Celebrate the Heart of Country, Americana, and Roots Music!

Drop Us A Line, Y'all

Y'all interested in advertising, partnering up, contributing stories, joining our team, or just got a question? Well, don't be shy, drop us a line!

Follow Us

Everyone Fits In This World in Brandi Carlile’s “The Joke”

Brandi Carlile's "The Joke"
by
  • Arden is a Senior Country Music Journalist for Country Thang Daily, specializing in classic hits and contemporary chart-toppers.
  • Prior to joining Country Thang Daily, Arden wrote for Billboard and People magazine, covering country music legends and emerging artists.
  • Arden holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism from the University of Tennessee, with a minor in Music Studies.

Brandi Carlile’s “The Joke” efficiently mirrors the society in this century. The song is brimming with a powerful political message rooting for society’s marginalized. Co-written and produced by Dave Cobb, this inspirational release sets forth as an anthem to the unfortunates and oppressed. 

“The Joke,” the first single to be released from the album, By The Way, embodies the record’s huge ambition. Cobb urged Brandi Carlile to be vocally bold on this song. According to the singer, Cobb really likes Presley’s ‘An American Trilogy’ and needed her to grasp the emotion and power of the song when they were working on ‘The Joke.’ 

RELATED: Brandi Carlile and wife Catherine Shepherd Love Story

She wrote “The Joke” as a protest song that calls into question the social and political upheaval widespread in America during the 2016 presidential election, and Donald Trump became the 45th President of the United States. But this isn’t an anti-Trump song. 

It’s a song with a statement and a very powerful message. A message about making strides and about the situation of the down-and-outs in this society. Many people in America consider themselves as unloved and unrepresented – economic migrants, outlanders, castaways – and also about gender dysphoria and the view of the society and lack of acknowledgment and support. The song pushes those underdogs to move forward, for better days will certainly appear sooner or later. 

It’s one of Brandi Carlile’s songs that people who prefer classic music will love– and people who admire exceptional songwriting, and people who adore great musicians. 

“The Joke” by Brandi Carlile premiered at #1 on the Billboard Rock Digital Song Sales chart on Feb.23, 2019. The single also peaked at #4 on US Bubbling Under Hot 100, US Adult Alternative Songs, and US Hot Rock & Alternative Songs. Carlile was nominated for four Grammy Awards at the 61st Annual Grammy Awards in 2019, winning two for the song, “The Joker” –  Best Americana Roots Performance and Best Americana Roots. 

You may check the video of Brandi Carlile’s “The Joke” to fully understand what the singer wants to express.

Latest Stories

The late Dolly Parton on stage in sequins and blonde hair, singing into a microphone. CMA will honor her with a live special on October 21.

The CMA Will Honor Dolly Parton With a Two-Hour Live Special on October 21

Dolly Parton wrote the most famous goodbye song in American music. Now, country music is using it to say goodbye to her. The Country Music Association announced it will honor ...

Reba McEntire appears at the Emmys in Dolly Parton’s butterfly ring and rhinestone earrings as her gown matches Dolly’s first look.

Reba Wore Dolly Parton’s Rhinestone Earrings and Butterfly Ring During Her Emmys Tribute

The first time Reba McEntire ever saw Dolly Parton in person, Dolly was covered in rhinestone butterflies. McEntire has told the story more than once. She was backing up against ...

Sally Field appears emotional during her Emmys tribute speech calling Dolly Parton an angel on earth.

Sally Field Called Dolly Parton an Angel on Earth in Her Emmys Tribute Speech

Sally Field worked with Dolly Parton on one movie in 1989. She spent the next thirty-seven years loving her anyway. Field introduced the Dolly Parton tribute at the 78th Primetime ...

Reba McEntire looks emotional as she sings Appalachian Memories for Dolly Parton at the Emmys.

Reba McEntire Sang “Appalachian Memories” for Dolly at the Emmys and Got Emotional at the End

Forty-three years ago, Dolly Parton stood on the Emmy stage and sang a song she wrote about her daddy and the mountains that raised her. On Monday night, her friend ...

A massive Dolly Parton mural covers a honky-tonk wall in Fort Worth after an artist painted her because his daughter was hurting.

A Massive Dolly Parton Mural Went Up on a Fort Worth Honky-Tonk and People Keep Pulling Over

His daughter took the news hard, so he went and found a wall. Juan Velazquez saw how Dolly Parton’s death hit his daughter and decided he wanted to honor her. ...

Jennifer Nettles sings emotionally as she honors the 9/11 victims with Vince Gill’s Go Rest High on That Mountain.

Jennifer Nettles Honored the 9/11 Victims With Vince Gill’s Go Rest High on That Mountain

Vince Gill wrote that song for his own dead. On Friday, Jennifer Nettles sang it for nearly three thousand of them. Nettles performed “Go Rest High on That Mountain” at ...

Garth Brooks is shown with a circular photo of Dolly Parton after declaring September 25 Dolly Day and giving bar sales to the Imagination Library.

Garth Brooks Declared September 25 ‘Dolly Day’ and Is Giving the Full Day’s Bar Sales to the Imagination Library

Two days after Dolly Parton died, Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood picked a date and made a promise. On Thursday, August 27, the couple announced that their Nashville bar, Friends ...

Lainey Wilson stands in a black suit with a choir behind her as she honors the 9/11 victims with Amazing Grace at the 25th anniversary.

Lainey Wilson Honored the 9/11 Victims With “Amazing Grace” in a Black Suit and a Choir Behind Her

She left the bell-bottoms and the cowboy hat at home and walked out in a black suit with a choir behind her, singing a hymn that has carried this country ...

Budweiser Clydesdales bow toward the New York skyline in the 9/11 tribute ad that aired once during the 2002 Super Bowl.

Budweiser’s 9/11 Tribute Aired Once During the 2002 Super Bowl and People Still Remember It

Sixty seconds, no words, and a horse named Ringo doing the only thing the country needed to see. On Sunday, February 3, 2002, during Super Bowl XXXVI, Anheuser-Busch ran a ...

Dolly Parton appears with American Airlines Flight 925 after her passing, as the airline honors the country legend with the 9 to 5 number.

American Airlines Is Renumbering a Nashville Flight to 925 in Honor of Dolly Parton

You could fly it a hundred times and never notice. That is probably the point. Starting March 28, 2027, one of American Airlines’ daily flights from Dallas-Fort Worth to Nashville ...