Country Music Project

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “California?” Most people would think Hollywood, the beach, nice weather, hippies, surfing, big city, entertainment capitol, etc. All of those descriptions come with positive connotations surrounding that one word “California.” I have experienced these stereotypes first hand as I was born and raised in the valley of southern California, otherwise known as Calabasas. Whenever I describe where I am from, most people immediately associate me with being similar to the “Kardashians:” rich, stuck up, fortunate, famous, fake, pretentious, and typically someone who looks down upon others. Despite those negative descriptions, that is not at all what I consider to be “my community.”

Yes, I am from Calabasas, but I never grew up intending to live up to the “Kardashian” lifestyle. The community where I consider myself a part of is full of busy and motivated pedestrians, crowded streets, big rolling hills, grand houses, and people who love to be outdoors enjoying the warm southern California sun. But underneath the surface level depictions, Calabasas is a community that will open its arms to all types of people regardless of race or sexual orientation, and for that reason alone, I couldn’t be more proud of where I come from.

Calabasas really shaped my outlook on country music considering the genre is almost non-existent there. No one that I know of enjoys or often listens to country music, so I was never introduced to it formally until I moved here to Texas. This is the exact reason why I chose to take this class so that I could begin to learn about this specific type of genre and surrounded myself with people who share the same interest as me.

Unfortunately, not knowing many country songs to begin with, choosing one that reminds me of my community was more challenging than expected. I originally had chosen the song Feeling Fine California by Kristian Bush because I thought it was a perfect song to describe where I grew up in California, but I wanted to dig deeper into the meanings of some of these country songs, which led me to choose Boondocks by Little Big Town. This song really hits home for me especially since its lyrics talk about how he is proud of where he comes from. Even though the artist and I come from different small towns, I can relate to him and the way he feels about his hometown through his passion in his voice and the powerful lyrics he sings. Additionally, he sings about the things that he has learned from being in that small town such as learning about life, love, working hard, and Jesus, just as I did while being from my small town.

As an out of state student here at Texas it sometimes feels like I don’t belong simply because 95% of the students here were born and raised in Texas. But despite what others think, just as the song states, I am proud of where I come from, and that’s where my heart and soul will always remain.

Despite Aspen’s infamous reputation as the playground for the rich and famous, the Aspen that I grew up in was a tight knit community of friendly, hardworking people. Throughout my eighteen years growing up in the little mountain town, I became very close with a small group of my peers who helped shape both my childhood and my adolescence. There were no private jets or hillside mansions with ski slope access. It was simply a bunch of kids who loved the little town and the mountains that surrounded it. In my community, we were constantly outside, always doing things like skiing, hiking or spending our nights camping at one of our favorite spots. I have many fond memories sitting around the campfire with my friends, gazing up at the stars and listening to “Rocky Mountain High” by John Denver. Rocky Mountain High, written by a local legend in Aspen, embodies the experience of growing up in a small mountain town. In the song, he touches on subjects like climbing “cathedral mountains” and “the serenity of a clear blue mountain lake,” something all Aspen residents can relate to. Country music and the subjects contained in its songs are ideas and experiences that all people can relate to, and that is the beauty of the genre. The ideas behind the songs are relatable for Americans across the nation, no matter what part of the country they are from. Rocky Mountain High is a great example of this. Growing up in a mountain community is a niche subject, but John Denver makes it relatable for listeners from all different backgrounds. Country music is music created for the common man. No matter your community, you can still relate the experiences of the writer who almost surely has been in the same position or felt the same way. I grew up with John Denver’s music, and while his style does not exactly fit with the current direction of country music today, his relatability and the subjects he addresses have helped define what country music is to me. Country music is not about stereotypical moonshine and daisy dukes. It’s about where you come from, the ideals you were raised with, and the experiences you had while growing up in America. I will never forget sitting around the campfire with my close friends watching it “raining fire in the sky” as the sun set, or swimming in a “clear blue mountain lake,” and John Denver’s songs reflect those memories and brings me right back to the place and the people who helped make me who I am. I truly would be a poorer man if I “never saw an eagle fly.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Il4qOQGUGbo

People who lose faith when their prayers don’t come true can be very misguided. When they lose an athletic game, don’t get the girl of their dreams, or don’t get a job they apply for, it’s very easy to turn away from God. Through family, faith, and country music, I have learned to keep a positive outlook when things don’t go the way I plan.

From a young age, my family ingrained in me the saying “everything happens for a reason.” I didn’t just learn that lesson from my parents, however. I learned it from the music they played. Some of my first memories were sitting in my car seat listening to Tim McGraw, the Dixie Chicks, and Garth Brooks. I specifically remember asking my dad if every country singer was Garth Brooks because I thought they all sounded the same. As I grew older, I maintained an affinity for country while my friends listened to pop and hip hop. There weren’t many country fans in Arizona and if you had asked my friends who Garth Brooks was, they would’ve had no idea. They would have never heard my all-time-favorite song, “Unanswered Prayers.”

Although many country songs have taught me valuable life lessons, there hasn’t been one that has impacted me as much as Brooks’ “Unanswered Prayers.” It was always one of my favorite songs but the significance of the lyrics didn’t hit me until I started writing songs myself. I had the same feelings about a girl in high school that Garth did in his song. It helped me get through that. It also helped me overcome obstacles and disappointments like losing a state championship. Although the song is about a girl, I quickly learned it translates to all aspects of life. In the song, Brooks tells a story about how bad he wanted a girl in high school and if he’d have married her, he wouldn’t have met his wife today. In the second verse, Garth sings about how his “old flame” “wasn’t quite the angel” he remembered in his dreams. By the end of the song, the listener is convinced how lucky Garth was that God didn’t answer his prayer to marry his high school crush. He hits home with the hook of the chorus and arguably the greatest line ever written, “Some of God’s greatest gifts are unanswered prayers.”

If it wasn’t for my family, I probably would have never been influenced by songs like “Live Like You Were Dying,” “Never Wanted Nothin’ More,” and “Stupid Boy.” If it wasn’t for songs like “Unanswered Prayers,” I would probably think country music is just about beer, the south, and tailgate parties. It’s fair to say I would be a completely different person if I didn’t have my family, faith, and country music.

One of the most meaningful communities that I identify with is the Christian community. Ever since I was little I have found the God’s word to be a source of refuge, support, and strength throughout my lifetime. When listening to country music, I have found that a good majority of artists have expressed similar feelings about their faith and what it stands for through one song, or many songs throughout their careers. This is one factor that made me take a liking to country music growing up. Some may say that faith in country music can be hypocritical if for example an artist releases a song that praises God, but also cites stories about partying or sinful things. However, it’s my belief that so much music today consists of songs about bad judgment or “sinful” things, and it’s refreshing to hear someone talk about their faith. Also, because Christianity is all about our acknowledgement of not being perfect and needing God, the songs with faith and sin are simply more real and genuine.

Ever since I was little, I have always felt that my faith was something that made up who I am and gave my life a purpose. Whether I was going through a breakup, struggling with family issues, or stressing about school I knew that I would always have someone to look to for help when life got crazy. I always knew that I was nowhere near perfect, and it was comforting to know that someone was always looking out for me and would forgive me no matter what.

When looking at country music from a Christian standpoint, I found myself able to relate to a lot of songs. I didn’t come from a small town, have parties out of a truck bed and sit around fires, but I did enjoy the way that so many country artists stated their faith and what it meant to them, whether it was simply one line of a song or the complete meaning of it Artists like Rascal Flatts, Brad Paisley, and Faith Hill were people that were known to express their love for God through their music. Throughout my teen years I went through many different phases of the genres of music I liked to listen to, and still change it today, but country has always been somewhat of a quiet constant for me because I always respected it due to how so many artists shared my faith. Whether the song stated things like, “God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy,” as Billy Currington does or more devotional things like, “When I get where I’m going and I see my maker’s face I’ll stand forever in the light of his amazing grace,” as Brad Paisley does, I still found myself taking a liking to the song.

One song in particular was one of my favorite ones growing up, called “Jesus Take The Wheel” by Carrie Underwood. The song describes a girl getting into a car wreck, which puts her life into perspective and makes her want to give her life up completely to God. Though this is a situation that not all people can relate to, if you take it metaphorically many Christian listeners can relate to it, as I did. There are events in my life that have caused me to want to strive to be a better person in order to glorify God.

Being a part of the Christian community has most definitely played a role in the type of music that I listen to. I certainly don’t listen to only gospel music, and even listen to what some would say is the complete opposite through rap/ hip- hop, but it is a nice refresher to hear such faith- filled songs in the country genre that I can relate to. In the end, it has made me feel as though country is a more genuine, tell- it- like- it- is genre.