Song picture
Metric Blues
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artist country music country gospel
Artist picture
Sometimes it's just me and my computer, with me switching off on guitar and electronic keyboard. At other times, there is someone else who plays rhythm guitar and sings. On my recordings, I have been playing or programming my own backup tracks since about 1990. It is nice having my own studio, because sometimes I also produce recordings for other artists, and play or program backup tracks for those who live too far away to record at my studio. I hope to record some more new songs in the near future. I sincerely thank all the DJ's overseas and on the Internet who have been supporting me and other independent artists in a world where major mainstream airplay is getting harder to find without a major label promoting your music. I have some great memories from my years in this business. In 1975, just months before I moved to Canada, I spent some time on the road as lead guitarist for Becki Bluefield. Some of the great songs she has written or co-written over the years include Louisiana Woman, Mississippi Man (Conway Twitty and Loretta Lynn), Duty, Not Desire (Jeannie C. Riley), and her patriotic America Will Always Stand (Randy Travis, 2001). Canadian fans will remember a lady I worked with in 1976, the late great Marg Osburne. Marg was one of the stars of Don Messer's Jubilee, one of the most popular TV shows in Canadian history. The Jubilee was said to be the only show on television with higher ratings at the time than Hockey Night in Canada, and was on the air until Don Messer's passing in 1973. In 2007 I had two career highlights. October 19 I opened an Edmonton concert for Canadian troubador Fred Eaglesmith, and on November 24 I played lead guitar behind one of my longtime inspirations, Jack Greene, at his concert at the Rainbow Corral in Wetaskiwin.
Song Info
Charts
Peak #207
Peak in subgenre #60
Author
Stan Anderson
Rights
PRO Canada 1977
Uploaded
February 10, 2004
Track Files
MP3
MP3 1.3 MB 80 kbps 2:20
Story behind the song
This was a protest against Canada's conversion to the Metric System in 1977. As usual, the government did not consult the taxpayers before it used all that money to make the switch. This song was recorded before I got my own studio. Anyone who has listened to my other songs knows this is not what my voice really sounds like, so I won't even say where I recorded this.I just uploaded it for nostalgia's sake, and for those who remember Canada when we measured the old traditional way.
Lyrics
Metric Blues Words and music by Stan Anderson Blue String Music 1977 SOCAN I was drivin' down the highway in my '69 Ford When a cop pulled me over to the shoulder of the road He said "I clocked you at one-fifty" I said "Man alive, You've got to be kiddin', I was doin' ninety-five." "This is a one hundred zone," I said with a smile He said "You dummy, that's kilometers, not miles" He wrote out the ticket, and as he drove away He said "I've heard that story at least twenty times today." (Chorus) This metric system is a-drivin' me crazy But what's a fella gonna do They're wastin' our tax money, and it sure ain't funny I've got those metric blues. My wife called me while I was on a business trip She said "I weigh one-thirty-five, now ain't I hip?" When I got home and saw her, I nearly hit the ground I didn't realize she meant kilograms, not pounds. The weatherman said it was droppin' down to thirteen degrees So I went out and bought myself a pair of skis I figured soon there'd be lots of snow, all right I forgot he was talkin' Celsius, not Fahrenheit. Why don't those guys in Ottawa just leave us alone We got by so well without the metric system for so long You'd think they could find better ways to spend their time Than just thinkin' up new ways to keep messin' up our minds. (Repeat chorus twice) I've got those metric blues.
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