n the early 70s, a singer named Dobie Gray released a song, Drift Away, that was a big hit. I remember being into it, playing the 45 over and over. In a nutshell, it’s a song that notes the way music can sooth us in our troubled world. You can say that it’s a noble ideal to hold, something that can bring comfort to us all.

[Verse 1]
Day after day I’m more confused
Yet I look for the light through the pouring rain
You know that’s a game that I hate to lose
And I’m feelin’ the strain
Ain’t it a shame

[Chorus]
Oh, give me the beat boys and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away
Oh, give me the beat boys and free my soul
I wanna get lost in your rock and roll and drift away

So the other day, I’m up in Banner Elk, North Carolina after having some coffee. Decided, for the long curvy mountain road back home, I’d listen to some country on the radio (what else is there?). And suddenly there it is, coming out of my speakers, Drift Away.

But wait. It’s not.

[Verse 1]
She was dressed to kill, I was in my boots
So I had her pegged for the uptown type, yeah
But we talked for a while in a corner booth
Before closin’ time, she caught me by surprise

[Chorus]
When she said, “Give me a dirt road, the windows down
Wanna get lost on the edge of town in your Chevrolet”
She said, “Give me a six-pack, some Brooks & Dunn
If you want a country girl, you just found one, let’s slip away”
Yeah, “In your Chevrolet”

So this clodhopper, Dustin Lynch, decided he’d cash in. Just bought the sheet music, I suppose, and threw a lot of country cow flop at it – tossing in all sorts of country name-drops in to make it spin right. I simply listened to it with a sense of horror, that my angel is a centerfold sort of moment. It really bugged me.

Turns out it bugged more than just me. A lot of critics were just that – critical – noting that this was a clear attempt to cash in using someone else’s music to do so. Worse, that there is a cynical streak, that Dustin might be trying to score an ad deal from Chevrolet. You can read one of the more damning ones HERE. Loved the reference to it being a “buzzword-filled nothingburger”.

I’ve always hated the various “re-imaginings” of the classic Three Musketeers. It’s been done as steam-punk and a StarWars steal. They think that repurposing something that was imaginative and unique is a great way to cash in. Load it with stars and CGI and you’re good to go. Me, I prefer the 1973 version (that made a good effort to follow the story). But yes, I suspect that for every memory-laden olderster out there, there are a dozen hicks all perking up when this plays, the whole “Hey, Darlin’. They’s playing that there song of mine. You wanna hop in mah truck and find those dirty roads he’s on about?”

That’s getting old, I guess. Watching the world slip into moronic face-lifting. Now I know how the Greeks feel, seeing their culture stolen and museumed  by the English.

Drift away.

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