This Is Country Music

by Jessica

A few years ago, I don’t think I even realized country music existed. At least, I didn’t know anything beyond old, twangy, super backwoods country music existed. But then I discovered a genre of music called “new country,” which is basically general country with a bit of flair added to it. By that I mean, there can be less steel guitars and banjos and more electric guitars and bass. Country’s got a bit of spunk to it now, a little pop here, a little rock there. But when it all comes down to it, everything comes full circle to classic, full-blown, good hearted country music.

To sort of draw a dichotomy here between old and new country, I’ll tell you some names of singers from both categories. Old country deals with folks like George Strait, Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, and Johnny Cash. On the other hand, some popular new country artists include such names as Rascal Flatts, Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Blake Shelton. The two genres may sound different to your ears, but something they’ve both got in common is their ability to tell a story, and that’s what I love most about any country music.

When you listen to country music, the songs tell the tale of someone’s life, a hardship someone’s been through, or how one particular event of his or her life happened. In new country, what I usually listen to, a few songs that do this include: “We Danced” by Brad Paisley, “Two Black Cadillacs” by Carrie Underwood, “People Are Crazy” by Billy Currington, and “A Woman Like You” by Lee Brice. Of course there are others, but these are just some that really get their point across, and by the end of the song, you feel like you’ve read a really good book or watch a great movie and gotten a peek into this person’s life, whether they really exist or not.

Some artists tell their own stories through songs, like Miranda Lambert’s “House That Built Me,” which is about Miranda returning to her childhood home, where someone new now lives. She takes a stroll through the house that “built” her as a person, and she sees her old bedroom where she did her homework and learned to play guitar. She then sings of how she grew up there and that she won’t take anything except for a memory, as long as she can see the house one last time. Similar songs like these connect you with the artist and make the songs more meaningful. Lambert won CMA Song of the Year in 2012 for co-writing another song, “Over You,” with her husband and fellow country star, Blake Shelton, about the death of Shelton’s own brother, Richie. You’ve instantly formed a bond with both the artist and the song, and I think that’s fascinating and inspiring.

Artists have to get their inspiration from somewhere too! A lot of times, newer artist like to imitate older artists with whom they grew up and even mention them in their own songs. For example, Jason Aldean references Joe Diffie in his catchy tune, “1994,” Taylor Swift titles the first song on her very first CD “Tim McGraw,” and Kenny Chesney sings, “We had a dog named Bocephus living in the front yard,” in his song, “Keg in the Closet” (Bocephus is a nickname for Hank Williams, Jr.).

To add to this, certain songs might be inspired by other singers as well. Keith Urban even admits that his latest single, “A Little Bit of Everything,” was inspired by Madonna! One of her songs from 2001 called “Don’t Tell Me” has a little taste of country in it, with a good acoustic guitar part Urban liked, so he weaved a bit of that into his new hit! I guess it is true that what goes around, comes around!

But when it all comes down to it, who inspires who and how a song was formed isn’t what makes country music my favorite genre; honestly it’s what good people they truly are. No, country musicians aren’t excluded from lawsuits and jail time, but there seems to be less of those instances because these guys (and girls) have such great morals that they exhibit in their actions, as well as in their music. I thoroughly enjoy that the ladies can be classy at here and sassy there and that the guys can be timeless but also have a good time.

I had the opportunity to meet Hunter Hayes in 2012, and he was one of the most genuinely nice people I have ever met. He was kind to the audience, made us laugh between songs, and when I got to meet him, he gave me a hug and talked to me and seemed in no hurry to get out of there. His fans and music are the most important things to him, not the money he makes from them, and I think that’s a lovely theme throughout country music artists. Like Brad Paisley sings, “Just like a road that takes you home, yeah this is right where you belong...this is country music.”