This is for everyone who has been in a friend's car or over at their house and have quietly suffered a playlist consisting entirely of a genre you don’t care for. For me, the one musical breed I most struggle with is Country. Now, I love me some classic country music – Dolly Parton, Patsy Cline, Johnny Cash and even Willie Nelson grace my iPod and CD collection and I dabble in bluegrass like Alison Krauss, the Cox Family and Gillian Welch. I became a huge fan of Alt-Country artists like Uncle Tupelo, Lucinda Williams, Whiskeytown and pretty much anyone featured in No Depression in the mid 90’s. I heard someone once call it “Y’all-ternative” which I love. But inevitably someone will ask me, when a new Sugarland or Kenny Chesney song starts up, “do you like Country?” I have to say, for the most part, no. I don’t.
I couldn’t determine the reason for this other than personal preference until I started reading “Crazy Heart” the book for which the movie was based and for which Jeff Bridges won an Oscar just the other day. (Though he will always be The Dude to me).
I have yet to see the film but the novel by Thomas Cobb describes “real country music” when Bad Blake says:
“Well, mostly it’s supposed to be about people, what they are and what they feel. It’s not just some cute saying laid over a nice, tight hook. Music today, you listen to it, say ‘that’s clever.’ and you forget it. I get the feeling it doesn’t have anything to do with anyone. At least no one I know, or would want to know.”
That’s the part I suspect is so hard and why so many, in my opinion, fail - if you’re going to write a song about everyday people, living ordinary lives, you have to do it carefully and honestly otherwise it sounds simple, dumbed-down, even mediocre. Or like Bad says, “clever” but not memorable.
So weigh in please, if you dare, with Country songs or artists you think do it right. I am always willing to sample someone new and I promise, I’ll try not to hate on it until thoroughly listening.
4 comments:
Here's my take on why people like country music, myself included. You can listen to half a song, and are loudly singing along by the second half. For some, music is about being able to participate, not just listen or be moved. I myself, enjoy the occasional country song because they lyrics and melody are just so dang simple. I don't have to remember some fancy Ani candence or complicated vocabulary. And if I can belt it out to the radio, it's how I listen to music best. So love it or hate it, some music is just good karaoke!
I must respond because, believe me Nikki, my *favorite thing to do* is sing along. It's why I have an iPod in my car - no one has to hear me warbling along. As I type I am in fact singing along to Modest Mouse's "Float On" which is a pretty repetitive ditty so I don't think it is the ability to quickly assimilate the words and tune that make a song one I want to hear again and again.
As proof, I was in a store today and heard something called, "That's How Country Boys Roll" and by the second aisle in Safeway, I knew the chorus. And I can die happy if I never hear it again. I'm not being a snob about it - I could easily say the same about the Blondie song that has now come up on this random mix.
So really, is it just personal preference? I still wonder...
No, you're totally a snob. Make no mistake. ;0)
Music Snob :)
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