Mary-Chapin Carpenter’s fourth album Come On, Come On will
forever be a part of my life because of my mother. When I was a child I would
dance in the kitchen with my mother to Carpenter or to Rod Stewart. She would
pick me up and swing me around - it was our thing. While my musical taste tends
to lean away from country/singer songwriters, I appreciate Mary-Chapin
Carpenter and her ability to tell one hell of a story, to write and perform
passionate songs about independence, and make me nostalgic for a time and place
from my childhood. Come On, Come On does all of that in twelve songs.
Released in 1992, it made a bit of a splash on the
Billboard country charts with seven of its tracks making the list from 1992 to
1994 and the album went quadruple platinum. The album sounds wonderful, with a
stacked list of guest vocalists including Rosanne Cash, the Indigo Girls, and
Shawn Colvin plus musical greats like ‘Heartbreaker’ Benmont Tench on organ.
Its country, folk, and pop sounding songs flow and fit in perfectly with
Carpenter's keen storytelling ability. There are plenty of songs that are
“dance in the kitchen” worthy as well as ones that will bring you to your
knees, a good balance of upbeat and heartbreaking.
“Passionate Kisses,” originally performed by Lucinda
Williams, has always been one of my favorites, its tempo made it great for
dancing in the kitchen. “I’ll Take My Chances,” which reached #2 on the
Billboard country charts in 1994, is an anthem that speaks to independence and the
idea that fate should be tempted. “Only a Dream,” a song she wrote about the
breakdown of her family and more specifically the breakdown of the relationship
with her sister, pulls at the heart strings like no other. I have never
experienced any of that and yet I still feel for her. She does such a good job
of weaving a very complicated, painful personal story that everyone can
understand and empathize with. “I Am a Town” is the best example of just how
amazing she is as a storyteller and talented songwriter. This song paints a
portrait of so many small Southern towns I know. It is beautiful and heart
wrenching. She describes a Southern town in both feeling and actual landmarks.
Lyrics like “pines behind the graveyard, and the cool beneath their shade” and
“I am Pabst Blue Ribbon, American and ‘Southern Serves the South’” conjure up
memories of when I was a kid watching those towns go by on the way to my
maternal grandparents' house in rural north Alabama. The sweeping slow tune
takes me to those sleepy Southern towns. It’s songs like this and many others
on the album that dig a place in your heart and never leave.
Before I started writing this I asked my mother what the
album means to her. My strong connection to this album is because of her and I
felt I couldn’t do this justice without her input. She told me it was the first
of Carpenter's albums that she really listened to and owned. She mapped out her
thoughts and feelings about some of her favorites off the album. “He Thinks
He’ll Keep Her” stands as the ultimate “eye roll” song about not taking people
for granted but also appreciating that the more things change the more they
stay the same. “Only a Dream” made her weep for Carpenter without ever having
experienced the turmoil of a family breaking apart. She felt for her and her
relationship with her sister - my mother grew up in a house full of sisters.
Overall she said she just loved her sass, and this album has plenty of it. The
one song that stole her heart was “I Am a Town.” She is a Southern girl raised
in a small town in the 50’s and 60’s, and the song has a familiarity that she
loves. It reminded her of her grandfather, Daddy Coy, of her Uncle Irvin, and
the small town folks she grew up with. I’ve always known it is her favorite
song of Carpenter's, and possibly her favorite song ever. It’s the one I’ve
heard the most and the one that will always remind me of her. I have her to
thank for my love of Mary-Chapin Carpenter.
She promised me the next time I'm home we can dance in the kitchen.
I might be too big to be picked up and swung around, but I will never pass up a
chance to dance in the kitchen with my mother. Mary-Chapin Carpenter plays at
Red Rocks on July 14th with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and Pink Martini.
It will be my first time seeing her live. While it will be bittersweet to be
there without my mother, I know it will be worth it to hear some of these songs
in person and have them pull on my heartstrings like never before.
- Anna Lathem
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