Monthly Archives: October 2015

by | October 9, 2015 · 7:00 am

Country Music: Today’s Time Machine

Country music does something well that many other genres struggle with: elicit a feeling of nostalgia. In a society such as todays where new conflicts arise daily and happiness is rarely depicted, a subconscious yearning for the “good times” dwells in a lot of people, and country music as a whole plays well into this need. Whether a memory of love or hate, summer or winter, family or friends, country music can bring you there. Just like that, an artist becomes a friend and a song becomes a happy place.

Thinking back on important times in my own life, it’s not hard to remember which country songs I have carried with me from it.

High school: freshman year.

It was a new school, but same quirky me. I hoped to thrive and learn, and of course have the perfect group of friends. Obviously all of this was wishful thinking. No better song to sum up my expectations and then, reality, than the classic Taylor Swift song that I jammed to on my way to the first day of 9th grade, “Fifteen.”  Hearing this song brings back all my excited and awe filled emotions from that day, and I cant help but reflect gladly on a year that didn’t begin or end the way I had imagined.

First love: a one and done ordeal.

What a weird but happy time it is to find a person whom one connects with so easily and matter-of-factly, a great time really. Country music does this topic well; everyone has a first love.  “Sunny and 75” by Joe Nichols, always takes me back to those times where I was sitting shot-gun next to my person going who-cared-where, feeling inarguably content. Country love songs highlight that feeling of when your time is consumed by the person you love, and how just looking at them makes you smile. A happy-go-lucky song, a first love must.

Summer: now please!!!

No matter how much I love winter, every time I hear  “Beachin'” by Jake Owen, I get excited for those hot June and July days. The beach, friends, no school, 4th of July, swimming, free time: summer has all things that are good. A song that connects with these good times is a great way to get people to relate to your music, especially teens and young adults. So many artists do this well like Keith Urban, Tim McGraw, and Brad Paisley to name a few.

Home: with the people who love you.

Families can have all different types of dynamics, but there is something special about each. Being in college and away from my family has made me incredibly aware of just how much I depend and count on my own family for just about everything. Feelings like missing home, growing up, and moving forward all remind me of my family. Listening to “The House That Built Me” by Miranda Lambert gets me every time, because it reminds me of how I grew up and became who I am now.

Genres like rap, indie, and techno are in a different universe when it comes to making listeners feel nostalgic. Song from those genres might remind me of certain people or memories, but they don’t take me back to them like country music does. There are so many other country songs that make me nostalgic from the things previously listed and more, which is another reason this genre stands alone when it comes to eliciting nostalgia. Every story has two sides, and country music is able to touch on them both. A genre that can evoke so much feeling SHOULD stand a part from the others. In an ever-changing present, it is comforting to be reassured by the past.

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Filed under Blog Post 2

by | October 8, 2015 · 7:00 am

What A&M and Miranda Lambert Have in Common

In 2007, Miranda Lambert released her song “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”, a classic story about an insanely jealous, gun toting ex girlfriend stalking her boyfriend and throwing things at him in a bar. All of this is completely normal, apparently. And she’s honestly kind of proud of it.

While I can’t say I really identify with Miranda in this situation, it’s still a pretty entertaining song. It’s probably how ridiculous the whole idea is that makes it so good, not many people know what its like to go to 30 bars to try and find your ex boyfriend just to get drunk and throw things at him. But yet it’s so easy to picture it happening that listeners can still relate to it. It also helps to realize what not to do after a breakup, no matter how bad the other person messed up.

We all have some sort of crazy ex though; the one that just can’t seem to get over you. Most likely you haven’t been stalked and assaulted by your ex, but there’s always that one that’s just a little crazy. Usually it just means they can’t stop calling or texting you or even the ones that keep showing up in your life trying to get back with you.

The closest experience I have to this song would be being a UT student and interacting with Texas A&M students. In this situation, the A&M students are the crazy ex. It’s been almost 4 years since these two teams last played each other, and since A&M was beat by the amazing Texas Longhorns. And yet, they still can’t seem to get over us.

To this day, they refer to The University of Texas as “TU”, which is apparently a huge insult. They’re so into hating on us that they even sing about us in their fight song, saying “’They eyes of Texas are upon you’/That is the song they sing so well/So goodbye to Texas University/We’re going to beat you all to.” This song screams “craxy ex-girlfriend” over and over again, just like at the end of Miranda’s song.

I’d say the fact that they feel so strongly about us to incorporate us into their school song says a lot about their sanity levels. But its not just the song that makes them the crazy ex in this relationship, it’s the fact that after 4 years of not playing each other they still sing it. In the words of Mariah Carey, “why you so obsessed with me?”

MC giphy

The cult that is Texas A&M literally breeds their students to hate UT, while UT students somehow manage to find other things to concern themselves with. Meanwhile, Miranda is following her ex around with a pistol and physically assaulting him while he’s just trying to mind his own business. Maybe these two aren’t exactly equivalent, but you get the picture. Hopefully A&M can learn to get over us one day, and Miranda can learn to leave the gun at home after a breakup.

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Filed under Blog Post 3, Country Pop, Reflection

by | October 7, 2015 · 7:00 am

How Do You Like Me Now?

unnamed-1I inherited my love for Toby Keith from my mother, along with a pair of boots signed by him at
the Harris County Fair circa 1996. The only thing we ever listened to in the kitchen was his “Boomtown” album. Artists like Toby, Tim, and Kenny were pretty much the extent of my country music awareness until I turned 10, and I don’t have any complaints about it at all.

Toby Keith Country MusicI knew for sure I would be a “Whiskey Girl” when I was in the 3rd grade; I was wrong… so, so wrong- whiskey does NOT make me frisky, whiskey makes me sob uncontrollably. That being said, Toby Keith is known for rambunctious, “Get Drunk and Be Somebody”-esque songs. He gets a bad rap for being some kind of ignorant wash-up who killed country music, but I think that’s pretty unbased as far as his music is concerned.  He’s had his controversies, but he HAS great music. “I Love This Bar” as much as the next girl, and I wanted to share a few of my favorite songs both performed AND written by Keith that don’t really embody what most country fans would consider a typical TK song.

“Woman Behind the Man” is from his Boomtown album, and it’s a far more compelling love song than “Whiskey Girl” could even come close to. The song displays a capacity for love that an everyday country music fan wouldn’t begin to imagine possible of Toby. Similar in theme to “Stand Beside Me” by Jo Dee Messina, it’s a great example of women being viewed as equals and a healthy relationship, not based on tattoos or blue jeans.

“Every Night” is another example of Toby engaging with a more sensitive side, understanding the heartache and pain that a woman he is interested in is dealing with. It’s far from a boot stomping, beer drinking, all-american honky-tonk jive.

I love “Yesterday’s Rain” because even though the lyrics themselves are unabashedly miserable, it still manages to be a catchy song with a lively instrumental. It’s pretty typical country (albeit corporate) but it still stands out from the general Toby impression.

This is probably the most popular of the songs listed, and most people wouldn’t list ‘stoner’ as one of Toby Keith’s characteristics, it would fall farrrr below drunk and obnoxious; this song goes to prove just that. However, the song does mention his “great contact high” and he gives in and smokes again at the end of the song, so I like to think he came around at least a little bit. Also it’s just a fun TK song that I think is at least a little bit different from his typical rowdy redneck bad rap.

Hopefully after listening to these songs (and checking out his albums to find more on your own), you too will admit that his work has many dimensions, and I also hope to swing some fans in his favor- he’s a fun guy! I’m not saying he’s the next Albert Einstein, but his music doesn’t constantly cycle between tramp stamps, trucks, and red solo cups.

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Filed under New Country

by | October 6, 2015 · 7:00 am

Toby Keith Preaches… Acceptance?

Typically people don’t associate advocating for acceptance with Country music but Keith’s bar-anthem “I Love This Bar” is all about welcoming all. This song is deceptively progressive and impressively easy to find yourself singing along to.

Most of Toby Keith’s songs from this album are fun songs about drinking, women, and dreams but this one is a little bit more. This song is an interesting mix of progressive politics and classic Toby Keith Country. The backdrop for this song is a bar reminiscent of Cheers with Keith singing loving about his favorite bar but what is surprising is his attitude toward the patrons that frequent it. At first this song appears to not be any different as he mentions “smokers,” and, “boozers,” and “bikers,” but when he mentions, “yuppies” one realizes that this might go somewhere different. Some of the more unexpected people that are mentioned throughout the song include, high-techs, lovers, divorces, and hookers, however what really suggests an even more accepting atmosphere is the comparisons of opposites like, “winners and losers,” and, “a dumbass and a wiseguy”. These comparisons of opposites imply that not only those types of people are allowed in but so too are all those in between. Toby Keith really creates an image of a motley group of people.

In my mind, the strongest and most powerful part of this song is the end of the chorus, which goes, “Just walking through the front door / puts a big smile on my face / it ain’t to0 far, come as you are”. Hearing this celebratory and lighthearted song drop the line, “Come as you are,”  makes me smile because I think that is how the topic of acceptance should be approached – positively. Toby Keith approaches the topic of acceptance not in an accusatory or frustrated way, but in a way that is highlights and celebrates the diversity of the bar. One can imagine themselves in this bar, walking in and seeing inviting faces, which I think is a better catalyst for change than a negative song.

If nothing else, I think that this song fits perfectly with the rest of Toby Keith’s songs on the album like “As Good as I Once Was” and “I’m Just Talkin’ About Tonight”. The fact that Keith managed to stick to his sound and produce a song with an atypical meaning is impressive. Finally, the message of acceptance in this song that is not typically associated with Country music, and I am glad that it does such an effective job at demonstrating it positively.

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Filed under Blog Post 2, New Country

by | October 5, 2015 · 7:00 am

Haters Gon’ Hate (Country Music)

Why do people hate country music? I think that is the one thing I absolutely don’t understand in life, especially down here in the South. Country music fits all emotions, covers all issues, and relates to all types of people. But why do so many people drink the country music haterade?

country hateradeI guess my teen years really helped expand my love for the genre. Teen angst was real, but I always felt better when a country song would come on the radio that I could deeply relate to on an emotional level. It made me feel like I wasn’t alone, and that’s pretty much the recurring theme when you’re 13 and wanting to fit in.

Country music is stronger than ever these days with cross-over artists like Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Florida Georgia Line. These songs are obviously more pop-sounding to reach the mainstream audiences. But as a true country music fan, I’d rather listen to the 80s and 90s era of country than almost anything I hear on the radio today.

When you’re at a party and the night is coming to a close, and some brave soul turns on “Friends in Low Places” by Garth Brooks, what person would refuse to shout obnoxiously to the beginning lines “Blame it all on my roots, I showed up in boots”? It is a complete game changer when you go from dirty rap to good ole’ classic country. The night may be dwindling down but my heart is happy when the two-stepping breaks out. Even if you had the worst night, you can’t hate on the person that is twirling you across the floor to some good lookin’ George Strait.

Country music is the best way to live. There are so many country songs about different issues and events that have happened throughout history. “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning)” by Alan Jackson relates to the horrific tragedy of 9/11. There are so many country songs about American pride like “Only in America” by Brooks & Dunn and “American Soldier” by Toby Keith. Country is sensitive and rarely offensive unlike many songs we hear on the radio today.

Any person can find some country song they can relate to. “Brokenheartsville” by Joe Nichols relates to the heartbroken. “Bye Bye” by Jo Dee Messina is a great moving-on anthem. “Wild One” by Faith Hill speaks to all the rebellious teen girls. “Red Ragtop” by Tim McGraw references a couple’s life after abortion. Almost any Jason Aldean song can give the guys a sense of nostalgia of younger years. Give me a situation; I’ll find a country song for it.

In my opinion, everyone should love country music because I don’t see any reason to hate it. Country music truly brings me back down to Earth. It calms me down, it hypes me up, it makes me cry, and Brad Paisley can make me laugh on any given day. Maybe I’m just okay with feeling emotions, but everyone feels them at one point or another; who wouldn’t want a country song there for comfort? I may never understand the country music haters, but I’ll defend the genre until I die.

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Filed under Blog Post 2, Classic Country, Country Pop, Reflection, USA