Willie Nelson is a conman. Carrying on this goofball cameo in his own living joke, some Cheech and Chong routine about a magic bus? Just a once-great songwriter whose genius peaked eons ago?
Don't let him fool ya - he's really tryin to school ya.
Pay attention. To how he sneaks all around some molasses beat, dropping precision-guided phrases. To how he moves his lips, feints and retreats from the mic, just ticklin ol Trigger. He is in total control. Now he's got your sidearm.
What other tricks is he up to? Dozens, likely. I know one - his Christmas album just tripped my Willie alarm.
Even casually listening to “Here Comes Santa Claus,” you feel something. You can't put your finger on why, but that organ gets you bobbin your head, dreamin bout Santa.
Willie is at it again! Stealth reggae!
Huh?
A story: 1997, college, my dorm room. I’m sittin around, got the Highwaymen on. Finbar, a music major, is just in my room, dorms-style. Along comes Willie with “The End of Understanding.”
A couple of bars in, Finbar flips right out. “He’s - this - he’s playing reggae! What the hell?”
I’m thinkin, shut up Finbar, this is old fart country music. But no. Finbar puts the needle back, plays along on guitar, educates me: reggae is typified by staccato guitar on the offbeats, them hyphens: 1 - 2 - 3 - 4.
Hear the piano, plunking that offbeat? “This is reggae, by definition.” Dang.
That’s when I got my Willie alarm. Pay attention.
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"Here Comes Santa Claus" is on Willie's "The Classic Christmas Album," 2012. "The End of Understanding" is from the Highwaymen, "The Road Goes on Forever," 1995. He's recorded it at least two previous times, which don't feature stealth reggae that I can detect. Right around then - '95 or '96 - Willie started work on an openly reggae album, "Countryman" (2005), the recording of which - I love this - rivals Chinese Democracy. Ten years in the making. Ten years, and it was received as a lark, a novelty - Willie Nelson doing reggae? The doofus! How high was he to think this might work? Ha ha ha ha ha. Which Willie probably gives no shits about. “Willie hears ya. Willie don’t care.”
