It’s time for another on-ride playlist. This time around, I am gracing your ears with some of my favorite country tunes to pair with some fantastic Disney attractions. As a huge fan of country music, I delved deep into my iTunes genre tab to find some good picks.
- Biscuits by Kacey Musgraves – Tom Sawyer Island Rafts – Frontierland will always be my favorite land at the Magic Kingdom for many reasons. You have great attractions, the Country Bear Jamboree (which is the best), and the Rivers of America. Riding the rafts across the river to Tom Sawyer Island puts you right in the middle of the theme, time period, and environment. Nothing puts a nice cherry on top of that experience like this upbeat and witty song by my favorite human being to ever exist, Kacey Musgraves. The song has a fantastic guitar beat, along with a wonderful slide guitar and tambourine presence. The song’s message of “Be you!” will be a great companion on your voyage.
- Leave Love Alone by Carrie Underwood – Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – This coaster will also be known as “Not as mellow as Barnstormer, but not quite Big Thunder” on the intensity scale. That description warrants a song that isn’t quite a crazy upbeat dance along jam, but more than just a ballad. This wonderful tune from Carrie fits the bill. The loud guitar chords during the instrumental brings out the fun, while the softer portions of the song still add enough “umph” to make the ride a rip-roaring good time.
- Hennessee by Johnathan Jackson, Sam Palladio and Chaley Rose – Dinosaur – The harmonies, the harmonica, and the elongated notes really add a sense of the backwoods, which helps as you’re racing through the wilderness on the hunt for dinos. However, the real shining moment of the song (from ABC’s Nashville) is the guitar line for the track. It’s mixture of quarter, eighth and sixteenth notes really adds to the chase. It gives you a great backdrop sound that makes you want to keep moving and never stop.
- That’s The Way by Jo Dee Messina – Star Tours – The lyrics state “You have to roll with the punches,” which seems like a perfect fit for the tour which can never go right. Maybe C3PO should listen to Jo Dee. Other than that, it’s a fantastically breezy and light song that fits the fun adventure, wherever you do end up going. Sometimes, “you gotta bend when the wind blows,” no matter the galaxy.
- When You Get To Asheville by Edie Brickell and Steve Martin – Living with the Land – This boat ride, probably my favorite in the entirety of Disneydom, doesn’t know what it wants to be until you hit the Buffalo. Once you see the Buffalo, the Americana aesthetic hits you like a brick wall. The chickens are clucking, the dog is barking, and the farmers are farming. Whenever I begin going by the beautiful scene on the ride, I am always reminded of this beautiful song. This sweet bluegrass tune is made up of lovely lyrics, sung by Edie, and a gorgeous banjo melody, played by Steve. The perfect song for the perfect ride.
- Save Your Sin by Little Big Town – Expedition: Everest – A fast and crazy ride through the Himalayas deserves and a fast and crazy song, and boy does this one deliver. A hard-Southern rock/country ode to cheaters has a great power to it that will fit well with the forwards and backwards of this newer classic. I love the constant loud drum in the background of the tune and can imagine it will sound even better going down the large drop out of the mountain.
Be sure to tell me how your listening experience was with these tunes! I’ll be back soon with another genre and another playlist.