Rappers are famous for using raw language, and the use of the “f-word” in rock goes back 30 or so years. Now even Janet Jackson has brought those words to mainstream pop.
But country music has stayed squeaky clean. The worst I have ever heard is “kiss my ass” on the live version of Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places”.
How long will it be until country music gets with the times? I know that folks in the Bible belt are not in the least bit reserved in their language, all the lip-service to Jesus aside. Why doesn’t country music reflect that? I mean if you are really singing songs about cheatin’, lyin’, and double dealin’, shouldn’t you say something worse that “dad nabbit”? Or is there some “uncensored” or “adult” country out there I’m not hearing about?
I take it you’ve never heard of David Allan Coe.
Dr. J
I refute it thus: David Allan Coe. He can be quite foulmouthed, x-rated, and racist all at once.
The uncut version of Devil Went Down to Georgia has the line:
“I done told you once, you son of a bitch, I’m the best that’s ever been”.
I’m sure there’s more, that’s the only one that’s coming to me right now.
Doctor J? Didn’t DAC do the Rodeo Song?
Last week I was listening to a Jimmie Rodgers recording from the 1920’s that ended with the lyric “When you see a spider climbing up that wall / you know he’s going to get his ashes hauled.”
I couldn’t believe he said that!
[On preview]
Tried to make a link to the song sample but couldn’t - apparently CDNow doesn’t allow that.
So, go to cdnow.com and do a song title search for “Rodeo Song”. There are a few songs with that title, but the one you want is the one that has the haunting refrain:
Piss me off / fuckin’ jerk / get on ma nerves!
Chinga Chavin produced a number of Country Porn albums, including such classics as Dry Humping in the Back of a '55 Ford and Asshole from El Paso and my own personal favorite, the tender and touching melody Cum Stains on my Pillow (where your sweet face used to be).
Also Yahoo has some detail, or indeed Google.
No one has explicitly stated this here (though perhaps the links reference it), but there’s supposed to be a legendary David Alan Coe “underground” album full of some of the raunchiest, most racist stuff ever recorded. I’ve never had any inclination to seek it out, but apparently it’s a real thing rather than an urban legend. I know I’ve seen .mp3’s of its tracks posted on country binary newsgroups.
Also, according to the great writer Nick Tosches, early country music (c. late 20s and through the next decade or so) was filled with general raunch, although it was of the strongly implied rather than the overt variety.
He notes in particular that the recording career of Jimmie Davis – later known as the writer of “You Are My Sunshine” (though there’s doubt about that), singer of hymns and governor of Louisiana – began with a series of blues-inflected country ditties that were loaded with none-to-subtle sexual innuendo. The same is apparently true of all-time clean-cut good guy Gene Autry.
But the OP’s original point stands – mainstream country music has been conservative by nature, and barriers that have fallen over the years in other genres have been slow to do so in country music.
“Pissin’ in the wind” and a bunch of others by Jerry Jeff Walker.
BTW, define “obscene”: if you include phrases other than mere profanity - i.e. bigoted, xenophobic, sexist, etc… - than C&W is chock-a-block with it, same as the rest.
Hie yourself over to Country Music: the Rough Guide by Kurt Wolff. There are two features on risque country material. On p.86, “Dirty Swing”, there’s accounts of various sides by Bob Wills, Milton Brown, Jimmie Davis, &c: e.g. “The subject of the Light Crust Doughboys’ “Pussy, Pussy, Pussy” appears to be a stray feline; the owner does find one, but it doesn’t smell like his, and, well…enough said.” On p.427, there’s a piece on the increasing sexual frankness of country music in the 1970s–e.g. Loretta Lynn’s “The Pill”, or Barbara Mandrell’s “The Midnight Oil” (“I’ll feel kinda dirty because I’ll have that midnight oil all over me.”). Alt.country music has plenty of pretty explicit or offensive material–try Lambchop (“I Sucked My Boss’s Dick”, “Your Fucking Sunny Day”) or, in a subtler vein, Lucinda Williams’ recent album Essence: it has lyrics like “Baby, sweet baby, whisper my name / Shoot your love into my vein”, for instance, or “Heavy blankets / Cover lonely girls”. On a lighter note, try Kinky Friedman’s “Homo Erectus”.
Also see p.349 of the book for this on David Allan Coe:
If you can find it, get anything by Kinky Friedman and the Texas jewboys. Specifically,“Men’s room in L.A” is about a man finding a picture of Jesus in a toilet stall just about the time he realises there is no paper. A conversation with Jesus ensues, in which Jesus tells Kinky to go ahead and wipe with his picture:
" So if you’re hung out, on the pot
Feel free to use my favorite shot"
I’m thinking, with this defining moment, every taboo has finally been broken.
The David Allen Coe stuff is amusing as well.
All over Napster, still.
b.
Lest we forget the perennial favourite, “Why Don’t We Get Drunk and Screw?”
Hm. I’m not sure Jimmy Buffett is ‘country’, but that’s just me …
Buffett’s body of work defies categorization. There’s quite a bit of Carribean influence, a lot of rock and blues, but there’s also a good dose of C&W. But WDWGDAS has a pretty strong country feel to it.
"Well it’s forty below
and I don’t give a fck
Gotta heater in my truck
and I’m off to the rodeo…"*
A classic.
Jimmy Buffet may not be country but that song is still as country as country can be.
Allegedly? Looking on Audiogalaxy, some of his sings include …
(African-American) Fucker
Who Likes A(n African-American)
Cowboys and (African-Americans)
(African-American) Hatin’ Me
No (African-Americans) In Our Schools
Songs like this make up a very small percentage of country music, compared to the “kill whitey” and “slap my bitch” lyrics of rap, but it’s out there.
What about the early traditional versions of “Stagger Lee”? Would those be considered Country?
The rendition of “Stagger Lee” that Nick Cave has on the ‘Murder Ballads’ CD (which the liner notes say is taken from one of those old versions )is pretty damn hardcore. As a Metalhead, I’ve seen some pretty sick lyrics before, but those made my eyebrows go up a bit.
This is interesting. As I said, I’ve never had any desire to seek this Coe material out. But in the Nick Tosches book “Country,” which I referenced earlier, has a chapter about racist country music – Ku Klux Klanners and others releasing singles on little local labels (I suppose they sold them at rallies, just as independent bands do at their gigs today!).
One of the titles he cites is “Nigger Hatin’ Me,” by “Johnny Reb” as I recall. I think he even shows the label of the 45. This makes me wonder if some or all of the Coe songs on his “underground” album are in fact covers of others’ work (if it’s indeed Coe at all – could they be the originals, falsely attributed to Coe?).
I have heard the name “David Allan Coe”, he did write some “mainstream” songs like “Take This Job and Shove It”. But I never knew of any hardcore albums he did. My exposure to country music comes only from TNN, CMT, and the radio. I suppose this country music mainly spreads by word of mouth, and none of my friends or relatives listen to country, so how would I find out? Even the “All Music Guide” doesn’t mention any of Coe’s supposed underground releases with racist songs.
I have no interest in racist country (I suspected it existed somewhere), or even locker room porno. I just thought it would be great to hear country singers sing the truth once in a while, and tell us what they really think.
I suppose by “obscene” I meant any music that would get a parental advisory sticker.