My Top 20 John Hiatt Songs: Child of the Wild Blue Yonder (#16)

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Finishing off a busy, busy weekend of golf I'm soaking my feet, watching (sort of) the baseball game, and getting ready to introduce you to another one of my favorite songs from Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame singer/songwriter John Hiatt. #16: Child of the Wild Blue Yonder Now, I'll be the first to admit that a good deal of the music I like is "fringe" to some extent. I'm still amazed that Randy Newman, with that gravely voice of his, ever managed to have a top 40 hit ("Short People," 1977). Most people prefer Newman the songwriter to Newman the singer. And I fully understand why the Violent Femmes have never had a hit (for you trivia buffs, the Violent Femmes are the only act in history to have received a platinum record award for 1,000,000 albums sold without the album ever making the Billboard album charts!). And I like my country music to sound like country music, not like "soft rock feminist crap" as Robbie Fulks put it, or "bad Phil Collins with a hick facelift" as Fulks' friend Dallas Wayne sang. Now that I've established that...can someone tell me what's missing from this song that kept it from being a huge hit? Wow, what a fun song. Full-tilt, driving rock, great harmonies, and a fun, feel-good lyric (inspired by Hiatt's young daughter) make this everything you want blasting out of your speakers as you roar down the highway, praying there's no cops around. Oh, well. I guess it'll just remain the little secret of Hiatt's devoted cult fan base. Child of the Wild Blue Yonder Written by John Hiatt From Stolen Moments, 1990 Hiatt's live version from a David Letterman performance: