"Who likes early '70s style Southern Rock?"
As they note in the sketch, they're obviously not playing this song in our beloved hillside hamlet because I've never heard a crowd in my home state have that reaction to that question.
SNL closed their season finale Saturday night with this sketch about a 70s Southern Rock band, The Harkin Brothers, playing their song, "Summertime in Fayetteville," and I have to say, it's a pretty good song! I'd download it. Check it out.
If I didn't know this was Saturday Night Live, I'd totally believe this is a collection of the various people I've met at my uncle's farmhouse in West Fork over the last 25-ish years. These are some longtime Ozarks hillfolk who've been doing their thing no matter how big Northwest Arkansas has exploded over the last decade or two.
Take a look at some of those lyrics:
"Nothin like a nap in a burned out pickup truck". So now we know what happened to Brandon Allen's truck. Girl just wanted to catch some Zs.
I've had fireflies fly into my mouth (but not so much in Fayetteville, growing up in Little Rock there were a lot more). Running barefoot on a pile or rocks and stones? Of course? Is that not normal? Swimming hole? We've got plenty.
This was the show's closing sketch, which is often when the cast plays around with weirder ideas that aren't designed for mainstream jokes you see earlier in the show.
Arkansas is calling out my name! Summertime in Fayetteville, hot hot summertime!