When I first heard that Toby Keith had come out with a new
song in 2014 titled “Drunk Americans”, I felt a little bit offended. Not ALL Americans are drunks. I thought he was placing a negative stereotype on the land of the free and home of the brave. I thought to myself that songs like this one are the reason that country music hasn’t always been the world’s favorite genre (even though it is my favorite). But as the song began to play and Toby began to sing, I immediately changed my view on the song. I almost felt a little bad for giving Toby such a hard time.
The song begins with this simple yet profound set of lines, “We ain’t East / we ain’t West. We ain’t left / we ain’t right. We ain’t black / we ain’t white.” I instantly decided that this was a pretty cool song. The overall message Toby was trying to get across is that it doesn’t matter whom you are or where you come from, we are all just drunk Americans. Every single line in the song is intended to be comical and provoke an easy going state of mind, however, this brilliant song has an underlying message that anyone from around the world can relate to. Instead of this country song focusing on a specific group of people or a specific lifestyle, it focuses on a moral lesson that holds our country together. Toby says that it doesn’t matter what color you are, how much money you have, what you look like, or where you come from. When you’re in the bar, you’re a friend. However, I consider the bar to resemble America, and getting drunk to be translated to living out the American dream.
Personally, I had a really strong connection to Toby’s masterpiece the first time I listened to it, and even now I still enjoy the message. Each line makes a profound statement, but nothing can beat the end of the song. “In these neon lights / We’re all stars we’re all stripes / And we’re all drunk Americans”. I don’t know about everyone else, but that ending really makes me LOVE my country and the people who make this country so great. This song, as well as many other country songs such as “Bleed Red” by Ronnie Dunn, really instills a strong sense of American pride in everyone who listens. Country music is not exclusive to a certain group of people or a certain state. Country music shows us how to be a proud American, and sometimes even a drunk American.
I have a very special place in my heart for the patriotism in country music. Toby Keith exemplifies patriotic country. From “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue” to “American Soldier”, Toby Keith represents true American patriotism. I very much enjoyed this song; it definitely explains what I can only hope most people think about the melting pot that is the United States (although I know this is not true). After reading this post, I was inspired to go and look up Toby’s and other patriotic country songs. I found a really cool list that maybe you want to take a look at: http://countrymusic.about.com/od/toppicks/tp/PatrioticCntry.htm
I have always enjoyed Toby Keith and his patriotic songs. I feel that patriotism is a big thing in country music. Some other Toby Keith songs I enjoy are “Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue” and “American Soldier”. I’ll admit it took me about two times listening to the song to appreciate the song; the first time for the sound and general lyrics and the second time to get a better understanding on the lyrics and comedy. Toby Keith is an artist that was played a lot around my house when I was younger. I’m glad he’s still making music.
What a great analysis! I love patriotic songs, but when I first heard this song on Garth Brooks pandora, I immediately skipped it. The title and first few lines turned me off. Like you, at first glance the song offended me a little bit. I was curious to read your article and see how you felt about the song. After reading your piece I see the underlying message Toby was trying to get across. I love the idea of everyone letting down their guard and having fun together with one thing in common, our home. I listened to the whole song through and I’m now a fan thanks to your post!
I hope y’all are still excited to talk about Toby’s patriotic songs on Wednesday! We’ll talk about certain 9/11 songs, including “Angry American.”
I felt the exact same way you did when I heard about Toby Keith’s song titled “Drunk Americans.” I wondered why someone would willingly choose to sing a song about a bunch of drunk Americans or even associate themselves with this negative connotation. Initially I had no interest in even listening to Toby Keith’s new song, but a couple of days ago the country music station I was listening to played “Drunk Americans” and instead of skipping the song I decided to give it a chance. Much to my surprise, the message of the song was completely different than I had expected. On another note, I don’t know if you’ve heard the song “Drinking Class” by Lee Brice which talks about busting your back during the week in order to be able to relax and have a couple of drinks during the weekend. Unlike Toby Keith’s message of unity and patriotism I feel like Lee Brice’s song focuses more on the partying aspect f the bar scene.