Favorite "Country" Songs #4 - "In a Big Country"

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"Mops up the fops," as Kurt Loder wrote. We close out today's countdown of my favorite songs with "Town," "City," "State," and "Country" in the title with the "Country" portion. We are at #4: "In a Big Country" by Big Country. Back in the 80's, alternative rock really took hold, although we called it "Modern Rock" back then. This was largely driven by MTV, which showed mostly modern rock and hair metal videos, to the point that, as he was being interviewed on the channel, David Bowie asked, point blank, "Why don't you guys show more videos by black artists?" One modern rock group that made quite the splash with MTV viewers was Scottish guitar band Big Country. The original, classic lineup formed in Dunfermline in 1981, and after a hiatus, a 2007 reunion, hiatus, and a 2010 reunion, are still going strong. But damn, was this lineup great! Vocalist/guitarist Stuart Adamson (R.I.P., Stuart. You are missed) and guitarist Bruce Watson were a formidable, powerful guitar duo, drummer Mark Brzezicky would later play in both The Cult and Ultravox, and bassist Tony Butler went on to contribute to projects by The Pretenders, Pete Townsend, and Roger Daltrey. Those aren't bagpipes, by the way! They are guitars! Adamson and Watson achieved that sound through the use of effects, and had everyone raving about how cool it was that the band used bagpipes on "In a Big Country," the leadoff track and third single from the band's 1983 debut album, The Crossing. And what a damn fine tune, a bona fide 80's classic! The song charted in six countries, it's highest peak being #3 in Canada (a big country liked an optimistic song about living in a big country. What were the odds!) You know it, you've heard it on the radio, you still hear it on the radio, and it totally rocks the hell out while still being listener-friendly. Mops up the fops indeed! (Info verified by Wikipedia)