What is country music to you? Do you love it or are you a casual listener? Is the answer to that question a result of where you’re from or a certain community you are a part of? The one community that I identify with that has shaped my outlook on country music for the past four summers is my previous source of pay.
For my previous job, I lifeguarded at our local city pool since the summer after my junior year in high school. I enjoyed it very much not only because I had a lot of friends there but we also got to listen to music while we did our job. We had speakers that played music (when they weren’t broken) and we listened to mainly country music along with some pop stations. When I first started we were told of a couple of stations that we could not play but mostly had free realm of what radio stations, but over the years it was restricted to basically just country music stations. When I first started working I didn’t care too much for country if at all and would have preferred pop/ radio-friendly music hands down. The more I listened, the more it grew on me even though it was mainly the same five country songs all summer. While it made others hate it even more, I actually grew fonder of it. Country music is still not my favorite genre BUT I listen to it a lot now during the summer mainly and like going to concerts.
We, also as a lifeguarding group, would go to country events and bars like Billy Bob’s, in Fort Worth, when artists played and had a great time. (Those of us who were old enough of course, since not all of us were 18.) We went to other country concerts at places like Lone Star Park at Grand Prairie, which was fun. A lot of different artists have performed there such as the Randy Rogers Band, Gary Allen, Pat Green, Easton Corbin, and many others. I bought my first pair of boots and Wrangler jeans for a concert at Lone Star Park.
Over my summers at work, I must say one of the songs that sticks out to me the most is Country Girl (also known as Shake it for me) by Luke Bryan. It was a big hit my first summer lifeguarding and EVERYONE knew it because they played it SO much on the radio. The girls absolutely went crazy over it and this was one of the songs that really put Luke Bryan on the national stage and when the average country music fan first heard a song by him. Some of the people who didn’t like country music who I worked with even liked this song and was a song that started the current trend of country music that “isn’t country music” in some people’s eyes. While I admit that I’m still not a fan who knows all about country music, I agree that it is a different type of music compared to older songs. Along with Country Girl, other songs that I remember being overplayed on the radio were Drunk on you also by Luke Bryan and Honey Bee by Blake Shelton. While we always sang along when these songs came on, we always joked around about these songs because they were played so much but that is what made those summer days so memorable.
This was a great post! Now thinking about it, all of the country clubs I visited as a kid always played country music. I wonder if it is just a Texas thing or if they do that at country clubs in other parts of the nation. I have also noticed that people usually play country music at the lake. Is water the underlying connection between the two? It’s probably just being outdoors with friends, but what if water had something to do with playing country music while swimming? I am from Fort Worth but have never been to Billy Bobs! I’m just as confused and concerned as you are. I really need to make time to go. After your lifeguarding experience, do you listen to country on your own when you’re not forced?
Awesome article! I like how you not only describe how country music brings you back to the summer you spent life guarding at your local pool, but you don’t just stick to one song, you branch out and give the reader several examples of songs that carry a similar meaning to you. I thought it was great how you gave a little background on “Country Girl (Shake it for me)” and the impact it had on Luke Bryan’s career and the direction of country music as a whole. The one question I have is: do you listen to new country music, or do you stick with the songs you mentioned because they remind you of your local pool during the summer?
Adam, I enjoyed reading your post because I am similar to you when it comes to experiencing and liking country music. I wasn’t a huge fan of it at all because where I grew up it was not a popular genre like it is here in Texas. However, after getting introduced to the genre more often and hearing these types of songs at my sorority’s date events, I began to enjoy country music more. I have to admit it isn’t my absolute FAVORITE genre, but it continues to grow on me daily. I liked how you mentioned in your post that you have been to several country events like Billy Bob’s and Lone Star Park. I still haven’t been to any country events since coming to Texas, which is a disappointment. The only “country event” I’ve ever been to is the Broken Spoke in Austin, so I definitely should check out some of the great places you went to!
I find it really interesting that listening to country music on the radio all the time actually brought you around to it, especially country music on the radio. I personally change the station every time Shake it For Me comes on, so it’s funny that you mention it as one of the main songs that got you into the genre. I understand how pop/metro country can be more appealing to people with different genre preferences, unfortunately I’m too stuck in my roots to really appreciate it. I also think it’s funny that you associate country music with water, because I hadn’t really thought about it, but when was the last time Brad Paisley released a single that wasn’t at least mentioning some form of water (Although I was an arguably bigger fan of Brad pre-water songs)- it’s an interesting connection. I think maybe it stems from that awful southern heat- cowboys have to cool off somehow!
I am totally with you on the idea that though many country enthusiasts may label certain country songs as “pop”, this doesn’t mean that they can’t be meaningful to you. A lot of these pop-country songs are what remind me of summer, home, and a lot of overall happy times in my life. I think that’s something that’s so great and unique about country music, it really creates a sense of nostalgia. Though there are a lot of country songs that can teach you life lessons/inspire you/etc., there is nothing wrong with enjoying the songs in the genre (like Country Girl Shake it For Me) that simply make you feel good.
Adam, great article! I liked that you pointed out how important “Country Girl” was to taking Luke Bryan’s career to the next level. I agree with you 100% that the radio can absolutely overplay many songs to the point where you just want to change that station! It’s funny though because once they’re not being played 10 times an hour, I go right back to enjoying as much as before. A lot of the upbeat, pop-country/’bro-country’ songs don’t have to be super deep to still touch on some really important messages and parts of life, which is what makes them so fun.
Adam I relate to this post SO much. Your experience with country music is so very similar to mine in that you are just now getting into it but only really know the popular songs. I too did not really care for it before I began to work at a store in which we played it all the time on the radio. You might also enjoy country music because of the feelings you associate with it. Even though lifeguarding can be long, boring hours it may be something you associate with summer, easy living, and being with friends. I’m hoping that you are enjoying learning about older genres of music through this class as much as I am!