Keith Whitley was almost never considered to be a man that loved everything safe and on the down low, as when he was younger he loved to drink and race his friends down treacherous hills and basically do what it took to get an adrenaline rush from the sound of things. Thankfully when he was younger the worst injury he ever suffered was a broken collarbone, but it’s unfortunate that he did lose a friend while racing at one time. One might think that a man that started out his young adult life doing things so dangerous might have met a very swift and unfortunate end, but at the age of 33 Keith passed away due to alcoholism, as he was found by his brother and couldn’t be resuscitated. His legacy in the music industry managed to live on however, and through his contributions the industry has continued to flourish.
Here are 5 of Keith’s best songs that helped to make his career.
5. I’m No Stranger to the Rain
It’s amazing sometimes how many songs are shaped around natural occurrences that artists see all around them, but it’s also pretty common since the scope of any artist, be they singers, authors, or anything else, take in everything they see and hear in order to create what they will. The rain is one of those things that lends itself to a lot of different interpretations since it’s fluid, it’s always there, and it’s a great literary device for more than one medium in that it can be used in so many different ways. Just look up how many different songs use rain, weather, or anything that has to do with both and you might be amazed.
4. Miami, My Amy
Songs about love and all it can bring are prevalent in every genre since they’re powerful and meaningful in so many ways. Love is one theme that never seems to be left out of music since it’s the love of singing and creating something that inspires a lot of different artists to do what they do. If not for love there would be few if any song that we know and care about in this day and age, as the theme is one that has a lot to do both behind and on the stage. If not for love there’s not a lot that would get done in the performing arts, as the practicality of it and the logical nature of the industry is to make money and nothing else. Without love that sounds kind of bland and boring.
3. I’m Over You
Country songs are really subject to personal taste like anything else when it comes to music. Some are easy to get into and some you kind of tend to avoid because of the pace or because it’s just not one of your favorites. The speed of a song can have a lot to do with it, as can the content. Every artist tries to do something different throughout their career so as not to let their music grow stale and predictable, but sometimes they hit a sour or softer note and people might be thrown off as a result. But despite it all a real fan will tend to stick around and perhaps avoid those few songs they don’t care for in favor of remaining a fan of one of their favorites.
2. When You Say Nothing At All
There is a quality to country music that is inherently attractive to some people that just doesn’t seem to resonate with others. The differences between people when it comes to music has a lot to do with how we’re raised, where we grow up, and of course personal preference. Those born and raised in the country can like country or rock music depending on what really speaks to them. Those that like country music are usually those that enjoy something that’s not entirely hard but is moving enough that it means something and carries a lot of feeling that hits them on a more sincere level than a lot of other music can.
1. Don’t Close Your Eyes
There’s no doubt that Keith had a lot of talent and it would have been great to see just what he might have done had he gone on to be an old man still strumming the guitar and singing those gentle notes into the mic. Sometimes however the demons we live with get the better of us no matter how hard we try, and the clock runs out without us realizing it until that final moment comes. The talent that has been lost to time and misfortune over the years has been great, but at the very least we have these moments that have been captured and preserved so that they can be enjoyed.
Rest in peace sir, and thanks for the times.
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