Trucking Music Review: ‘Me and Ol’ C.B.’
Welcome back to the Trucking Music Review, where I listen to and review truck-driving country music. As a person who does not listen to much country music in general, this series has been quite an adventure for me.
This week, I’ll be reviewing "Me and Ol’ C.B." by country music legend Dave Dudley. Dudley has a long track record of creating legendary songs, as he also masterminded the songs “Six Days on the Road” and “Truck Drivin’ Son of a Gun.”
A few weeks back, I reviewed “Six Days on the Road,” which (I think) received a favorable rating.
So, let’s get into “Me and Ol’ C.B." Without a doubt, this song is the best one I’ve heard thus far. While many truck-driving country songs like to focus on the emotional aspects of being on the road, this song mainly just focuses on the high life of trucking and living it up with your fellow truckers.
The upbeat tempo of the song, coupled with its light-hearted lyrics, put into perspective just how care-free the trucking life can be. While truckers have to deal with shippers, receivers, dispatchers, and DOT inspectors, they also have extreme independence that allows them to have fun while traveling across the United States.
Nonetheless, throughout the song, Dudley delivers an abundance of trucker-specific references that show just how exciting a trucking career can be. Line by line, he gets off an amazing amount of words from the trucker lexicon, which is one of the most impressive things I’ve ever heard.
I didn’t even know what half of them meant, so shoutout to Google on this one. Nevertheless, I'm sure truckers were overjoyed to listen to all the relatable references that were made.
The fast-paced nature of this song, along with Dudley's quick delivery of witty lyrics, makes it a joy to listen to. Dudley also does not lose a beat as he name drops a plethora of fellow C.B. users.
From Smokey to Road Hawk to Circle City Pettler, his friends all have some of the most hilarious and elaborate names, in true trucker fashion. I think it really gives listeners some insight into the comradery that is built amongst truckers and allows the listener to envision what these wacky characters would look or sound like.
In the trucking community, people really do like to have each other's backs, which is demonstrated no better than with the use of C.B. radios. For those unaware, C.B. radios were popularized in the 1970s and were widely utilized as a means to get information on weather, road conditions, and inspection stops.
Being able to come together as a community is important in trucking and this song does an outstanding job of illustrating that, especially for those who are not part of the trucking industry.
Overall, the subject matter of this song along with its fast-paced nature and quick-hitting lyrics easily makes it an instantaneous classic. I’ll go ahead and give this one a 10/10.
So, what do you think about this song? Let us know in the comments or on social media!
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