John Rich – “Shuttin’ Detroit Down”

A millionaire “country” musician that wrote a song for the McCain campaign trying to cash in on the troubles of the “common man” that McCain and his ilk helped create. Great business plan that results in crap music.

I notice you guys are giving an awful lot of thumbs down on that Nashville drek being pumped into the airwaves….careful you may end up actually not caring who Taylor Swift is dating. ;)

I agree that the song’s political undertones are secondary, which is why my criticism of the song is based on substance. I only pointed out the political considerations to give the review some context. I think you’re misreading my review.

“I have read your review before and you do not usually review a song to death.”

Actually, they pretty much review every song to death.

“After all, a true market-centric conservative would show little sympathy for a dying industry, probably encouraging that the government let that industry fail if it can no longer be efficient and competitive in the marketplace.”

Just because conservatives may not be in favor of the government bailing out failing companies doesn’t mean that they don’t sympathize wtih the people who lose their jobs as a result. You seem to be implying that conservatives enjoy seeing people out of work.

“Rich is right that, when it comes to bailouts, there has been a significant difference in the treatment of the financial sector and the auto industry, although it is somewhat unexpected to hear that confessed by someone as starkly conservative as this former Fred Thompson-for-President supporter.”

Why is it unexpected? You’re implying that conservatives were OK with bailing out the banking industry but not the auto industry. The truth is, conservatives weren’t in favor of either bailout. So why is it susprising that a conservative is capable of seeing that that the financial sector and the auto industry received different treatment?

I’m no John Rich fan but with all due respect, I think your own political biases have affected this review.

And Baron — nice try, but this financial crisis isn’t the result of anything that John McCain or his “ilk” did.

I thought Jackson’s song was about his father, not about himself.

“John Rich makes it incredibly hard to root for him and I wouldn’t mind if he disappeared”

I have to agree with Brady there. Everything John Rich does seems designed to make me dislike him, and predisposed to dismiss his music. However, I thought this particular song was decently-written, and where it falls down for me is in the performance. It’s been mentioned before that Rich’s voice, solo, is a little on the bland side, and it is here. More to the point, to me as a listener, he just doesn’t sound engaged with the lyric – he’s not *angry* enough. He’s singing it like a lullaby, not a protest song.

I think the song is well written, and I think John’s voice sounds great. Springsteen has been singing about the boss man for years. Merle Haggard’s song “The Fightin’ Side Of Me” is simplistic, yet, powerful. You don’t need to dress up the subject of what’s happening in Detroit – or all around the country for that matter. Obviously – you don’t like John Rich. That’s cool – but, this didn’t seem like a song review. It seemed like a personality review. I don’t care about his politics, or his personal life. Just the music please. That’s all I care about.

I don’t like John Rich. But I thought that this song is better than its review. There are only two real problems with it: 1. This idea that working people live in the real world while people who in live DC and New York City are aloof insults all the working people in those cities who suffer from the same problems as those in Detroit. 2. The real problem with this song is John Rich’s voice. His emotion is false. I don’t believe he really cares. He is just selling someone’s pain. You can be rich and sing about hard working people, but you have to connect. Alan Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, Ms. Lynn, Dolly, even Elvis carry emotion and connection when they sing about people because they are still connected to their past. John Rich can’t connect so his songs falls flat. I would love to hear what a real singer could do with this song. A real singer would give it detail and shadow. Rich, like many other singers in country music, can’t really connect with the music or the emotion.

Stormy, I don’t know. “Pink Cadillac” seems like it could have been written by John Rich…..

Haha! Loved the “pink cadillac” joke. Just so y’all know – I am a full on Springsteen fan from way back. “The River” would be my desert island cd – if I had to pick just one…..I guess the point I was trying to make was that lyrics don’t have to be complicated to make a point, and that people have been writing songs about our countrys tough times since way back. Remember “Okie from Muskogee” ? When that song came out, my baptist mother couldn’t believe he said the word “marijuana”! But, it sure did spark up the conversation around the dinner table…bottom line – we’re talking about one artists view of a current situation that is affecting our country and our people. Stormy – you’re right – Bruce is a poet. And btw – he rocked the crap out of the Super Bowl yesterday! “Shuttin Down Detroit” make me think about how I’m not the only person struggling in these hard times. I think a lot of others related to it too. OK – so what do you say to us all just going out for a longneck?

Rick: Pink Cadillac could not have been written by John Rich. It was written for a movie and no one would hire John Rich to write a song for a movie. I hope.

Agreed. This song is bland and insincere.

no, you may no have ever seen a one-legged dog. that’s the point.

BUT with that said, google ‘one legged dog’. they DO exist. extremely rare, but they do exist. not as strange a lyric as you would think.

I have a problem with Rosanne Cash being mad because John Rich gave an opinion of Johnny Cash “might think” about the campaign and does not seem to care about a band called bastard sons of Johnny Cash. HUH! What a way to pick a song apart. Every song writer takes a little license with words. get over it.!

First of all I am a John Rich fan, and a Johnny Cash fan. My problem with the name is my grandkids go through by cd’s and I am not going to have a cd called Bastard sons of Johnny Cash. My belief only.
I do not care if it John Rich’s song or Bruce Springsteen song, why does everybody have to pick them apart, you like them or you don’t but name calling in the review and making it personal, I do not care for. That is all. I won’t comment anymore

Love the steel and Rich’s performance here… glad to see this one getting used instead of “Another You”, which was just bad.

If the man wants to sing about the way things are happen so be it. He has that right, if people dislike the song they all so have the right to put the song down. I can’t under stand way Jim Malec got his panties in such a wad over a song. He all so has that right. But critics are like butt hole’s every one has one. Why do people care about what critics have have to say. Oh well.

I don’t doubt Detroit has a host of issues that remain a big problem there, particularly narcotics use/production and violent crime (although lower than in previous years) when you get beyond those two major undesirable images which certainly plague plenty of other metropolitan cities as well, Detroit is a true all-American city that has pioneered much of our nation’s industry, music scene (I’m not talking about Eminem but rather Motown, jazz and some decent rock acts like the White Stripes) health care employment and also technology (Michigan is ranked fourth nationally when it comes to high tech employment)

I’m sure Malec, being a native Michigan resident himself, can explain umpteen times better than I have what makes Detroit an American city unlike any other that has contributed a lot to our cultural identity, but while few agree in offering a blank check to the Big Three, I’m sure the vast majority also recognize it would be even more irresponsible to turn our back on what truly remains, in many respects, the Arsenal of Democracy.

The most interesting part of this whole song, is how it does on the charts. Thus far, mainstream Country music and entertainment as a whole has pretty much avoided the economic crisis. If this does well on the charts, it might lead to some better song writers actually getting songs about struggling people onto the radio and lead to some good songs.

So in a odd way, I’m kind hoping this songs at least comes close to cracking the top 10.

I couldn’t disagree more with the review. Strongly object would be more like it (with all due respect). I agree with comment #3 (Brady). This review is personal and political and completely off the mark.

This song is SOOO well written. This is how songs should be written. A rare thing in Nashville. Simple and to the point. It’s not a ‘kitchen sink’ song that Nashville loves to write (and generally suck).

Like him (or his political views) or not, John is a writers writer – every bit as talented with words as some of the greats – and I’ve written with some of the greats.

And CraigR. Great comment about his voice and connection. That’s a valid point I can agree with – and here’s the thing – it’s uptempo. If it was made with ballad tendencies, completely different. If it’s missing it’s feel, it’s no less well written, it’s just not how we want to hear it – and that’s the point.

This should have no problem making the Top Ten, given it is consistently rivaling Rascal Flatts’ lead single from their forthcoming album in audience impression growth.

Again, I believe the real question is “Will this have any post-peak longevity?” Because, frankly, I believe this song is not only bereft of character; it feels most dated as well. One may point to the longevity Darryl Worley’s “Have You Forgotten?” had following its rapid ascent to the top of the singles chart in 2003 as our nation prepared for war in Iraq, but I believe much of that was simply due to the fact public opinion toward the war remained relatively popular even through the 2004 presidential election……….but once public opinion shifted, it seems to me “I Miss My Friend” is once again increasingly claiming the title of the hit most will especially remember Worley by, instead of that pandering call to arms.

This is a similar situation to me. There’s no doubt this will be a smash ultimately, but the question here is if this is merely a fluke that’s achieving mass callout because it is riding a populist wave of unprecedented economic discontent, or if it is actually achieving success on its own artistic merit. I’m inclined to believe the former is the case, and those who think this will end up becoming this decade’s “Take This Job And Shove It” are in for disappointment.

And if John Rich had seen me in ’04,he and Big Kenny would
have written,”Save A Horse,Ride That Handsome Black Cowboy!”

Yeah Jim–Be more liberl and support the guy who wrote Rasing McCain!

Dear Ride:
I am going to put this in terms you can understand. Chicks dig guys with smarts.

Let’s not forget the inherent contradiction between the first and second verse.

First verse: “You work hard for your dollar and you never pass the blame when things don’t go your way.”

Second verse: “It’s a cryin’ shame, because he ain’t the one to blame.”

Let’s face it: sometimes the people affected in fact are not responsible when “things don’t go their way.”

But which does Rich believe?

Also, it’s hard to take Rich seriously as an “every guy” when he can afford to go into a bar passing out hundred dollar bills and buy a double round of Crown Royal for an entire bar.

I think you mean “nit-picking.” And “stimulus,” and “politicians.” Also, “increases.”

Don’t you love the nit-pickers, that miss the message?