What’s interesting to me about these music journalists that point a finger at an entire genre in disgust is that despite these articles being “personal opinion pieces”, they bring absolutely nothing personal about themselves to the article. They talk about what they don’t like about a genre, but they never give you any qualification to their opinion. Who are you? What do you like? And what does the music you like actually do for you? What need is it satisfying? What have you been through to hold such a strong appreciation for the songs you like?
But, rather than bitch about how people do it wrong (as I’ve done a few times before), I figured I’d lead by example.
Without further ado, I give you: Why I Don’t Like Country Music.
Background – Metal
I’ve written before about my musical journey, and how I came to love metal. But, to save you from reading yet another long-winded article when you’re already tasked with reading this one, I’ll give you the skinny. I went into metal because it satisfied my need to unleash. I’m a very animated person by nature, and metal is high-energy. I’m also a very passionate person, so the intensity of the genre connects with me emotionally. Every song is like a trip. It’s a story that’s relived in the same intensity that it happened, and I grow as a person at the end of it.
Metal is honest, and holds absolutely nothing back. There’s no sugar-coating going on here. It’s straight, and to the point. And, the intensity matches the intention.
Metal is a great release for me.
But what about country? Well, first, let’s get into what country is…
Genres of Country
Let’s break down the different areas of country first.
I’m not going to get into what all the actual genres and subgenres are… Rather, I think it best to focus on the audience.
There’s traditional country music, which uses acoustic guitars, drums, and a singer with a country twang. Then there’s pop country, which fuses country with elements of pop music today. The singer usually has a twang, but rather than keep the style “folksy”, they engage in the pop vocal trends. Most country you hear on the radio falls under this category. Then there’s “southern rock”, which fuses elements of rock (like distorted guitars and heavier percussion) with traditional country music. And today, we now have newer forms starting, like country rap and country metal.
I enjoy some country metal here and there, as my favorite country groups are Blackstone Cherry and Texas Hippie Coalition. But again, it’s that intensity that gets me. Most country music is very laid back, and the music, while at times upbeat, is still very relaxed. This brings me to the themes of country.
Themes of Country
What I mean by themes is what the songs are supposed to evoke out of you. What are the songs about? How are you supposed to feel when you listen to them?
Most male country singers tend to sing about the same things… You’ll find these themes with just about any male country singer. They are:
- I love girls; they are pretty
- I’m lazy(I wanna go back home/I want to party/I want to “get away from it all”)
- Things I like (beer, parties, food, girls, trucks, etc.)
- A day in my life
- I love my daughter because she’s cute.
There are other themes as well, but it varies per country singer. If you’re going into country music, you will find those themes with just about every artist.
Female country singers put a lot of effort into songs about relationships. You’ll usually see these themes:
- Well, there goes relationship number 37 down the drain, next time I’ll get it right for sure
- My man treats me like crap (and sometimes a bonus: So I’m gonna be shitty right back at him)
- My mamma is great
- My daddy is either great, or a horrible man
- I like dancing
And then back to:
- Things I like
- A day in my life
The thing about these themes is that either they’re not significant enough to really push for in intensity, or they are worth it and not addressed at the right level of intensity. A country song is never blunt; it’s always sugar-coated. Using subtlety, the songs dance around what it is they’re really trying to say rather than just coming straight out with it. It’s such a laid back approach that I begin to wonder if they have any emotional attachment to what they’re singing at all.
There are exceptions, of course. Carrie Underwood’s “Blown Away” was actually very powerful to me. It was sung at the right intensity, given its meaning, and I thought it was very well done. The problem is that little gems like this exist among a huge pile of underwhelming songs.
With metal (specifically my favorite genre, nu metal) the themes range from:
- Overcoming adversity
- Breaking under the weight of some kind of burden
- Using shocking hyperbole to explain the evil of a particular ideology
- Reliving a horrible moment from the past
- Angst and self-loathing
- Self pity
Every one of these is going to be a trip of some kind. In contrast to the themes of country, country seems very innocent… like the sorts of things that children would sing about. When I look at the themes of metal, it’s designed with a more mature audience in mind. That’s not to say that sometimes metal bands don’t make very childish songs (for instance, “I Don’t Give A …” by Dope). But overall, these are the ideas you should expect to see in every metal band out there. Mentally, I’m not satisfied with most of the themes of country music… I need those provocative themes that’ll stimulate my mind, as well as the intensity that’ll stimulate my emotions. Otherwise, the music just feels like background noise. When I listen to country music, I feel bored… craving stimulation. It makes me very impatient.
Country Technicals
As explained before, there aren’t very many risks taken when making country music. Sure, there are new fusions to be had (like Big Smo’, who I actually like). But overall, country hasn’t changed much over the past century. No new instruments have been used, and no new ideas brought to the table.
Metal, by contrast, seems to have a new subgenre every other month. With metal, there’s traditional metal, nu metal/alternative metal (aggresive rap-style), symphonic metal (involving various instruments from a symphony… Trans-Siberian Orchestra is a good example of this), progressive metal (updated 80s metal basically, see Dream Theater), djent (see Periphery and Meshuggah), metalcore (see August Burns Red), grindcore, mathcore(see Dilinger Escape Plan), death metal (see Cannibal Corpse), black metal (see Cradle of Filth), folk metal, pirate metal (Alestorm), viking metal (Týr), celtic metal, kawaii metal (Jpop fusion)… the list goes on and on.
Because of this, I feel like every new country song I hear sounds exactly like thousands of others I’ve already heard. Not only are the themes the same, but so is the music. This once again contributes to my boredom… And I know that some say “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Well, you’re failing to realize what’s broken then: lost interest due to mediocrity and monotony. Those are problems that need to be addressed, and any artist who never gets an urge to be creative and try something their own way is someone lacking in creativity.
Show me something I’ve never seen before. Not just for the sake of being different, but for the sake of not doing the same thing again for the millionth time.
My Ignorance – Opinion of the South, and Understanding People
I’ve lived in Virginia most of my life. I’ve seen lots of country folks here. I sometimes wonder if perhaps my dislike of country is related to the people I associate it with.
I don’t claim to know every single person who likes country, so I’m not making a broad sweeping judgment of every country fan in the world. I’m only targeting the ones I know and have met myself.
Their personalities seem to be very relaxed. They don’t like any complexity, nor customization. They want things simple, and take things at face value.
I, on the other hand, question everything I hear, customize everything I have, and make things more complex so that it better fits the way I think things should work. I never take anything at face value. Is this a trend with country folks? To never think outside the box? I don’t mean that rhetorically – I’m genuinely curious.
I’m very mentally-driven. My mind has to constantly be busy, and I can’t unplug it unless I’m ready to go to sleep. I can’t even veg out on the sofa all day and watch TV.
Perhaps people who like country are the same people who also enjoy sitting in silence. These same people like to unplug their minds and their emotions for a while. This is why they can sit in front of the television, or go out and do lots of manual labor with nothing to stimulate their mind.
Is there anything wrong with that? No, everyone’s different, and in a way I admire you for being able to unplug like that, mostly because I am completely unable to do so.
In Closing
Rather than simply bash a genre and call it stupid, I prefer to explore my own soul and personality to see what it is about a genre that I don’t find appealing. This helps me to understand other people as well.
The next time you decide to write a genre-bashing article, try adding some context and qualification of who you are, and what music does to you.
It’s a far better read, and people in both camps (haters and lovers) can respect your opinion far more easily.