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July 29, 2022
Katharine A. Burnett & Monica Carol Miller's Playlist for the book "The Tacky South"
In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book.
Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Amy Bloom, Aimee Bender, Roxane Gay, and many others.
The essays in The Tacky South are both entertaining and enlightening as they considers what tackiness in the American south means, and how it is changing.
Margaret Eby wrote of the book:
"A sharp collection of essays about the tangled world of southern aesthetics, race, and class, The Tacky South is as thought-provoking as it is flat-out fun. It’s as much a cabinet of curiosities as a book, investigating the delights of Dolly Parton, Elvis, plastic flamingos, and red velvet cake and the people that love or loathe them."
In her own words, here is Katharine A. Burnett & Monica Carol Miller's Book Notes music playlist for the book The Tacky South:
Creating a playlist for a book titled The Tacky South seems like it would be an easy feat. There’s no end to tacky inspirations related to the South, in country music, in folk music . . . in any genre, really.
But to capture the idea of tackiness, really capture it fully, is surprisingly difficult. Because as we and the other contributors mention often in the book, tackiness as a concept is a very slippery thing to pin down. Is it simply something over-the-top and garish, a guilty pleasure? Is it a celebratory free-for-all, wallowing (or triumphing) in its offensiveness? Is it simply Kid Rock and T-shirt cannons shot off the rooftop of a Nashville bar?
Our playlist aims to capture the slipperiness of tacky, playing with the idea of tacky as something that both transgresses and reinforces normative culture and taste, while also having a bit of fun in the process. At the same time, we tried to identify songs that speak to the sincerity of tacky, songs that speak to the value of tackiness as a lens for exploring the violence and darkness inherent in the history of the U.S. South.
Because our book begins and ends with Dolly Parton, so does our playlist. But it’s followed by the B-52s, because that’s where the whole project really began. The rest of the songs encompass the range of tackiness, from the serious to the fun to the just plain out there. And, of course, Elvis.
Islands in the Stream–Dolly & Kenny
Dirty Back Road–B-52s
Red Necks, White Socks, and Blue Ribbon Beer–Johnny Russell
Merry Christmas from the Family–Robert Earl Keen
Family Tradition–Hank Jr
You Never Even Called Me By My Name–David Allan Coe
Harper Valley PTA–Jeanne C. Riley
Follow Your Arrow - Kacey Musgraves
Wig–-B-52s
Coat of Many Colors–Dolly Parton
Tight Fittin’ Jeans–Conway Twitty
I’m Gonna Hire a Wino to Decorate Our Home–David Frizzell
Your Flag Decal Won’t Get You Into Heaven Anymore–John Prine
Skin Deep Town–The Knitters
Love Shack - B-52s
Southern Man–Sylvester and the Hot Band
The Great Hank–Robert Earl Keen
Skoal Ring–Gretchen Wilson
Just Like Old Times–Todd Snider
Black Velvet–Alannah Myles
Cotton Eyed Joe–Nina Simone
Red Velvet Cake–Shawn Purcell
Velvet Elvis–Kacey Musgraves
C’mon Loretta–Trixie Mattel
Backwoods Barbie–Dolly Parton
In Spite of Ourselves –John Prine and Iris Dement
Thong Song–Sisqo
American Trilogy–Elvis Presley
Katharine A. Burnett, associate professor of English at Fisk University, is the author of Cavaliers and Economists: Global Capitalism and the Development of Southern Literature, 1820-1860.
Monica Carol Miller, assistant professor of English at Middle Georgia State University, is the author of Being Ugly: Southern Women Writers and Social Rebellion.
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