to record the songs on! Jerks.
July 10, 2009 at 1:09 am Permalink
HAHA, I’m sure Hank Jr. really cares you gave this thumbs down. What a joke. Hank Jr. is the greatest song-writer of all time. Bottome line.
July 13, 2009 at 11:42 pm Permalink
I bet your one of those people everyone just wants to hit in the face. Get out of America you ungrateful fool.
September 8, 2009 at 10:13 pm Permalink
although this song is “cliche” what blues song isn’t? and as far as it being an untruth….this kind of hardship does exist and I am sure many are touched by its message because they see and feel the poverty caused by the job outsourcing and “recession”. My father has been a truck driver for thirty years, worked his ass off, paid his taxes and dues and now his company is cut in half and he has to turn his drivers away because the steel industry is so bad. Those men have women and children that depend on them and they can’t find work. I don’t know where you come from, but this song speaks (symbolically in some instances) of reality. Personally, it makes me thankful for all that I am blessed with, and it should make others wake up too.
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