Dissecting "If You're Gonna Play in Texas" by Alabama

We dive deep into Alabama's Cajun-flavored 1984 anthem, "If You're Gonna Play in Texas (You Gotta Have a Fiddle in the Band)". This one has always had us screaming "Cotton-eye Joe!" from back the row, but is there something larger going on here about Alabama's posture toward the impending neotraditionalist wave?  Hmm... let's open up this case and see what's inside.