Caitlin Cannon Hits the Jackpot in Premiere of ‘Dumb Blonde’
Dolly would be so proud!
Caitlin Cannon bets on being underestimated in the satirical country standout, “Dumb Blonde,” playing the odds to overcome deeply entrenched gender stereotypes.
Going all in with a loping Western beat and classic-country instruments, the indie singer-songwriter offers up a timeless tale of getting sold short by men — and using that to her advantage. Premiering on Sounds Like Nashville today (April 10), the track imagines life as a series of gambles, with Cannon casting herself in the Dolly Parton tradition … profitably slipping underneath the boys’ radar.
“I like satire and hyperbole. I like creating worlds within songs where it’s safe to explore a [point of view] fully,” she says. “Dolly Parton quite literally created herself as a caricature of what society deems valuable, was chastised for it and responded with the utmost self-awareness and humor. She was a step ahead of everyone with her balls of steel. My ‘Dumb Blonde’ (originally titled ‘Playing Dumb’s the Smartest Thing a Blonde Can Do’), pays homage to her ‘Dumb Blonde,’ and to all my heroines from the classic country and Hollywood golden eras.”
Cannon brings the track’s smirking sass to life in a new music video, abstractly capturing the way women around the world are “framed” by the lens of society — and does it all with a wink and a nod, of course.
“I had planned to make new photos instead of a video, but Scot Sax called the day before and said for ten dollars more the studio would permit us to shoot some video, that he had a concept, and did I know any guys who could come and be the band?” she explains. “I was playing a writer’s round at Belcourt Taps that night and asked Shelly Riff, Josh Balis and Cory Michael if they would show up to be part of it as we were all waiting outside the bathrooms. Scot was able to edit something really cool together with virtually no preparation. Nashville is so magical that way, the people make it like that.”
“Dumb Blonde” is featured on Cannon’s upcoming album, Trash Cannon which is set to come out May 15.
