by Becca A.
“I like any type of music, except country music.” This general statement is one said by many people. I have even said it. This statement comes from peoples unwillingness to step outside their boxes. Most people believe that country music falls with the category of hick, twang, farmer, southerner, or a person from a rural town. The name its self leads people to this assumption. In a way the name of the genera classifies itself. When people think of big cities, very few people think that everyone would be listening to country music. I believe that if people gave it more of a chance than less people would dislike it.
There was a time when i was not a fan of country music. I believed that Brittany Spears, Pink, and the Backstreet Boys had better sound and better music in general than country music. It took me until my 6th grade year to realize what i was missing. I had been under the assumption that country was filled with male singers with really twangy voices, I thought that it was all about cowboys and farms. But i found that there are many female singers and every song tells a story. Some about love, dreams, children, work, tractors, or life in general. Although I stand true to the infamous statement that people who love country music come from small towns, but come on, anyone from anywhere could fall in love with country music just like i did.
When you listen to pop radio stations and Taylor Swift or Carrie Underwood comes on, remember that they are country. Although their songs are being played on a pop station, by definition they are country singers. So you say you like everything but country, does that still apply for Swift or Underwood?
Next time you turn on your turn radio contemplate whether or not you want to go with your ruetine or maybe you will try something new and switch the station.
This piece shows your strong feelings about country music very well. Your position on the subject is clear and your voice comes through in the piece most definitely. The part that was engaging as a reader was when you talked about realizing that a lot of women sing country music. You seemed to spike a new level of interest in your writing which made me as a reader become more interested.
ReplyDeleteEliza
I forgot questions...
ReplyDeleteDo you think that country music will start becoming more popular now that Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood are well know country artists? Or do you think that most people don't classify them as country singers because they fall more on the pop side?
Eliza
I was really engaged in this blog because like the first line, i have said that multiple times before. I was able to get a new perspective of country music. A confusing aspect for me is wether Swift and Underwood classify as country artists because I think it is a opinion based decision, so my question would be, do they classify for you?
ReplyDeleteAs well, are there different types of country music that you could explore some more?
-ABBIE
Just this weekend I found myself engaged in a similar argument. People are eager to dismiss country, why?
ReplyDeleteI think in this post you are asking your readers to recast the borders of what is country, and what is not. Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood, who have hit it big on top 40 stations, might also be considered country, you offer. Now, from Abbie's comment I sense she might disagree about the classification. So, how do we decide? And where does this disagreement come from? That seems like the next question to explore.
It seems like there are two parts. The first is a musical aesthetic: guitars, violins, traditional song structures, lyrics that tell a story.
But then there is also a cultural aspect: Country music is about boots, cows, the west, beers, and broken hearts. I think thematically we have sort of lumped these into an uncomplicated whole.
People often tell the joke, "What happens when you sing a country song backwards? You get your dog back, house back, and wife back." So predictable... it is easy to be a snob about it. I worry that taylor swift just morphs that perceived simplicity into the high school setting.
However, the success of No Country for Old Men and Brokeback Mountain indicate to me Americans think the west can be about complex human drama. Who is the country artist who will succeed in casting those pictures in a way that compels the public?
I personally strongly dislike country. I have tried listening to it once or twice before but just can't seem to get into it. I have found myself saying the first line of your blog a lot. I am a little confused as to whether or not Swift and Underwood and country or pop. My question for you is why did you start listening to country in 6th grade? Like what caused you to listen to it?
ReplyDelete-Sterling
I think Sterling's last question, what made you want to listen to country music, is very interesting and I wonder that too. You mention that in our culture it's almost "cool" to say that you don't like country whereas some people just honestly don't like it. Its an interesting genre though because people group it together. For example its not common to say, "I don't like Rock," because there are so many different types and artists. When you mentioned Taylor and Carrie it made me wonder if you enjoy their music? I actually really like both of them, but I guess I never really though of it as country music. It was interesting that you listed the implications and sterotypes people have if you say you like country. Have you ever had a personal experience where you felt pigeon holed, because you like country? Great blog!
ReplyDeleteKeely