'A Day to Say Thank You' Lightens Heavy Movie

SQUEEZEBOX

We all know Mollie Busta Lange as a polka music star, but now she has become known as a movie star to many of her fans. Mollie and Squeezebox, made an appearance in the film, Th e Mule, starring Clint Eastwood. Mollie and her band perform an original song in one of the scenes. That song is none other than A Day To Say Thank You, written by Mollie and Ted Lange.

This is a beautiful tribute song giving thanks to the United States veterans. I love the lyric "It’s not often that we hear a lot of thanks for those who gave, And few remember those who won’t return. It’s our patriotic duty to honor those who serve, And give to you the praise that you deserve."

It is truly a beautiful sight to see a polka band that has much gratitude for veterans of the Armed Forces. Unfortunately Warner Brothers Studios, which produced the film, is not releasing a soundtrack. You can find a "soundtrack" on Spotify, but it doesn't include the Squeezebox song.

One of those enjoyable tunes is Don't Let The Old Man In by Toby Keith. This is a beautiful dark country ballad and I really enjoyed how only an acoustic guitar and Toby's vocals were used on this song; it gave the song a real country blues vibe. Inspiration for the song came from Clint Eastwood. Toby asked Clint how he keeps going and has so much energy at his age. Clint said, “I get up in the morning and don’t let the old man in.” Mollie B and Squeezebox also appeared in the music video for this song.

You can hear a few country tunes in the movie as Earl Stone (Eastwood) makes his long drives from El Paso to Chicago - Dang Me by Roger Miller and On the Road Again by Willie Nelson. Two great country songs combined with Clint Eastwood equals a recipe for paradise in my opinion. Another enjoyable song from the movie is Ain't Love A Kick In The Head by Dean Martin. I gained great enjoyment from hearing the big band sound of brass horns on this song. Plus, Dean's vocals were smoother than velvet. It’s also a kick in the head to watch Earl sing along with Dean and then see Earl’s Mexican cartel “handlers” in the car behind him get into the tune as well.

With all of those great classic tunes in the movie, one critic with Centerlinenews.com wrote, "Maybe the standout scene musically, though, is the one in a VFW Post cued by the sound of a polka band, Squeezebox. Fronted by International Polka Association Hall of Fame inductee Mollie B, the band then appears, performing her original “A Day to Say Thank You” live at the Post."

Ain't that a kick in the head?