As 2012 reaches the halfway point, one of the most gratifying musical comebacks has been none other than Bocephus himself, Hank Williams Jr. It's not a very long list, either - the Beach Boys, Fiona Apple, and now the late-breaking Blur; we're still not sure Chris Brown and Beach House count as "comebacks."
But this year ol' Rockin' Randall Hank has a new album, Old School New Rules (on his own label, too), which will be in stores next Tuesday. Earlier this spring, he appeared on the CMA Awards with Brad Paisley, and their Old School duet "I'm Gonna Get Drunk and Play Hank Williams All Night Long" has already become a hit on satellite radio. Next year, Hank will celebrate his 50th year as a recording artist, which is impressive because he really doesn't ever seem to age.
Much more significantly, of course, Hank's Facebook page reached 1 million "likes" around Memorial Day weekend. So now besides social media, as far as we can tell Bocephus loves three things: His daddy Hank Sr., raising hell (or "hail"), and the good old U.S. of A.
Out of the three, guess which of Bocephus' songs we chose to spotlight on July 4?
10. "Some high-society lady says, "Is your horse outside?'/ 'No ma'am, he's between my legs, but you're too fat to ride'"
Song: "The American Way" Album: Habits Old & New (1980)
Note: OK, that's not especially patriotic; we just thought it was funny.
9. "Where would we be without Yankees/ Well, we wouldn't be the USA"
Song: "Where Would We Be Without Yankees?" Album: Stormy (1999)
8. "No don't put us down or talk about our sacred Southern ways/ Our Southern thunder just might roll around and rain out your parade"
Song: "Southern Thunder" Album: Stormy
7. "Lord, you let me get back to my own homeland/ And I'm gonna hold on to her hand"
Song: "All In Alabama" Album: Habits Old & New