Town Top Ten: West Side of Town (#4)

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Wow, so that's what a day without the internet is like? Nope, don't wanna go there again. For more reasons than one! Anyway, let's resume looking at towns, or songs that have the word "town" in the title. Here's the next song on the list. #4: West Side of Town - Tish Hinojosa There's part of me hoping that JJ will reply, "YEAH!! That's the song I've been waiting for!!!" Even if it's a lie. And it would be, because 99% of the world hasn't ever heard of this lady. I got to see her half a dozen times in 1989 when she opened for the BoDeans. Her first album (major label, that is, she self-released an album before this), Homeland, was a beautiful mix of country ("Till You Love Me Again" made a minor dent in the country charts), folk ("Love Is On Our Side"), and the music of her parents. In fact, this is a very autobiographical song, using a country/Tejano style to detail her parents emigrating from Mexico, settling on the west side of San Antonio, where she was born. The life wasn't easy ("days were good, and days were bad, but mostly they were lean"...."they were pilgrims that made a good life the hard way"), but they left the legacy of hard work ("daddy never owned a house, but built a strong foundation, mama bought her own damn house with self-determination"), love, and music for their daughter to carry on. West Side of Town Written by Tish Hinojosa Recorded by Tish Hinojosa From Homeland, 1989 Climbing up when you're down: