Song #50: Hank Williams - "Settin' the Woods on Fire"

Song #50: Hank Williams - "Settin' the Woods on Fire" (1952)

40 Greatest Hits

"You'll be broke but I'll be broker. Tonight we're settin' the woods on fire."

AUTHOR'S NOTE: Miraculously, we are now halfway through "The One-Hundred Songs of Steve Pulaski." I'm humbly reflecting on when I began writing the first fifteen entries for this blog series, most of which were done in my journalism class during the tailend of the year, when nothing was really taking place in class, or in my critical lenses course, when all my projects had been completed about a week and a half early. Now, I have a ritual where I try to crank out three of these blogs every three days, that way I'm not down to the wire and need to rush a post out on the day it's set to be released. Each blog you're reading was written a few days in advance (for example, this one was written July 18, 2014 and was released today on July 21, 2014). I can't articulate how much fun this series has been to write and I can't thank those who have made a serious attempt to follow almost each and every day (or maybe every day) what songs shaped me as a person or what songs I find underrated and deserving of more recognition. I'll have a formal wrap-up blog for this series coming on September 8, 2014, so I don't want to waste much time here. But I thank you guys again for your incredible support and here's to the latter fifty songs.

SONG #50: Hank Williams' "Settin' the Woods on Fire" is a marvelous and innocuous little gem of a song that articulates the fun that will be indulged by a young couple, who clearly want time together more than a fancy dinner or an expensive night on the town. The singer and his lover are more content with eating two bowls of chilli, dancing, driving along the night, discussing, and simply enjoying the company of others rather than spending ample amounts of money so they can say they enjoyed themselves.

To be honest, I wonder how many couples would consider what the singer and his love do in this song to be an acceptable form of "a date," or would they want something more than just romping around town in an aimless fashion. Has today's men and women grown more demanding or what their significant other provides or is doing something akin to what this song articulates still an acceptable form of "going on a date?" Or do we all just text each other now and date virtually from the comfort of our home?

Unsurprisingly, Hank Williams creates an amazing little ballad, set to infectious and beautifully-played music and put to his soothing vocals. While Williams is known for his incomparably heartbreaking songs that detail loneliness and heartbreak, one can't forget his incredible talent at making songs that just reflected the fun, spirited relationships in his life. "Settin' the Woods on Fire" is one of the many, so don't think they stop here. 

Give "Settin' the Woods on Fire" a listen, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F3hzYRVAkUs