# Why is country music so widely disliked? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 22, 2013, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632 "2013-06-22T14:43:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632/81 "2013-06-24T12:58:12Z")
Everybody sings in the vernacular of that particular music. Gospel-inflected R&B has those neverending vowel shifts - “melisma” is the technical term - for similar reasons. And yeah, folks adopt a growly American blues-ish accent for rock - or did primarily until the British Invasion but more from Punk… As for Country’s vernacular - well, isn’t part of any good artist’s star quality their ability to capture a song and get inside it? I prefer Aretha to Mariah because I love the Queen’s use of techniques in an authentic way vs. Mariah, who sounds overdone. I buy some Country accents; I don’t buy others. YMMV; QED. ETA: if you listen to, say, Willie Nelson, are you really hearing his accent? I have to say, I just hear his…“delivery” - his matter-of-fact, tuneful-yet-eccentric voice…his accent is just part of that Willie Nelson thing that works for me. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632/82 "2013-06-24T14:52:41Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > I’ve noticed that a lot of it is just… smug. A whole lot of “you city folk couldn’t understand”. Couldn’t understand the way we’re partying at some bar or bonfire, couldn’t understand the way we appreciate our families or loved ones, couldn’t understand the way we love our nation, etc. Someone singing about watching their daughter graduate and how she used to make daisy chains and you can just imagine the head-nodding “Yup, we sure notice these things and love our families more for them” going on. > > I suppose there’s an amount of urban music about going to clubs and buying expensive crap and hanging out with expensive women but you don’t have the moral superiority oozing from that genre of music. > [@appleciders](#): > > Are you kidding? Have you _listened_ to rap music? > > In all seriousness, I do listen to some rap and some country, but the stuff at the top of the charts of both genres can be pretty painfully bad. It’s the smugness that bothers me. Some rap and dance music will be about “we are better than you because we go to the clubs and party harder” and other stuff like that. It doesn’t really bother me hearing lyrics like that, because I don’t really care about going to the clubs and partying hard like that. But some country music will be about “we are better than you because we love our country and our flag and our families and live better lives than you.” Acting like you have a monopoly on patriotism and good family life is pretty annoying. I realize that this isn’t true of all country music, but it’s a significant enough percentage to create that stereotype. I don’t really complain about country music that often though. I live in Texas; I meet plenty of people who love country. I’ll just listen politely if someone talks about how they love country music, or say it’s just not for me. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632/83 "2013-06-24T14:56:54Z")
I’m just surprised that the answer is anything other than the “twang,” whether of the instrumentation or the accents. I’ve never heard anyone cite anything else for why they hate country music as a whole. I actually find the pop stuff a little more tolerable because they tone down the twang so much. The women hardly have any in them at all anymore–that used to be the worst. Then again, most people I know don’t listen to music for the lyrics. I know I don’t. I kinda like “Cruise,” particularly the [version featuring Nelly](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmZ9xRO7M9M). The lyrics mean nothing to me, and the twang is toned down just to the point where I can stand it. (And, note, I didn’t even know who Nelly was before that, nor do I know who Florida Georgia Line are. I found out about them from a video making fun of them.) ---
**Author:** ![Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/regallag_the_axe/32/445_2.png) [@Regallag\_The\_Axe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Regallag_The_Axe)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632/84 "2013-06-24T15:42:14Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > You have to distinguish between classic and modern country. Modern county is pop music with an accent – that right there is pretty bad already – but then I really hate it because is it [hyper-sentimental](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbit2XOInCw), [nationalistic](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruNrdmjcNTc), [calculatingly written to appeal to white trash](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0O0nzkESTI), and extols simplicity to the point of anti-intellectualism (pick your own link). This is it. I like a lot of the old-style outlaw country that I hear and the alt-country that’s been linked to is okay but not really my thing. Pop country is garbage, plain and simple. The songs in the above post are definitely not the same genre as, say, [Hank 3](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgqcZD_2KO0). ---
**Author:** ![crucible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@crucible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/crucible)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632/85 "2013-06-24T15:58:44Z")
someone only needs to put on the uniform and use the god given non-talent of their voice to make ‘country music’. It sucks. It sucks because it lacks quality, depth, poetry, intelligent phrasing or non-repetitive chords and melodies. It sucks, mostly, because it is mostly a device to get people from the country and the south to buy crap, claiming it is authentic music. Bluegrass, on the other hand, does have some cultural roots and outstanding musicianship. Remember, if your feelings are hurt…It only hurts for a little while, that’s what they tell me…try it and see…But, I will hurt til you come back…to me. Try saying that in any other genre and not get laughed at from pillar to post. ---
**Author:** ![BlinkingDuck](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eada6e/32.png) [@BlinkingDuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlinkingDuck)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632/86 "2013-06-24T16:58:13Z")
> [@Boyo\_Jim](#): > > Well, if you don’t like country music, you better like western, because there’s only the two. Out here we have BOTH kinds of music! Both Country AND Western! I grew up in a rural area dominated by C&W. By dominated I mean in the was Godzilla dominated Bambi. C&W people not only liked their music but they made damn sure no other type of music was played. ALL stations played only C&W. When MTV came to TV in the early 80’s they quickly came together and made sure that station was banned while a C&W channel was put in its place. So, I grew up hating C&W and never gave it much of a chance until recently. While I don’t seek it out, I’ve found that I kind of like C&W. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632/87 "2013-06-24T17:34:05Z")
> [@drastic\_quench](#): > > …Modern county is pop music with an accent – that right there is pretty bad already – but then I really hate it because is it [hyper-sentimental](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qbit2XOInCw), [nationalistic](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruNrdmjcNTc), [calculatingly written to appeal to white trash](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V0O0nzkESTI), and extols simplicity to the point of anti-intellectualism (pick your own link). These are the same reasons for me in general, especially the anti-intellectualism married with the nationalism, it’s a major turn-off. Stylistically, the cowboy hats, boots, and belt buckles seem as ridiculous a prop as tiger-print spandex was to heavy metal. Musically, I dislike it because the formulaic musical tropes overshadow the other performance merits the song might otherwise have. The affected twangs and accents, the obligatory slide guitars, the lack of any stand-out instrumentalists or innovators in recent memory. Back in the old-country days, folks like Roy Clark were really distinctive virtuosos. Now you just get Blake Shelton holding an obligatory prop. In short, it seems a genre defined and controlled by producers, not musicians, and has been stuck without innovation for decades. It is sadly in need of a “grunge” level of deconstruction and redefinition. Instead, producers are still endlessly trying to milk the Garth Brooks sound. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632/88 "2013-06-24T17:47:27Z")
You should check out Punch Brothers - here is a mobile (sorry) link to youtube for them: > **[YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/?app=desktop)** > > Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube. Chris Thile is a mandolin virtuoso who is redefining the view of the instrument - he was awarded a MacArthur “genius” grant a year or two ago. PBro’s covers old country and folk songs, Radiohead, classical pieces, the works. They are also making a play for commercial recognition - as kind of a Mumford & Sons-meets-Radiohead. They are looking to be successful and make money, like the Country/Pop acts. But this is Roots-based music (acoustic, with an Appalachian/Bluegrass instrumentation), but probably isn’t “Country” as people are looking to define it in this thread. But just like “Rock” can include Radiohead AND Poison, “Country” can include crap that plays to the lowest common denominator (and, really - no love for “Tea Party Boner Jamz” in my post upthread?! ;)), as well as some incredibly talented players and music… ---
**Author:** ![nachtmusick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ac91a4/32.png) [@nachtmusick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nachtmusick)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632/89 "2013-06-24T17:59:02Z")
> [@crucible](#): > > someone only needs to put on the uniform and use the god given non-talent of their voice to make ‘country music’. It sucks. It sucks because it lacks quality, depth, poetry, intelligent phrasing or non-repetitive chords and melodies. > > It sucks, mostly, because it is mostly a device to get people from the country and the south to buy crap, claiming it is authentic music. > > Bluegrass, on the other hand, does have some cultural roots and outstanding musicianship. > > Remember, if your feelings are hurt…It only hurts for a little while, that’s what they tell me…try it and see…But, I will hurt til you come back…to me. Try saying that in any other genre and not get laughed at from pillar to post. The same could be said for pop, classic rock, rap, metal, band music, world music, punk, dub, dance, and whatever the hell other tribal rhythms that bring a people together. Music is more personal, and thus more divisive, than any other aspect of human culture. Music is a language that reaches beyond language; it influences emotion and personality. It is not the genre, but the complexity and tone of the music that dictates its effect. Simple rhythms, such as those employed by commercials and at sporting events, always elicit primal responses. Complex rhythms, and subtle tonescapes, will elicit evocative and contemplative emotions that the young and stupid neither need or want. Genres are just constructs of method. Within each genre, a true artist can manipulate the medium to achieve what he or she desires. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632/90 "2013-06-24T18:07:12Z")
I dislike modern commercial country music. I’ll cop to that. I don’t dislike old country music - even up until the 1970’s. I also like non-mainstream country now. But what’s played on commercial country stations is mostly bland, sluggish pop sung with an overwrought southern accent and a needless slide guitar added on top of all the other instrumentation. The singers are often singing of an America that largely doesn’t exist, about lives they didn’t and don’t live. Taylor Swift - is she country? She’s ok - boppy and inoffensive, but authentic in her way. She’s not pretending to be a poor country gamin who don’t know much but things used to be better and it’s everybody’s fault but people like her. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632/91 "2013-06-24T18:17:55Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > You should check out Punch Brothers - here is a mobile (sorry) link to youtube for them: > > [YouTube](http://m.youtube.com/#/user/punchbrothers?&desktop_uri=%2Fuser%2Fpunchbrothers) > … Very good stuff, thanks! Reminds me of _16 Horsepower_. There’s also _Brandi Carlisle_ that leans heavily on the older “blue collar country” of Johnny Cash. It’s these kind of bands that give me hope for more of a revolution in the genre. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Lowry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e95f7d/32.png) [@Sam\_Lowry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Lowry)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632/92 "2013-06-24T19:06:59Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > You should check out Punch Brothers - here is a mobile (sorry) link to youtube for them: > > [YouTube](http://m.youtube.com/#/user/punchbrothers?&desktop_uri=%2Fuser%2Fpunchbrothers) They sound interesting, I’ll check them out. > [@bup](#): > > Taylor Swift - is she country? She’s ok - boppy and inoffensive, but authentic in her way. She’s not pretending to be a poor country gamin who don’t know much but things used to be better and it’s everybody’s fault but people like her. Taylor Swift annoys me because she’s inauthentic in that she pretends to be an underdog when she isn’t. Like writing a song about how a critic was mean to her about her singing and acting like she’s standing up against bullies. A music critic critiquing her singing isn’t bullying, especially since she has a lot more fame and power as a hugely successful musician than a mere music critic. And I’ve seen a video one time of all her “surprised” reactions when she won awards, each time acting like “what? Me? Little old me?” I guess it is better to act humble when winning awards rather than entitled, but it just seemed disingenuous for her to be surprised about winning awards when she’s won tons of them. I don’t mean to pick on Swift too much, I know there’s other artists who do the same thing, and try to act like they’re a man of the people. And it is common in music to put on a persona and pretend like you’re something you’re not, but it seems more common for musicians to act like they’re bigger and more popular and sexier than they actually are, and I find that less annoying than what some country artists do and act like they are more average and humble than they actually are. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632/93 "2013-06-24T19:19:56Z")
Let me reiterate the complaints about the country music accent – fake or not. I don’t mind country music in a Texan accent so much (such as Townes or Willie) as much as I hate country in the common Nashville accent. Bluegrass come to think of it also is often not sung in a Nashville accent either and I like much of that. I also concur with the “I got a monopoly on sentimentality and patriotism” card. I guess I also dislike the musical base of country a little bit, although I do like some songs that are musically country such as by alt-country/americana artists so that can’t be entirely the reason. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632/94 "2013-06-24T19:34:16Z")
A lot if my favorite artist are very influenced by Country, but are considered folk-rock or alt-rock. Pete Droge, Scott Miller & the Commonwealth. I really like Emmylou Harris’ album “Wrecking ball”, probably because it’s NOT about the same well trodden bullshit set to the same old twangy guitar. Her partnership with Mark Knopfler is amazing. And look at Bruce Springsteen. I mean, “Downbound Train” is pretty much a country song. It even starts out with the narrarator getting laid off and losin his lady. That all said, I used to listen to a country station while working in the barn (it was the only station) and it was only marginally better than silence. “Freedom Costs $1.05” is a straight up brilliant satire of the worst in the genre, which is sadly the most widely played. Oh, and “Jesus take the wheel” (Carrie underwood) makes me want to do murder. God helps those who help themselves so how about you get your eyes on the road and steer, you stupid bitch. It’s just a saying. (In case youre not familiar, the song describes the driver literally removing her hands from the wheel during a car accident. ) ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632/95 "2013-06-24T20:13:40Z")
**Taylor Swift’s** moves are straight out of a popstar’s playbook. Country has a huge slice of this thread - eg, the OP’s accent question - but that aspect of Swifty’s persona is not a Country beef, per se. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632/96 "2013-06-24T21:01:23Z")
> [@EmilyG](#): > > It seems that a lot of people dislike country music. I’m wondering why. You’ll often hear people say “I like a lot of music, but not country music.” > > (I myself am not a big fan of country music, but here I’m just asking why it’s so widely disliked. And I’m not insulting people who do like it, or trying to start a country-music-bashing thread. I’m just looking for reasons.) The reason I don’t care for the genre as a whole is that the vast majority of people who perform in it can’t sing worth a damn. This is true of popular music in general, but the percentage is higher in country, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Werekoala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7993a0/32.png) [@Werekoala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Werekoala)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632/97 "2013-06-24T21:11:01Z")
Probably for the same reason “Nobody I know voted for Bush, so how could he have won?” - confirmation bias. [http://www.secretsofthelist.com/2013/03/country-musics-increasing-popularity/](http://www.secretsofthelist.com/2013/03/country-musics-increasing-popularity/) Country music is extremely popular and well-liked by almost a majority of music listeners, except people posting in this thread, apparently. Also for some reason there seems to be some political element in the responses, based no doubt on the totally balanced and unbiased membership of the board. So, “I don’t like it” =/= widely disliked - it’s widely disliked in your circles. ---
**Author:** ![thicksantorum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/65b543/32.png) [@thicksantorum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thicksantorum)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632/98 "2013-06-24T21:13:51Z")
The saying that “90% of everything is crap” is true, but incomplete. _At least_ 90% of everything is crap. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632/99 "2013-06-24T21:22:08Z")
> [@WordMan](#): > > - Country music isn’t all that dangerous - a bit of weed, a bit of drunken regret - but it isn’t trying to be edgy like punk, metal, gangsta rap and many other genres have… You’re right that country music usually doesn’t have to try to be edge but it does have some edgy themes. Kenny Roger’s “Ruby” is a pretty dark song about a Vietnam veteran who has been crippled, will likely die soon and his wife is stepping out for the night to get the lovin’ he’s no longer able to give her. He goes on to say that if he could grab his gun he’d “put her in the ground.” “Coward of the County” has a gang rape and “Lucille” is the plight of a man whose wife has left him alone to raise their kids. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [June 24, 2013, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632/100 "2013-06-24T21:23:08Z")
> [@GargoyleWB](#): > > These are the same reasons for me in general, especially the anti-intellectualism married with the nationalism, it’s a major turn-off. > > Stylistically, the cowboy hats, boots, and belt buckles seem as ridiculous a prop as tiger-print spandex was to heavy metal. > > Musically, I dislike it because the formulaic musical tropes overshadow the other performance merits the song might otherwise have. The affected twangs and accents, the obligatory slide guitars, the lack of any stand-out instrumentalists or innovators in recent memory. Back in the old-country days, folks like Roy Clark were really distinctive virtuosos. Now you just get Blake Shelton holding an obligatory prop. > > In short, it seems a genre defined and controlled by producers, not musicians, and has been stuck without innovation for decades. It is sadly in need of a “grunge” level of deconstruction and redefinition. Instead, producers are still endlessly trying to milk the Garth Brooks sound. You seem to have completely ignored Brad Paisley (and Keith Urban to a lesser extent). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-country-music-so-widely-disliked/661632.md?page=6)