MSM 90s: You Get What You Give, Dave Anderson
9/3/26
By Monica Collier
Isn't it funny how Muscle Shoals Meets reminds us who we are? You know what I mean, right? Not only that but this time around, several of the performances reminded me who I really want to be, too.
Hear me out ... "you've got the music in you."
Lord help me, when Dave Anderson took the stage that Saturday night in August wearing Microwave Dave Gallaher's purple Flying V, my heart jumped straight into my throat. It's so hard to believe Dave is gone, friends. Then, Dave (Anderson) conjured all the warm and fuzzy memories of one of the most influential modern bluesmen to ever hail from North Alabama. It was healing to have a good MSM group cry.
What happened next, though, was, ummm ... unexpected.
Listen, I'll never lie to you, friends. When that odd little recognizable intro filled the room -- "One, two, one, two, three, ow" -- I was like, huh? We just had this touching shared memory of an outstanding blues legend we all respected and loved and now we're following that up with this one-hit wonder? Excuse me, what?
Yeah. This eighth performance of the Muscle Shoals Meets the 90s main show had my head cocked to the side in utter confusion. As great as it turned out and y'all, it was great -- I get it, I really do, but Dave Anderson doing the New Radicals' "You Get What You Give" takes the cake for the most delightfully confusing pairing of the night.
This song, y'all. Talk about an unexpected anthem with a surprisingly long shelf life. Talk about an entire decade of (90s) music to choose from and this one took the prize being paired with one of our resident Alabama superstars, the one and only Dave Anderson. Yeah. It seemed super odd, right? I'd love to know the story of how this pairing came about.
"You've got the music in you."
"You get what you give." So true.
Oh, Dave! I didn't see this one coming ...
Oh, wow. Turns out, this is an incredibly uplifting little anthem from a band of literal new radicals. Dave giving us his soul with "You Get What You Give" wasn't a confusing pairing at all. Nope. This was the most brilliantly layered teachable moment/pairing of MSM 90s. You're right, Dave, we do have the dreamers disease.
Friends. You hear these lyrics, right? Seriously, take a minute out of your day and just listen to these lyrics. Better yet, close your eyes and think back to Dave's performance that night. Dave gave us the 411, y'all, with empassioned joy and gusto. Oh my gosh, friends. This late 1990s song is really a rally cry. It's a beacon of hope during dark times, I was just never truly listening before. Don't give up.
Remember when "You Get What You Give" had a strong second life in the political arena circa 2021? It really hit home with a younger generation then, too. Honestly, that second time around (20+ years after its original release), it hit closer to home with me, too, but nothing like how it hit me during Dave's MSM 90s performance.
On that beautiful MSM 90s night, it felt as if Microwave Dave himself infused energy into this somewhat cheesy(?) overly idealistic pseudo anthem of youth. I saw it in a completely different light and took it into my queenage heart.
Eureka! That's it! "You Get What You Give" has always sounded like the short-lived naivete of youth. I didn't take it seriously at all. Hmmm. I hear you Dave(s). Wow. Turns out, though, "You Get What You Give" is actually a magical playbook for a simple, happy, golden-rule driven life.
Thank you, Dave. Thank you MSM/Fiddleworms for tapping into my emotions and awakening my youthful humanity. That's who I want to be. You're right, Dave(s), I do have the music in me. Thank goodness for that, too. Hallelujah.
Great job, friends.
Stay tuned. More to come.
Dig Worms.
Photo by Devona Hawkins
