George Strait - Check Yes or No

As a relative newcomer to the world of contemporary pop country (CPC), my knowledge about its trends over the years came mostly from second-hand accounts, rather than actual experience. Until very recently, I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference between a song recorded in the 1980's from one recorded yesterday, and I still struggle with it. It doesn't seem like there have been any innovations whatsoever in terms of songwriting, instrumentation, structure, subject. . .anything at all. In particular, after the "rhinestone cowboy" trend of the 1970's ended, things have remained pretty stagnant, with the possible exception of the fashion (the days of giant belt buckles, ten gallon hats and boots are fading; not completely gone, but fading, at least).

Because of this ignorance on my part, I was surprised to find out that "Check Yes or No" was released in 1987. The local country station that is forced down my throat every day plays this song with such regularity, I simply assumed it was a new single. In retrosepect, I suppose I can see the tell-tale signs of 1980's country production. The glossy sheen over the whole song, the square, emotionless performance from the backing band, and the degree of extremeness of the fake, forced southern accent all make it clear that this is a late '80's country hit.

A point of clarity about the twang level. It is a simple fact that when a person sings, their accent should naturally disappear. Take for example, Ozzy Osbourne. When the man speaks, unintelligible doesn't even come close to describing him. As soon as he starts singing, however, his accent drops away, and his pronunciation is relatively clear. Singing in a thick accent is not natural, and it can only be done if the singer is attempting to do so. The Beatles were given a hard time for flaunting their accents back in the 1960's, because it is not natural, and the same goes for country singers attempting to flaunt their southern twang today. You're not fooling me! As for the "extremeness" of the fake accent being a tell-tale sign of when the song was recorded, it seems that the exageration of the twang has gotten worse over the years, and Strait's accent in this particular song is present, but not cartoonsih, like some are today. Is the extreme accent a matter of pride for these singers? Perhaps, but it doesn't make it suck any less.

The song itself is a great example of how badly CPC handles love songs. The whole narrative is just so precious to the point of being nauseating. Oh, how sweet! He fell in love with the woman that is to be his wife at such a tender young age! *Blech!* It would be one thing if this were an actual account of Strait's love life, but the song is not even written by him! The songwriting credits note Dana Hunt and Danny Mark Wells as the scribes of this epic, legendary tale of love tested and found true. So, we have a poorly told, made up story presented by a third party. Awesome.