This week I listened to "Pretty Polly" by the Coon Creek Girls. This was definitely an interesting song. I honestly was a little confused about the lyrics, though I know it was telling a story of sorts and includes a couple of characters. Pretty sure Polly dies at the end. Not the happiest of endings to the song. Instead of focusing on the lyrics, what caught my attention most about this song was the type of music. I am guessing it is a banjo (?) that is playing in the background nearly the whole song. Not many other instruments seem to contribute. Maybe a guitar as well. The instruments make a sound that is up-tempo and keeps the song moving along fairly quickly.
But the main focus, instead of the instrumental music, is on the singer, who has a definite country twang to their voice. The singing is very rapid as well, to keep up with the music in the background. Overall, the song sounds very 'country'. I think this was done purposefully, and I wonder if the artist actually has that sound to their voice or if it was feigned for the making of this song? It would also be interesting to know if this song was based on actual events that happened in real life. If not, I wonder how anyone comes up with the ideas for these types of songs. It tells a story rather than having any repeating chorus, and as I mentioned before, ends in tragedy. Thankfully, I do not believe that is a theme for most country songs. RIP Polly.