Category Archives: Women

by | September 9, 2015 · 5:00 pm

It Must Be The Little Things

Everyone can agree that peer influences get to just about everybody. Who hasn’t heard from their parent’s “If your best friend (insert relevant name here) jumped off a bridge, would you too?” And while many people might not be prone to bridge jumping, there are definitely things one would do just because they took note of who else was doing it around them.

The home stretch of the teenage years is upon those in college. And though there are the occasionally murmurs of “I’m not ready to grow up”, or “I want to be young forever”, it’s not that hard to unite together in remembrance of some awkward, strange, and overall laughable teenage memories that have shaped each and every person into who they are today.

Being 19 years old does still categorize me with all other teenage girls, but I’m not ashamed.

Teenage years are pretty horrendous, especially for girls. From boy problems, to friends, school, sports and everything else in between, it’s pretty easy to get caught up in what everyone else around you is doing or saying. This makes focusing on bettering and truly becoming you much harder. Because of this “tunnel vision”, as sung by Justin Timberlake, it wasn’t hard to jump onto the country music bandwagon. Watching older girls go to country concerts and dress up with all of their friends and then post endlessly about it on all social media outlets, inevitably lead me to believe country music was “cool”.

Having limited access to downloading music because of pretty strict parents made my country music bingeing consist of mainly Taylor Swift (no complaints there), Eli Young Band, and Miranda Lambert.

Now I will not argue about whether or not Taylor Swift should still be considered a country artist, for that you can refer to CBS news. However, I will defend Taylor’s first singles from when she was up-and-coming.

Taylor Swift has accomplished and will continue to accomplish many musical feats, but what she is most well known for is writing songs that are relatable for teenage girls. One that brings me back almost all the way to pre-teen Alyssa is “I’d Lie”. It was the first song I listened to when I got a car at age 16, and easily is my absolute favorite throwback song to play on road trips.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCuzMK3pXck

Because country music was introduced to me through Taylor Swift (try not to cringe) and a few other bands/artists during my teenage years, I view the genre as youthful and playful. Hearing those country songs on the radio that talk about boys, friends, school, sports, and everything in between, never fails to remind me of high school friends and finding myself.

Country music as a whole has the power to influence every listener differently, no matter the age or gender. One can say that it can’t be put into a specific box. As society grows and transforms, so does country music. Whatever way country music makes you feel- it is catchy, and therefor a prominent and influential  genre. All genres have this potential, but country music hits it right on the nose.

The little things in life can have a much bigger impact on one than might be led on, and I am living proof of that. And on top of that, peer influences during teen years are so weighty. They affected the type of music I listened to, and still listen to, to this day. Makes you wonder what other influences have done and/or will do?

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Filed under Blog Post 1, Country Pop, Women

by | May 1, 2015 · 8:00 am

Walk the Line: The Music of June Carter Cash

imageGrowing up, I have many memories of listening to music in the car while on trips. While it was sometimes the radio, or Christmas music around the holidays, I specifically remember listening to the Walk the Line soundtrack with my mom after she watched the movie. We would alternate between Johnny Cash’s deep, booming voice and Joaquin Phoenix’s well-executed covers of the Cash originals. This weekend, I watched Walk the Line for the first time and while I was impressed with the story of Johnny Cash, I was particularly struck by Reese Witherspoon and her portrayal of June Carter. June was a popular female singer, having gained fame from her early performances with the Carter Family. Her portrayal in the film is more focused on her relationship with Cash, but her talent as a singer is also notable. I decided to put together a list of my favorite June Carter songs, including some performed by Witherspoon in the movie.

5. “Juke Box Blues”

This song was one of the first I heard in the movie that really sparked my interest in June Carter. The song’s instrumentation is really simple, featuring drums, slide guitar, and brief moments of piano. However, June’s swing with her voice and lively personality drew my attention in a song with repetitive melodic lines.

4. “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”

June Carter first recorded her cover of this song in 1999 at age 70 on her album Press On. The song is just as simple in instrumentation as “Juke Box Blues”. Her version of this song is unique in her subtle vibrato, use of dynamic contrast at the end of each line, and her hints of swing between notes.

3. “Ring of Fire”

This song is most famously known as one of Johnny Cash’s greatest hits, but it was interesting to learn that June Carter actually wrote the song and recorded her own version. Her version changes the rhythms and uses more stereotypically “country” instruments, like fiddle and percussion instruments.

2. “Wildwood Flower”

This song reminds me a lot of “Juke Box Blues” in its repetition of the melodic line. Her pronunciation of the lyrics in the song helps to make it unique, like “flor” instead of “flower”. While the song is sad and could get monotonous, June Carter’s voice is upbeat and positive, implying that she has emotional strength to get through depressing times.

1. “Jackson”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nzhzCF77GDo

This song is definitely my favorite of June Carter’s, largely because it features Johnny Cash in a duet. Their chemistry is evident in this song, with hollers at each other during their individual features. In addition, the song is fun and upbeat, and the harmony between Cash’s deep sultry voice and Carter’s fun scooping soprano make the sound unique.

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Filed under Country Symbols, Movies and TV, Women

by | April 28, 2015 · 8:00 am

When Will Country Let Go of Taylor Swift?

Country music is part of Taylor Swift’s past. In fact, she transcended the country music genre to become one of pop music’s top stars. However, country music awards continue to eagerly embrace the cultural icon, as demonstrated by her recent participation in the Academy of Country Music Awards.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iIDa-A8ZPH0

At the ACMs, Swift received a Milestone Award that recognized her career achievements. To put things into perspective, Garth Brooks, George Strait, Reba McEntire, Brooks & Dunn, Miranda Lambert, and Kenny Chesney also received The Milestone Award. However, those artists sit firmly in the country music genre. Of course, the Academy of Country Music is well justified in maintaining a connection to Swift.

Taylor Swift honors her country music past. In Swift’s acceptance speech of The Milestone Award she thanked Nashville for teaching her how to write songs. Swift performed her first hit “Tim McGraw” on the ACM stage in 2007 when her career was beginning to take off. The next year Swift won the Top New Female Vocalist. After that moment her career accomplishments multiplied.

taylor-swift-acm-awards-2015-01Taylor Swift is a household name. The press follows her fashion, her relationships and her business decisions. Her album sales prove her success. Her new album “1989” spent 24 straight weeks in the top five of the Billboard 200. It was also the first album to sell one million traditional US copies in 2015.

Taylor Swift helps other artists. With the world’s fourth largest Twitter following, when she mentions an artist, her fans respond by buying the album in droves. She also gives singers with their first album a spot on her tours, helping to propel them to success.

Taylor Swift provides a huge ratings boost. Non-country fans likely watch shows just to see her. Now that she’s pop, is it too much of a stretch to see her at a country music award show? When her previous album “Red” came out and the sounds of pop music shined through, country radio still played those songs. However, 1989 is not played on country stations at all.

taylor-swift-acm-awards-20154As Swift accepted the award she said, “Somebody once told me that you truly see who a person is when you tell them something they don’t want to hear…And so to the country music community, when I told you that I had made a pop album and that I wanted to go explore other genres, you showed me who you are with the grace you accepted that with. I will never forget it.”

With these words, it seemed as if Swift said her final farewell to country music. She gave the country audience a bit of closure, but can country music award shows afford to let her go?

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Filed under Awards, Country Pop, Movies and TV, Women

by | April 27, 2015 · 5:04 pm

Follow Your Arrow

Country music has always featured controversial topics, but the most popular seems to be about alcohol and drugs. While other genres like rap talk about it literally, country music seems to put a comical twist on these bad habits. The artist that I believe to do the best job of tackling this subject is female country artist Kacey Musgraves. Some of my favorite songs of hers include “Follow Your Arrow,” “Blowing Smoke,” and “Merry Go ‘Round. “ Rolling Stones states “25-year-old Kacey Musgraves has become one of the loudest symbols of young country musicians embracing progressive values.”

Kacey is not only a wonderful singer, but also an incredible songwriter. She has co-written “Mama’s Broken Heart” for Miranda Lambert and “Undermine” for the ABC series Nashville. The Guardian explains that Kacey “has a way of making people feel special not by telling them that they’re special, but by reminding them that no one really is.” This is easily seen in her new songs “Biscuits” and “Cup of Tea.”

My coworker is friends with Kacey’s sister Kelly and tells me that Kacey is a little crazy, but she is as real as her songs. She loves to smoke and do drugs and doesn’t care what people think. She isn’t being fake, or trying to portray herself as someone she isn’t. I am proud that she comes from Texas and I love that her songs aren’t written for everyone. Her songs are written for the people who want to listen and can relate. She hasn’t commercialized herself in the way Nashville does to so many female country artists. Kacey is probably my favorite country female out right now and I really can’t wait to see her in concert again.

The first time I saw Kacey Musgraves in concert was when she was opening for another act. I unfortunately don’t remember who she opened for, I only remember sitting there with my mother when we heard “Follow Your Arrow” for the first time. We both looked at each other and said that she is going to be big some day. My mother still listens to Kacey today and has stated to me on several occasions that she want to see her in concert again

I have posted some of the songs I have mentioned in this post below. I really hope you enjoy them and I am curious to hear what you all think about this newer female country artist.

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Filed under Politics, Texas, Women

by | · 8:00 am

Feminism In Country Music

Country music doesn’t have much of a reputation for speaking out about gender equality and women’s rights. Songs like Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man” definitely does not help this reputation.  For years women in the country music industry have written songs about men breaking their hearts, getting cheated on, and loving a man who isn’t kind or thankful. However, many female country music artists in the past as well as today are boldly speaking out about these issues.  Women have enhanced country music and have developed the genre into what it is today, so I believe that these women deserve some recognition.  I have developed a random list of a few country songs that I believe have made a significant contribution to spreading the idea of feminism in country music.

Maddie & Tae – “Girl In a Country Song”

This song was released in July, 2014 as their debut single.  It has been played over and over again on country music radio since its release.  These two girls wrote this song as a response to their frustration with Bro Country.  They were tired of girls being portrayed as sexual objects for many famous male performers.  Maddie & Tae use a sarcastic song to make fun of Bro Country and show the ridiculousness of many famous songs in this beloved sub-genre.  These girls express their feminist views with lyrics such as these: “We used to get a little respect / now we’re lucky if we even get / to climb in your truck, keep our mouth shut and ride along / and be the girl in a country song.”

Dolly Parton – “Just Because I’m a Woman”

https://youtu.be/lz_ejQbDoS0

“Just Because I’m a Woman” is apparently Dolly Parton’s response to a conversation with her husband about how many lovers they’d had in the past. It has a simple message, yet a powerful one.  Dolly says that just because she is a woman, her mistakes are no worse than her husband’s.  Released in 1968, this song made a splash and spoke about women’s rights long before people were ready to accept the message.

Shania Twain – “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!”

Shania Twain is one of my favorite artists because her songs are easy to understand and enjoyable to listen to, but usually have a hidden message.  In this song, Shania is expressing her pride in being a woman.  Shania stands up for women’s right to have a good time without a man by saying, “No inhibitions, make no conditions / get a little outta line / I ain’t gonna act politically correct / I only want to have a good time.”  Songs like these paved the way for artists like Britney Spears and Carrie Underwood to be accepted into the music world as sassy, strong women.  Some people even believe that this song is also speaking about gays rights, which makes the song even more incredible.

Wanda Jackson – “My Big Iron Skillet”

“My Big Iron Skillet” is about a woman fed up with her husband’s philandering and mistreatment of her. Not that we condone beating your spouse with a skillet, obviously, but it shows a woman standing up for herself, and that’s a thing we can support.  Wanda says “And you think here at home is where I ought to be / There’s gonna be some changes made when you get in tonight / Cause I’m gonna teach you wrong from right.”  Wanda really knew how to assert herself as an independent woman back in a time when most women did not do this.

The Carter Family – “Single Girl, Married Girl”

https://youtu.be/Lsmgy0dqzyw

The Carter Family probably wasn’t the first to sing this song, but it echoes the roots of feminism in country and folk music.  This song is a tale that warns women to savor their independence.  The single girl gets to flaunt her nice clothes while the married woman is left rocking a cradle and crying.  It’s definitely not a bad thing to be married, but the Carter Family just wants women to make something of themselves instead of depending on a man. This is one of the earliest feminist songs, making the Carter Family even more legendary.

Kacey Musgraves – “Follow Your Arrow”

Kacey Musgraves has a made a huge splash in the country music world by sharing her liberal views in a primarily conservative genre.  This song, “Follow Your Arrow” pushes people to do whatever makes them happy and not try to please others.  Although this song is a comment on gay rights and acceptance, I believe that it is also a very feminist song.  Kacey tells us to make lots of noise and kiss lots of boys, which was not an acceptable way for women to act in the past.

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Filed under Lists, Politics, Song Analysis, Women