Terror Tune: song celebrates a man who betrayed his country.

Wall St. Journal ^ | Wednesday, July 24, 2002 12:01 a.m. EDT | BY COLLIN LEVEY

[Behind Liberal Lines]

Country music, that bastion of soulful, twangy Americana, was responsible for something very out of character this week. Steve Earle, an on-again, off-again alternative country star, hit an off-note by recording a sympathetic ballad about the travails of a certain young ex-Taliban soldier from Northern California.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

He once said he won't live in Texas because of its executions and even has "conflicts of conscience" about performing there.

But he does. Even appearing on that ol' Austin City Limits on PBS quite often. Funny about that. ;-)

"[Earle's] self-described politics are 'somewhere to the left of Mao.'"

Yep, and that's why I am in the process of uploading my entire Steve Earle CD collection (approx one doz albums worth of material) onto Morpheus, Limewire, WinMx and every other Napster clone I can think of. So that way Maoist Stevie can share his music with the masses without making a-shudder-profit (just type in the words "steve earle" and "traitor"). I'm sure he'll thank me for keeping him from having another "crisis of conscience."

[KayEyeDoubleDee]

John Walker Lindh is not the first inmate immortalized in one of Mr. Earle's ballads. After exchanging letters with a death-row inmate, he wrote and performed "Over Yonder," written from the perspective of the murderer, Jonathan Noble, who had been convicted of killing two young women in their sleep. Mr. Earle later witnessed Mr. Noble's execution.

Seems to me that Earle is a real weirdo.

--former fan

[Physicist]

Bruce Springsteen's song "Born in the USA" became a Reaganite hymn only because everyone agreed to ignore that the lyrics were actually an edgy criticism of the post-Vietnam U.S.

I didn't agree. The song is offensive.

[Free_at_last_-2001]

The Green Party once courted Mr. Earle as a possible Senate candidate. - yup that makes sense! - although I think the dems will want him now!

[BOBTHENAILER]

Yep, and that's why I am in the process of uploading my entire Steve Earle CD collection (approx one doz albums worth of material) onto Morpheus, Limewire, WinMx and every other Napster clone I can think of

ROFLMAO. Hit 'im where it hurts.

[HHFi]

If you want to hear the greatest female country singer ever, check out Lacy J. Dalton. Good luck finding her stuff, though, since almost all of it is out of print in favor of fluffy, pretty, soundalike "country" singers who all squeak out Britney-style pop with a steel guitar buried somewhere in the mix.

[Behind Liberal Lines]

If you want to hear the greatest female country singer ever, check out Lacy J. Dalton

Despite her politics I was always partial to Emmylou Harris myself. Of course, with my luck it will turn out she sings back up for traitor Steve here.

And I have to say that now that she's back doing traditional bluegrass (which she hadn't for what 30 years) Dolly Parton is excellent again (no jokes please).

[Behind Liberal Lines]

oops

[Behind Liberal Lines]

testing 123

[Inkie]

Yes, thank goodness we were able to substitute with a genuinely patriotic song, "Proud to be an American ..."

[Inkie]

Similar to Emmylou Harris, I always liked Alison Kraus' voice. She used to be sort of feminist/fat looking in her old bluegrass days but caught her recently and she had definitely glammed up. Don't know her politics, though.

[Tennessee_Bob]

Too bad. Steve doesn't leave you a way to get in touch with him at his website. I wanted to let him know that he'd lost a fan.

[HHFi]

All her stuff is great, but especially check out "Hard Times," "Crazy Blue Eyes" and "Everybody Makes Mistakes." That's a voice that'll put a shiver in your spine.

[adam stevens]

Whjat a disgusting song!