Ten Favorite Country State Names Songs: Montana Cafe (#6)

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I'm looking at my favorite songs with states' names in them. This half, at least, is country. Fear not: there are ten more songs to follow that are rock. Meanwhile, here's the next country song with a state's name in the title. #6: Montana Cafe - Hank Williams Jr. As I mentioned with the city entry, John accused me of using favorites. Well, here's a shock: I don't really care for Hank Jr. Well, not his post-accident music, anyway. In the late 60s and early 70s Hank Jr. had a great country sound. With songs like "I Walked Out on Heaven," "Cajun Baby," and "Eleven Roses," he was a mainstay in country music....and his music was in stark contrast to both the "countrypolitan" sounds of the era and the Hank Jr. you probably think of when you hear his name. After his near-fatal fall off a mountain in the mid-70s his music changed. I guess you'd change, too, if you went through what he did (he lost an eye, his skull was fractured, and his face split open...among other injuries). But this song sounds more like the Hank Jr. that I grew up listening to. It's a lovely look at getting away from city life and slowing down to live ("I finally got my priorities right and I'm way out here on the Idaho line"). He finds solace at a small restaurant that is steeped in history ("Teddy Roosevelt and Hemingway, you can see the pictures on the wall there where they signed") with some throwback music ("there's names like Johnny Cash and Ernest Tubb [no, he did not mention his father in this song! Go figure!], and I'll bet you'll find we're gonna relax ya, sit back and listen to 'North to Alaska'") on the jukebox. This is one of my favorite Hank Jr. songs, period. Somehow I knew he still had this in him. Montana Cafe Written by Hank Williams, Jr. Recorded by Hank Williams, Jr. From Montana Cafe, 1986 We're on Highway 93, just look for the sign: