I grew up hearing the old artists on radio: Patsy Cline, Eddy Arnold, Cash, Robbins, et al. Their music crossed easily to the pop charts and it was common to hear those songs on stations that normally just played rock & roll or pop music. It was good music, well written and well sung. Today’s stuff all sounds pretty much the same to me, and there always seems to be some sort of fake macho attitude that accompanies it. It has no appeal and I don’t listen to it. Of course, that also applies to most of today’s rock music, so there’s that.
It’s popularity is part of the reason it’s widely disliked. People hear country music on the radio or on TV or various places and get annoyed by it and complain about it. It’s well-liked by a lot of people and very disliked by a lot of other people. As opposed to something like jazz which is liked by a few, and disliked by a few, but most people are apathetic towards it.
Is Brad Paisley an exception to the anti-intellectualism and nationalism? I don’t really know much about him, other than the recent “Accidental Racist” song. I guess that song doesn’t show that he’s anti-intellectual, just more a bit clueless.
He isn’t anti intellectual, and is quite witty in his song writing. He does go in for some of the “you city/Northern folks don’t get it” stuff, but generally not in a dismissive way, just a “I grew up in West Virginia and y’all people from San Francisco are sure different, even though it’s the same country”. But he’s not big on “MURICA! FREEDOM! BOOT IN YOUR ASS!” either.
It was mainly a response to the guitar comment - he’s one of the better players out there in any genre.
I love the stereotypes being displayed openly in this thread. Here’s a challenge - find a radio station that plays current “pop” country music and listen to it. Tell me how long it takes before you hear an anti-intellectual, nationalistic song.
Seriously, you’d think every R&B/Rap song is about busting caps in ni**a asses while yo’ ho pops and drops on your whistle, then lighting up some shag from Jamaica. Sheeeeeee…t.
:rolleyes:
No flutes!!! ;).
Yeah, that song is unfortunate, but Paisley’s a great, great player…
Sup, rolly eyes? I work a day job in which I have to listen to country radio all goddamn day. To answer your question, less than 15 minutes.
I’m currently listening to his version of “The Son Of Hickory Holler’s Tramp”, a song about a woman who turns to prostitution to support her children. Hardly the stuff of nationalist daydreams…
There’s no recent mainstream country that I’m aware of that deals with issues like this, but major artists like Steve Earle certainly tackle social and political issues in their songs. It’s probably a bit different for me listening to it, as being English and living in the Midlands I’m only exposed to country by choice (although I did grow up listening to a lot of it). I’m more likely to get ignorance or indifference to it than any strong reaction from people - unless they wonder why I switch from country to extreme metal fairly regularly.
There is some absolutely great country, country-rock and alt-country stuff out there, but I find I have to go out of my way to find it. That seems to be the case with most music these days, though.
God, I sound old…
Randomly chose KRTY “San Jose Hot Country.” Won’t listen to it of course, but looked up their current playlist on the web, and then looked up the lyrics from there.
Song 1: Beat This Summer by Brad Paisley. Verdict: Sentimental, cloying, but not nationalistic or anti-intellectual.
Song 2: Someone Somewhere Tonight by Kellie Pickler. Talks about alcoholism, prison, and religion. Moderately anti-intellectual, but not nationalistic.
Song 3: Chicken Fried by Zac Brown. Chorus contains “I thank god for my life/And for the stars and stripes/May freedom forever fly, let it ring.” More cloying sentimentality. Implies that soldiers gave their lives to save fried chicken.
<15 minutes.
One of the things i really like about the Punch Brothers’ covers is that they play them on bluegrass instruments without turning them into bluegrass songs - for example, they do the Cars’ Just What I Needed here, and it’s a really solid, clean arrangement that’s both interesting and faithful to the original version. A lot of bluegrass groups play out-of-genre covers, but few are as successful as the Punch Brothers.
Another guy who deserves some mention is Guy Clark - he runs the gamut from introspective (Dublin Blues), to sentimental (Magnolia Wind) to down-home (Home Grown Tomatoes) without getting schmaltzy or provincial.
Mostly race and class prejudice, exemplified by many of the posts on this thread.
Paisley’s “Welcome To The Future” is practically a socialist anthem compared to most of the pop/country on the radio. He’s also performed at the White House twice during the Obama presidency. He’s got plenty of other songs that don’t really do much for me but I actually kind of like the guy.
I don’t care for much country, but hell, even I love Willie. He transcends genres. If I’m flipping channels and Willie’s performing live, I have to stop and watch. How can you not? Waylon Jennings is another one I liked. Never dug Johnny Cash, though, like the previously-mentioned two, he did not give off the stench of affectation.
I don’t necessarily have a problem with vernacular. Common language and cultural touchstones brings a sense of familiarity to even a new song, and can quickly convey more complex ideas and feelings in few words. Another tool in the box. Like any tool, it can be used well or poorly. It wasn’t the vernacular that jumped out at me, it was always the accent that bugged me when forced to listen to the pop-country wasteland. I wonder if they’re pandering, trying to present a product close enough to established artists that they can ride their coattails onto the general public’s playlist. Vernacular would also come into play here.
I’ve been kicking this ‘accent’ thing around since I moved near the Music City a decade back. Turning it around and wondering if I’ve been missing the accents in other forms of music gives me something new to think on. It’s disappointing to me that I haven’t thought about this earlier, instead of simply grumbling and changing the station. I am not a clever man.
I’ll agree on the Aretha vs Mariah comparison. I get the idea, “less can be more” has never crossed Mariah’s mind.
Others have said it’s the culture and the fans, in the general sense, but there are some specifics that are my reasons.
For me, it’s the aggregate fan base and how they react to inflammatory, yet not unreasonable, statements made by country musicians. Country music fans and musicians also appear to be much more politically pro-establishment than other genres, though I have no objective evidence for this reason off hand.
Case in point, I really dislike how fans and radio stations reacted when the Dixie Chicks said they were ashamed to be from the same state as G.W. Bush in 2003.
Here’s an interesting, and reasonable, segment about it:
Yep, the overwhelmingly white members of the SDMB must really be prejudiced against white people.
I consider Country Music to be my favorite musical genre, but I am very particular about which artists I like!
I’m a white male, 38, single and a native of North Georgia. I grew up listening to both Country and Pop/Rock. For example, I’m a HUGE Pat Benatar fan also.
With very few exceptions, I’m not a big fan of any male country singers. My absolute favorites are Martina McBride, Sara Evans, Trisha Yearwood, Reba McEntire and I will always love the Dixie Chicks. I also enjoy some of the older female country artists that I grew up with- Anne Murray, Loretta Lynn (some songs), Dolly Parton and, of course, Patsy Cline.
I’m a fan of a few groups- Sugarland, Lady Antebellum and The Band Perry are at the top of the list.
I also happen to be gay and I refuse to listen to any artists who are blatantly anti-gay. I am proud to say that my fave, Martina McBride, was the first country music artist to be interviewed by a major LGBT publication. In March 2009, she was featured in OUT Magazine, a major gay media source. Reba has also been featured in OUT.
Dolly Parton has been an outspoken supporter of the LGBT community and supported gay marriage for years. Her response whenever asked if she supports gay marriage is- “Sure, why shouldn’t they be miserable like the rest of us?” followed by her infectious laugh! She is also very good friends with Melissa Etheridge.
Trisha Yearwood is also very pro-gay. Her husband, Garth Brooks, was one of the first country music artists to tackle the subject in the late 80s and early 90s. His sister and band member, Betsy, is a lesbian. In his song entitled “We Shall Be Free”, he sang “When We’re Free To Love Anyone We Choose/When This Worlds Big Enough For All Different Views/When We All Can Worship From Our Own Kind of Pew/Then We Shall Be Free”!
Carrie Underwood recently spoke out in support of gay marriage and didn’t back down one bit when the conservative backlash hit!
My absolute favorite singer of any genre is Kelly Clarkson. She has some songs that have been played on country radio and she is also best friends with Reba McEntire. She is also engaged to Reba’s (very cute) step-son, Brandon Blackstock.
It is? I thought it’s so liked that country singers get to win American Idol most often (to the wonder of many.)
I’m not country music’s advocate, but who doesn’t like at least a little bit of Willie Nelson or Johnny Cash?
Country pop acts like Dixie Chicks, Shania Twain, LeAnn Rimes, Sugarland, Lady Antebellum, Keith Urban, The Band Perry are hugely popular with both the country and adult contemporary crowd as are artists who crossed over to pop like Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and Kelly Clarkson.
Now country isn’t that popular in places like New York which tends to favor more hipstery indie bands and urban sounds like rap & hip hop.
Any love for Halfway to Hazard? They actually call out the Nashville sound in one of their songs:
Some of their songs are sentimental, but sometimes you want to feel a little sad and have to tell people no, it’s just allergies. Love Letters From Old Mexico gets me every time. (ETA: Obviously that’s Leslie Satcher, not Halfway to Hazard)
Many of them clearly are prejudiced against lower class white people, and anything that reminds them of the existence of lower class whites, e.g. country music.