Tag Archives: George Strait

What is “Country?” A Longwinded Rant

Photo: http://i142.photobucket.com/albums/r96/thisdayinmusic/keep-calm-and-listen-to-country-music-43.pngWhat is “country?” When listening to songs like “Take a Back Road” or “Boys Round Here”, people tend to get the impression that “country” means small town, trucks, and beer drinking. However, with global warming occurring as well as the increased urbanization of America, trucks and small towns will begin going away. No, small towns will never disappear, but they will become less isolated as the large cities expand. I sit here thinking about what that this means for the future of “country” and country music. Could it be that “country” is really more of a way of life? If so, what is that way of life? Having grown up in Houston, a big city with a huge sports and business culture, I never considered myself “country.” That said, I always envied the lives of people who grew up in small towns and always loved listening to country music. I think Easton Corbin sang about this concept when he sang “A Little More Country Than That.” He sang about being a little more country than “a dirt road full of pot holes with a creek bank and some cane poles.” Either this guy literally lives in the middle of nowhere, or he is talking about his culture. He also sang about not two-timing and playing games because he understands that there is more to “country” than farming and roping cattle.

When I think of “country”, I think of someone with Southern values. I think of someone who works hard for his or her family, but never compromises his or her core morals. I think of someone who, when the times get tough, will fight through the obstacles and will never waiver. In that regard, “country” people live everywhere, regardless of if they grew up in a trailer or drive a pickup. No, I’m not writing this post to make myself feel better or to include more people in the “country” tent. I’m doing this because I see country music moving in the wrong direction regarding lyrics. I grew up listening to country songs, partly because I love the sound, but also because of the for which they stand. When I turn on the radio and “Home Alone Tonight” comes on, I can’t help thinking how this could easily be a song that any pop artist could sing. Sure, many recent songs have featured small towns, but they seem to lack the values that made country music so special to me. I grew up listing to songs that, even if they were a little pop sounding, at least they differed in that I could identify with their messages. “If You’re Going Through Hell” is a favorite of mine to listen to when I experience failure. No, George Strait would have never sung it, but at least it has a message behind it that demonstrates the values my parents tried to instill in me.

I cannot explain why I felt the need to rant about the state of country music, but I hope it shed some light onto why I care so deeply when Sam Hunt’s songs reach the top of the charts. I don’t care about other people’s song preferences, but I do care about the future of the genre I love the most. I think its time we reevaluate what the word “country” means, because once we lose trucks, country music singers will have a hard time differentiating themselves from other musicians.

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Filed under Blog Post 4, Country Pop, New Country

Saturday Morning Cartoons: The Country Urban Bridge

Photo: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v_dXpJvNyyA/maxresdefault.jpg

Photo: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/v_dXpJvNyyA/maxresdefault.jpg

Ask most people in the United States what they did as kids between the hours of 7:00am and 11:00am on Saturday mornings, and they will answer you “I turned on the TV to watch Saturday morning cartoons.” No, not everyone enjoyed this blissful weekend activity, but for the (for everyone’s sake, hopefully) majority of Americans who did, the thought of Saturday morning cartoons brings a sense of nostalgia and happiness not easily replicated by many ideas. Whether they watched Nickelodeon, the Disney Channel, Kids WB, Fox, PBS, or local TV, most people think fondly of the times when they hurried to the couch at 6:58 and caught the end of a poorly-made infomercial. Though to most people, country music seems to evoke thoughts of trucks, beer, and romance, country music makes me think of the little things in life. I think of the commonalities people of different backgrounds share with each other, and of the things that can simplify our hectic lives. Is there anything that fits that description more than Saturday morning cartoons?

Photo: http://image.blingee.com/images19/content/output/000/000/000/7cd/787180849_973534.gif

Photo: http://image.blingee.com/images19/content/output/000/000/000/7cd/787180849_973534.gif

I ran down every Saturday at 6:58 to avoid missing the opening seconds of Scooby-Doo. After Scooby-Doo, and Yu-Gi-Oh!, I ran to my room to get dressed and brush my teeth. I was a Kids WB guy, but I made sure to watch Fox when Digimon came on. After one episode on Fox, I returned to WB to watch Jackie Chan’s Adventures and, of course, Pokemon. Breakfast usually came in between Digimon and Jackie Chan’s Adventures, but I made sure to sit in position to watch the show while eating.

Although my TV schedule changed several times (I’m not even sure if the one written above is 100% accurate), I always loved cartoon time. Other shows that I remember liking are Transformers, Saved by the Bell, and especially Batman Beyond, so somehow and at some point those shows made it into the Saturday morning lineup. In a world in which not everyone enjoys the taste of beer and more and more people choose to drive environmentally conscious vehicles, country music is going to have to choose whether it is the music of the people, or the music of a people. Historically, it made the switch from “hillbilly music” to “middle class music” to become something with which more people can identify. Luke Bryan even wrote a song about country music’s ruralization. Certain songs by Kenny Chesney and Kip Moore have shown the more rural side of country music, but I for one do not identify with many of their all of their ideals. I’m a die-hard patriot so I identify with Patriot songs, but even having grown up in Texas, never had to work on a farm or . George Strait once sang about passing notes in class and Darius Rucker’s “Alright” and Phil Vasser’s “Just Another Day in Paradise” very much talk about the day-to-day activities that make life worth living. A song about Saturday morning cartoons would fit right in.

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Filed under Blog Post 3

4 George Strait Songs That Deserve That #1 Seat

George-Strait

“Unless you’re God or George Strait, Take Off Your Boots”. Known as the “King of country music”, George Strait has released 59 #1 singles. Believe it or not, some of his greatest songs didn’t quite reach that #1 seat and here is a list of four that deserve it:

1) “Marina Del Rey” released in 1982

Released as a single from his album, Strait from the Heart, this is a song about a memory made with a love a man met while in Marina Del Rey. “As we looked into each others’ eyes/ We found our bodies lost in paradise/ Like castaways in Marina Del Rey.” We sense the affair between the two characters as something they will remember for the rest of the their lives. This song embodies notions listeners want to feel – passionate love.

2) “Amarillo by Morning” released in 1982

“Amarillo by Morning”, also a single released from the album, Strait from the Heart, describes the life of a rodeo man. Strait sings about the love the narrator has for rodeo life stating, “I ain’t got a dime but what I got is mine, I ain’t rich but Lord I’m free”. This song is relatable to many people who do what they love simply because they enjoy it.

3) “The Cowboy Rides Away” released in 1984

I know what you are thinking, “The Cowboy Rides Away” has to be a #1. Nope, but it sure deserves to be. From the album, Does Fort Worth Ever Cross Your Mind, this song tells us about relationship that has had its ups and downs. The song concludes by telling us “the last goodbyes the hardest one to say. This is where the cowboy rides away”. This song always seem to be the last song played at a dance, where you’re sure to see a full dance floor.

4) “Cowboys Like Us” released in 2003

“Cowboys Like Us” reached #2 on Billboard Hot Country Singles from his album Honkeytonkville. This song is an ode to all the real cowboys still left out there. “Cowboys like us sure do have fun/ racin’ the wind, chasin’ the sun.” I picture a bunch of boys on horses, wearing cowboy hats riding down the pasture having a genuine good time. How can you not love that? “There’ll be no regrets, no worries and such/ For cowboys like us.” This carefree way of life brings out the inner cowboy in all of us.

https://youtu.be/aR5LK52k8dE

From break ups and heartache to love and passion, George Strait has sung about it all. These four songs symbolize the true meaning of country music. We applaud George Strait’s talents and the fact that he has had so many #1’s, but hey these songs deserve that count to be 63.

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Filed under Blog Post 3, Lists, New Traditionalism, Song Analysis, Texas