The music video format has been around so long that most modern country artists began their career with one. Even some of the veterans from the era before music video now have decades of clips to their credit.
I thought it would be fun to compare the first clip of an artist to their most recent, since it lends itself so well to embedded video in the comments.
First up: Dolly Parton.
She released her first music video in the late seventies, accompanying her cover of The Beatles classic “Help!” in 1979:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrqosQNKb6A
Thirty years later, her most recent clip is for her current single “Backwoods Barbie.” I'd argue it's her strongest music video ever, by quite a wide margin:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uDD3Qa7chW4
Dolly Parton's video career spans thirty years. Alan Jackson's spans twenty years. His first video was released in 1989, for “Blue Blooded Woman.” It preceded his breakthrough hit “Here in the Real World.” I imagine if the singles were released in a different order, this could have been a big hit:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FtwfxdgVRVw
His most recent clip, “Sissy's Song” shows how much he's grown as an artist.
I think the first Pam Tillis video, “Killer Comfort”, is beyond description. It was the lead single from her 1983 pop album Above & Beyond
the Doll of Cutey, which receives its first CD release on June 9:
24 years later, she was still wandering around downtown, but this time she was singing about the “Band in the Window”:
Share your favorite pair of then & now country videos in the comments. You can embed videos in two ways:
From YouTube, just copy and paste the YouTube address, adding a v after http (httpv://).
From CMT.com, copy the embed code under your video of choice, and paste it into the comment box. You can search for videos on the CMT site here.
You can use the preview function to make sure it looks right.
Here’s “The Time Has Come” by Martina McBride- one of my favorite Martina songs- it’s a very simple video:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFuB6KSwxpY
Now here’s “Ride”- one of her best looking videos (It has some cool videos in the background!), although “Anyway” is probably my favorite Martina video:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3bKcuRw87E&feature=channel_page
Wow. These are my favorite songs. Thanks for sharing the videos.
Music Careers
I may have to do these in separate posts, having a little technical difficulty, please bear with me.
First, Sara Evans’ first official video: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qliQyX14laI
next a bonus live version of the same song, this one’s pretty rare:httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylUCLsJl6Bs
And finally, Sara’s most recent video, “Low”:httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WDgSxO2Sac8
A Country Universe fave….
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZt93-e4kyQ&feature=PlayList&p=5685B970183F3CE5&index=34&playnext=2&playnext_from=PL
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4gsbBDyfvo
Love me some Jen Net!
What a difference six years and a little success can make.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2JFneCcFKY
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uJzvc3W-6EQ&feature=related
Okay… since the other one won’t embed….
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ACS0wtJnFk&feature=related
Great choices folks, although I’m getting a “embedding disabled by request” message on some of these videos.
Soul Miner’s Daughter…Love the Loveless choices,..I almost went with those two PL songs as well before I decided on Sara’s. :) Nice live performance of “Windows”.
Kevin..Awesome Dolly Parton videos…I like the way she harmonizes with herself on “Help” and Backwoods Barbie is amazing.
Gotta love the contrast :)
First:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amo5r4DR7cI
Most recent:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwc5YSAc-7g
Although their best video is:
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrNkuQUhh3A
btw, Kevin, that first Pam Tillis video kills me! Wow!
Really cool idea – and I love seeing how these artists have evolved over time, their sound and their look.
This was the first Reba music video I remember seeing – and it’s still my favorite. (from 1992)
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thkVfs7uYrA
*Embedding is disabled on all UMG videos, so you have to click on the video itself and go to YouTube to watch ‘Take It Back’.
And here’s my Reba 17 years later rocking the house at the ACM Awards last month in Las Vegas.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUoMgcI3i1w