“Meet Me in Montana”
Marie Osmond with Dan Seals
Written by Paul Davis
Radio & Records
#1 (1 week)
September 13, 1985
Billboard
#1 (1 week)
October 12, 1985
After a successful crossover career in the seventies, Marie Osmond re-emerged as a country star with “Meet Me in Montana,” her first No. 1 single since “Paper Roses” in 1973.
The record also served as the first No. 1 country hit for Dan Seals, who was making a name for himself on country radio after a pop career as one half of England Dan & John Ford Coley.
Not bad for a song about giving up on your dreams because nobody wants to hear your songs in Nashville or put you in the movies in Hollywood.
Paul Davis does a great job of making the characters in his song sympathetic. There’s a beautiful balance to Osmond longing for someone in Hollywood to think she’s as pretty as Seals does, while Seals longs for someone to listen to his songs with as much joy as Osmond does.
It has some of those production downsides of 1985, where they’re moving away from pop flourishes but not quite confident enough to thrown in some country flourishes. But the song itself has endured, perhaps because a lot more people can relate to dreams not coming true.
“Meet Me in Montana” gets a B+.
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This song has always been a favorite.
But Seals’ best song ever was yet to come.
In my opinion, not only is it his best song ever, it’s the best country song of the 80s and in my top 10 all time. Looking forward to it.
it’s the best country song of the 80s
Are we both thinking of ”Everything That Glitters (Is Not Gold)”? If so, I would be very hard-pressed to disagree!
That’s the one!
I wonder if production fence-sitting like we hear here is what defines 80s country to so many listeners. It’s neither her nor there.
Then again, maybe what we here is its own intentional sonic middle-ground.
Whatever the case, this is another song where the lyrics and vocalists carry the day.
Hearing it again, this might be the most representative song of this part of the decade.
I understand why it is adored.
If my memory is correct, it was everywhere on the radio dial in the Twin Cities.