Music Friday: Easton Corbin Would Never Take His Ring Back Because He's 'A Little More Country Than That'

Welcome to Music Friday when we bring you great songs with jewelry, gemstones or precious metals in the title or lyrics. Today, Easton Corbin delivers a singing marriage proposal — while revealing what's under this old hat — in his 2009 chart topper "A Little More Country Than That."

In the song about trust and small town sensibilities, Corbin makes the case for why he would make a great husband. He paints a picture of the rural life he loves, his appreciation for the simpler things and the importance of being a true gentleman. He promises to never mislead her or play games behind her back because he's "a little more country than that."

In the line that includes the jewelry reference, he sings, "Yeah, I'm sure that you've heard those three words from others / But they fell flat / But this ring ain't something that I mean to give you / And then take back / I'm a little more country than that."

Although "A Little More Country Than That" was penned by Wynn Varble, Rory Lee and Donald Poythress, the 34-year-old Corbin said the song mirrors his own life experiences.

"Even though I didn't write it, this song identifies who I am," he said. "It shows character and that's important where I'm from. You learn to say, 'Yes, ma'am' and 'No, sir,' and to open doors for the ladies."

"A Little More Country Than That" was the lead single from Corbin's self-titled debut album. The song went to #1 on the Billboard U.S. Hot Country Songs list while the album topped out at #4 on the U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums chart. The single was certified Gold, which means it sold more than 500,000 copies.

Interestingly, the writing team originally intended the song for Blaine Larsen, but his record label passed on it.

A native of Trenton, Fla., Corbin lived on his grandparents' farm following his parents' divorce. At the age of 14, he starting taking guitar lessons from long-time session musician Pee Wee Melton. Soon after, he joined a band and performed at music festivals.

Corbin got his first big break in 2005 when he visited 1st Street Music in Lake City, Fla., to enter a contest for the Annual Suwannee River Jam. The manager of the store was impressed by Corbin's in-store demo and connected the him with songwriter Reese Wilson in Nashville.

Corbin moved to Nashville in 2006, and four years later he took home three American Country Awards for "New/Breakthrough Artist of the Year," "Music Video by New/Breakthrough Artist" and "Single by New/Breakthrough Artist."

Please check out the official video of "A Little More Country Than That." The lyrics are below if you'd like to sing along...

"A Little More Country Than That"
Written by Wynn Varble, Rory Lee and Donald Poythress. Performed by Easton Corbin.

Imagine a dirt road full of pot holes
With a creek bank and some cane poles
Catching channel cat
I'm a little more country than that

Picture a small town with an old hound
Laying out front of the court house
While the old men chew the fat
I'm a little more country than that

I just want to make sure you know just who you're getting under, this old hat
Cause girl I'm not the kind of two time or play games behind your back
I'm a little more country than that

Think of a hank song from days gone
With a steel ride that's so strong
It sends chills up your back
I'm a little more country than that

If you want a brick home in a school zone
With the doors locked and alarms on
Girl, you're way off track
I'm a little more country than that

I just want to make sure you know just who you're getting under this old hat
Cause girl I'm not the kind of two time or play games behind your back
I'm a little more country than that

Yeah, I'm sure that you've heard those three words from others
But they fell flat
But this ring ain't something that I mean to give you
And then take back
I'm a little more country than that
I'm a little more country than that
I'm a little more country than that

Credit: Screen capture via Instagram.com/eastoncorbin.

Tiny Diamond Faces Off Against the Mighty Power of a Hydraulic Press; Guess Who Won?

A handful of YouTube channels are dedicated to crushing objects with a hydraulic press. Among the items that have been spectacularly squished against their will in the name of viral entertainment have been a tenderizing mallet, a can of Silly String, a Rubik's Cube, a hockey puck, a couple of bullets and — you guessed it — a diamond.

Although diamonds are the hardest substance known to man, they can be fractured with a blunt force. So when pitted against the 10,000 psi power of a hydraulic press, one would expect the lovely faceted diamond to be turned into a pile of diamond dust.

Last May, the Hydraulic Press Channel put a round 1.2-carat lab-grown diamond to the test. In the video that has been viewed more than 10 million times, we see the press descending slowly on the stone.

The press moves steadily and then seems to meet with just a bit of resistance. In the next instant, the diamond shatters like a piece of glass being bashed by a hammer.

The hardest substance on earth, in this case, was no match for the press.

But then in June, rival YouTube channel Hydraulic Press VS promoted a similar showdown, and the results were startling different.

For its face-off, Hydraulic Press VS used a .25-carat, F-color, SI1-clarity, natural diamond and placed it under the crusher with the pavilion (pointy side) facing down. Unbelievably, the diamond defeats the press as it gets embedded into the steel below — without a scratch. The testers seem to be amazed by the outcome.

When Hydraulic Press VS repeated the challenge with a larger stone placed with the pavilion pointing up, the stone seems to explode under the massive pressure. This video has been viewed more than 11 million times.

It's important to clarify that there is a big difference between hardness and strength. Hardness is a surface property. A diamond earns the top-of-the-line 10 rating on the Mohs hardness scale because no material except for a diamond can scratch it. Sapphires and rubies, by comparison, are rated 9, topaz is rated 8 and quartz is rated 7. Each of these relatively hard materials can be easily fractured with a hammer blow.

Because of a diamond's hardness rating, the material is often used to enhance cutting devices, such as drills and saw blades.

Carbon fiber, on the other hand, is extremely strong but can be easily cut with a standard steel drill bit or even a pocketknife.

Check out the videos below. The first is from the Hydraulic Press Channel and the second is from Hydraulic Press VS.

Credits: Screen shots via YouTube.com.

'Twilight' Star Ashley Greene Calls Her New Engagement Ring 'The Most Beautiful Thing I've Ever Seen'

We're excited to add Twilight actress Ashley Greene to the list of starlets who received gorgeous engagement rings during the holiday season.

In a heartfelt message posted Friday to her 761,000 Instagram followers, Greene called her new engagement ring from Aussie TV personality Paul Khoury "the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." The ring features an oval-cut diamond set with four prongs on a delicate diamond band.

Khoury, 41, who has been dating Greene since 2013, popped the question during their romantic trip to Bridal Veil Falls in Waikato, New Zealand. Although the actual engagement took place on December 19, the couple didn't announce the exciting news until this past Thursday.

A video of the Bridal Veil Falls proposal appeared on the Instagram pages of Greene and Khoury. In the video, we see Green from Khoury's perspective as she takes in the beauty of the falls and tells him how magical it is. Then he enters the frame and asks her to marry him. She says "Yes" and he hops up and down like an excited child. Then he scoops up his fiancée and spins her around — just like in the movies.

In describing the proposal, the 29-year-old Greene wrote, "This is the most beautiful moment I could have ever hoped for. You've successfully made me the happiest, luckiest woman alive. I can't wait to show you my unfaltering immeasurable love for the rest of our lives."

Equally romantic was Khoury's caption for the video: "I promise to put a smile on your face for the rest of our lives. You complete me in ways I didn't even know was possible. I love you more than anything and excited to take this next step in life with you!"

One day later, on Friday, Greene posted a photo her ring, along with an animated appraisal of her new jewelry.

"I'm SO lucky and SO excited that I get to spend the rest of my life with my best friend," she wrote. "But the ring doesn't hurt either. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

On Khoury's Instagram page, the classic ring is shown from a different angle. He captioned the photo, "This is the woman I'm going to spend the rest of my life with."

Credits: Photos via Instagram.com/ashleygreene; Instagram.com/paulkhoury.

Broncos' Aqib Talib Yanks Gold Chain From Neck of Raiders' Michael Crabtree; Refs Make No Call

Football fans learned on Sunday that there's no love lost between Western Conference rivals Aqib Talib and Michael Crabtree, and there is no penalty for ripping a gold chain from an opponent's neck.

The surreal scene played out in the first quarter of the NFL game between the Oakland Raiders and the Denver Broncos. On a Raiders third-and-7, quarterback Matt McGloin targeted wide receiver Crabtree for a long pass along the right sideline. The pass was incomplete, and defending on the play was cornerback Talib.

While it's common for football players to posture and trash talk after a pivotal play, Talib took the animosity one step further when he faced up to Crabtree, seemed to bump helmets with him and then yanked the gold chain on his neck.

In a video that's been replayed countless times on YouTube, Twitter and other social media, CBS's cameras catch Talib's lightening-fast strike from two angles.

Crabtree looks surprised as the chain snaps, recoils and then hangs vertically down his left shoulder pad without falling off.

After the play, Talib is shown on the sideline smiling and gesturing to teammates how he plucked the chain on Crabtree's neck. The sideline shot of Crabtree showed the player visibly upset.

After Denver's 24-6 victory, Talib — wearing no fewer than four chains and a pair of stud earrings of his own — told reporters that he's had his eyes on Crabtree's gold necklace since the beginning of the season.

“He’s just been wearing that chain all year. It’s just been growing on me,” Talib said. “I said if he wears that chain in front of me, I’m going to snatch it off. He wore it in front of me, so I had to snatch it off. He started crying to the ref. He didn’t say nothing to me, though.”

Crabtree called Talib's actions "childish."

Addressing Talib indirectly during his post-game interview with the press, Crabtree told his adversary, “You’re acting. You’re snatching chains up on the field. What do you accomplish? Are you hard? Are you tough? Does that make you tough? You’re snatching chains in front of the police and take off running. That was childish man.”

Crabtree said that he did talk to the officials after the play, but they refused to throw a flag. Apparently, ripping a chain off an opponent's neck is not in the official rule book.

“Disrespectful" is how Crabtree described the referees. “They were acting like I was the problem. That’s what I didn’t like.”

He also said he made a "business decision" not to retaliate against Talib during the game, saying that his team needed him and that he didn't want to risk getting ejected.

The NFL has very strict rules when it comes to what a player wears on the field. They can be fined for wearing non-sanctioned socks or shoes. But when it comes to jewelry, the rules are fairly lax.

Necklaces and earrings may be worn as long as they are within reason. Bracelets must be covered at all times. In fact, any hard item on the hand, wrist or elbow must be covered by 3/8ths of an inch of foam rubber or similar material.

Wearing a wedding ring is frowned upon because it might need to be cut off if the player sustained a finger injury. More and more married NFL players have chosen to wear silicon wedding bands during their games and workouts. They come in a multitude of colors and provide a much safer option.

Credits: Screen captures via YouTube.com.