Hometown News is Scott Whitehead and Ron Kingery. These musical brothers planted the seeds for their sound when they met at a Nashville songwriters night. Ron at the time was writing songs and engineering albums for The Wonder Workshop. It was there that he provided his musical and engineering skills for Roy Clark's Grammy nominated album "Roy Clark Sings and Plays Gospel Greats".
Before Hometown News Scott did a stint in the Navy flying the F/A-18 Hornet. Scott flew missions over North Iraq during the first Gulf War and is a graduate of the Naval Fighter Weapons School (Top Gun). After moving to Nashville he landed a staff writer job for the legendary Acuff-Rose publishing company. It was during this time he met Ron, and the two began writing what would be their first Top-40 Country single - "Minivan".
Together, Scott and Ron have a knack for recording songs that speak to the way everyday people live their lives. Their self-produced debut CD "Wheels" and sophomore project "Hometown News" reflect the mid-America emotions of their upbringing. Ron and Scott spent younger years in rural Illinois and Missouri respectively where the small town lifestyle, along with Johnny Cash and Glenn Campbell records that could be found on their parents' turntables shaped their musical tastes.
Another aspect these "brothers" share is they were both born on military bases, the sons of active duty members of the Armed Forces. It is the discipline instilled by their parents that in part drives their work ethic, and is arguably a factor in Hometown News being nominated for an ACM award less than a year after the release of the debut CD "Wheels" on independent label VFR Records.
Hometown News has gone on to secure a Ford Motor Company sponsorship, made its debut appearance on the Grand Ole Opry and completed a 34-day world tour of military bases. In October of 2005 Ron and Scott became a part of history and a trivia question answer when they sang the National Anthem and God Bless America at Game 6 of the 2005 National League Championship Series in St.Louis. It was the final anthem sung in the old Busch stadium.
When looking at what their future may hold, the duo turns back to the way music inspired them when they were young. "I think it would be a neat thing 30 years down the road for some kid who's an up and coming singer to be doing an interview and say, 'You know, there were these two guys who were called Hometown News, and my Dad used to play that stuff all the time," says Ron. "We'd like to have something that might last a little and stand the test of time. That would be a great compliment".
aNYway
Hometown News Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
But hey, I loved you anyway
I was never good with a sentimental word
But hey, I loved you anyway
One was set on leaving
One was better off alone
How can two hearts strongly beating
If we'd met by chance in a different circumstance
Hey, I'd have loved you anyway
One was set on leaving
One was better off alone
How can two hearts strongly beating
Grow still and cold as stone
We said goodbye with no tears to dry
But hey, I loved you anyway
The lyrics of Hometown News's song Anyway embody a bittersweet love story that did not have a fairytale ending. The singer acknowledges that they never got to witness the idyllic beauty of New England in the Fall, but they still loved their significant other despite that missing experience. The second line reflects how the singer struggled to express their love, but this fact did not detract from the depth of their feelings towards the other person.
The chorus expresses the fundamental problem of the doomed relationship- the couple was never quite on the same page. One person wanted to leave while the other preferred to be alone. These opposing wants lead to a gradual distance between them as the fire of their love dwindles. The final verse describes how the couple parted with a sense of finality and without tears, meaning that they knew their story ended, but they still cherished their time together.
In sum, the lyrics of 'Anyway' tell the story of a love that was not meant to be but was still significant in its own way. The singers' love was not straightforward or conventional, but it was genuine, and the story of this love, like many others, had to come to an end.
Line by Line Meaning
We never saw New England in the Fall
We missed out on the popular tourist destination in Autumn, but it doesn't matter because I loved you through it all.
But hey, I loved you anyway
Regardless of the circumstances, my feelings for you persisted.
I was never good with a sentimental word
Expressing my emotions through words was never my forte.
One was set on leaving
One of us wanted to leave the relationship.
One was better off alone
The other person felt more comfortable being alone than being in a relationship.
How can two hearts strongly beating
Despite a strong emotional connection, how could the relationship still end?
Grow still and cold as stone
Even though the love was once warm and strong, it eventually became frigid and lifeless like a stone.
If we'd met by chance in a different circumstance
If we had crossed paths under different circumstances, I'd still love you without hesitation.
We said goodbye with no tears to dry
We parted ways with no tears shed, but I still had feelings for you.
Writer(s): Scott L. Whitehead Copyright: Fox 3 Publishing
Contributed by Lila N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.