by Joe Buffaloe
Daily Lobo
The New Mexico Legislature recently stayed up all night to agree on a budget. So I guess we should feel lucky that they've taken the time to consider some important bills, too.
The New Mexico mix tape will take another step forward if the Legislature approves the addition of "New Mexico" as the official state cowboy song. It would join the state song, "Oh Fair New Mexico," the translated version of the state song, "Mi Lindo Nuevo Mexico," the state ballad, "The Land of Enchantment," and the state bilingual song, "New Mexico - Mi Lindo Nuevo Mexico" on the list of songs sanctioned to represent our state.
"New Mexico" is an old-fashioned cowboy waltz that goes heavy on the steel guitar. The lyrics are about the wonder and enchantment of being a cowboy in New Mexico - no surprise there. The title may lack creativity, but, then again, no song is perfect.
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The song was written by R.D. Blankenship and Calvin Boles, now deceased. Boles started the Yucca record company in Alamogordo, N.M., in 1958, and recorded eight albums with his band Rocket City Playboys. So at least the writers are true New Mexican musicians and not accountants from New York who came here to "find themselves."
Several songs were submitted in the '90s for state cowboy song, but none of them cleared the Legislature. In 2001, a song was considered for state Western song, but apparently the Legislature had no more taste for line dancing than they did for heifers. It didn't help that that song was derided for sexism and racism, either. Luckily, "New Mexico" avoids these obvious blunders - the jury is still out on whether country music is as offensive as bigotry, though.
I don't really care whether it passes. Do we need a state cowboy song? No. And I expect if you found some cowboys around the state, they'd tell you they didn't care either.
But there are worse things a government could be doing with its time - what if the National Security Agency had been searching for the perfect national gangsta-rap song instead of performing illegal wiretaps? What if the federal shadow agents at Guantanamo Bay were trying to find just the right new-wave song to represent our country rather than torturing detainees? I'd rather see Amnesty International scold the United States for a mediocre national polka song than for violations of basic human rights.
New Mexico might as well have a cowboy song. Why shouldn't we? For that matter, we could be a trend-setter for other states. Once we have a state Dine song, a state ranchera song, a state death metal song and a state electronica song, other states will have to scramble to catch up with us. Boy, won't they look stupid?
So I say we get started and declare "New Mexico" the cowboy song. There are a lot of genres to go.
