You probably don’t realise, but my home country has two national anthems – one is God Defend New Zealand, and the other is The Gambler, by Kenny Rogers.
AKA: My guilty musical pleasure.
I’m not quite sure why, but The Gambler is New Zealand’s equivalent of Robbie Williams’ Angels. Everyone knows it – word for word. Get a Kiwi drunk, and a dodgy rendition is guaranteed to come out at some point during the evening.
Funnily enough, the song is much more famous in NZ than it is in Kenny’s homeland. I was with my step-brother in the famous Coyote Ugly bar, in San Antonio a few years ago when the opening notes of The Gambler belted out from the speakers.
We looked at each other, eyes wide, and started screeching singing along, as the surrounding Texans looked a bit startled.
‘Why aren’t you singing?’ we asked, flabbergasted that anyone could resist Kenny ‘The Man’ Rogers. ‘We don’t know the words,’ they shrugged. Sacrilege.
Maybe it’s the strong US influence (I grew up on a solid diet of American television and music), but in the 70s and 80s New Zealand had quite the affinity for all things country.
My grandparents were big Elvis Presley fans, and whenever we stayed we’d beg them to play their records of Old Shep and Running Bear, then sit and cry at the lyrics (have you actually listened to the words of both songs? They’re so sad!).
Mum was a die-hard country queen and I grew up listening to the greats – Dolly and Loretta and Patsy and Tammy. Even today it only takes a few notes of Blanket on the Ground, Rose Garden or Tallahatchie Bridge and it transports me back in time to when Mum would put on her country compilation tape to do the housework.
Christmas just isn’t Christmas without Kenny and Dolly’s Once Upon a Christmas CD (absolute classic – if you haven’t already come across this guilty musical pleasure, look it up!).
Even today, Dolly features prominently on the old Apple Music playlist and Here You Come Again is one of my ‘Top 5 of All Time’ favourites.
So, thanks to Liz from The Mum Blog for totally blowing apart my (ahem) uber-cool, cutting edge, on-trend image and forcing me to admit I’m a closet Country music fan.
Now I’m challenging YOU to reveal your guilty musical pleasure…
READ: Home Sweet Home // Returning to New Zealand after 10 Years
Image courtesy of dusan jovic on Unsplash
OMG you’d have to have a very deep voice to sing that! LOL
Liz: Hey, I never said it was easy… 😉
Gee thanks!!! For that I think we’re going to have to get you drunk at Cybermummy and then request The Gambler and a microphone especially for you my sweet!! 😉 OMG so many songs for me to choose from where should I begin?????
I LOVE Kenny! He’s awesome – I’m also a secret Country fan :0)
Mummy Matters: You’ll prob be singing along with me by the end of the evening… 😉
Stacey: Not so secret anymore..! 😉
I so love a bit of Kenny, with Dolly – of course. My brother actually went to Dolly World. And he has her cookbook, “Dolly’s Dixie Fixins.”
Now that I think about it, Kenny Rogers was the soundtrack to my childhood. And Slim Dusty. And The Highwaymen. Can you tell Dad is a big country music fan?
I have just learnt 2 things:
1/ you are a Kiwi too
and
2/ that not everyone knows the words to The Gambler.
I assumed it was like a nursery rhyme!
My guilty musical pleasures are ALW musicals!
This Mid-30s Life: Dolly’s Dixie Fixins. I absolutely HAVE to get that book!!! Ah, Slim Dusty – the Tamworth Music Fest just isn’t the same without him… 😉
Jacq: 1: Guilty as charged. 2: I know, right? The world outside NZ is a strange and confusing place 😉
PS: Phantom of the Opera is another of my favs!!!
Had to think over this one really hard but finally posted mine!