Loki in the Doghouse

For many rock fans, it is the dirty secret of classic rock, but one of the big influences on rock music is country music. It matters not that rock has likewise influenced  country, after all, that is to be expected, right? But country's  influence on rock has been there since the beginning, since country music is older than rock music.

Sometimes the influence has been hard to ignore. The Beatles, with Ringo on lead vocals, covered Buck Owens' "Act Naturally" (written by country singer Johnny Russell). Yes, this is the same Buck Owens who would later co-host Hee Haw. You can also hear the country influence on many luminaries of the Southern California sound, including Neil Young's Harvest and The Eagles Desperado.

The artists themselves have not been shy about naming country influences. Hank Williams has had perhaps the biggest single influence on country music and that influence has also been felt in rock. Hank was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in 1987. The biography on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame website notes that:

The words and music of Hank Williams echo across the decades with a timelessness that transcends genre. He brought country music into the modern era, and his influence spilled over into the folk and rock arenas as well. Artists ranging from Gram Parsons and John Fogerty to the Georgia Satellites and Uncle Tupelo have adapted elements of Williams’ persona, especially the aura of emotional forthrightness and bruised idealism communicated in his songs. Some of Williams’ more upbeat country and blues-flavored numbers, on the other hand, anticipated the playful abandon of rockabilly. - See more at: https://www.rockhall.com/inductees/hank-williams/bio/#sthash.Lh3xl4eM.dpuf

Hank William's first big hit was "Move It On Over" and it was covered by several artists. But the version I came to love was by George Thorogood and the Destroyers.

The song is a sad tale about a man who stayed out too late one too many times and comes home to find himself locked out. So, he literally ends up in the dog house. George plays with the chorus, substituting "rock it on over" for the original repeat of "move it on over" and rewrote several verses. This isn't uncommon, even Hank Williams Jr. altered the song when he covered it.

Word has come out that Tom Hiddleston, known for playing Loki in the Thor and Avengers movies, will play Hank Williams in I Saw the Light. There's a video of him singing "Move It On Over" and he does a good job with the song. Previous country star biopics for Loretta Lynn (Coal Miner's Daughter) and Johnny Cash (Walk the Line) have been good films. Hopefully this one will live it to those.