Country Music

Bo Burnham said it brilliantly:

I think some of the greatest song writers of all time are country artists: Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, you know? And if you're writing honestly, that is art! And I would never bash that! Um, the problem is, with a lot of modern country music, wha- what is called "Stadium Country Music" Sort of Keith Urban Brand of Country music is that it is not honest, it is the exact opposite of honest

And then he launched into one of the best comedy songs of all time illustrating it perfectly 💪❤️

Truck jeans beer, girl, creek boots truck!
I call that 'Nazi Country'. It's completely unironic and not self reflective. The exact opposite of good country.

Also, good country compares favorably to rock by not being overloaded with testosterone.
- Also, good country compares favorably to rock by not being overloaded with testosterone.
  
  Unfortunately, it does not compare favorably to rock in that it's not overloaded with nearly as much homoeroticism.

As long as Johnny Cash is considered Country Music, it's not possible to "hate country music" anyway.

Country music doesn't have to be bad. Which means that the recent stuff is a deliberate stylistic choice. Do with that as you will.
- Willie Nelson, Waylon Jennings, Johnny cash, Dolly Parton…I don’t like “country music” but can enjoy all of these artists. Country music has been bastardized by clearchannel, along with almost all other types of music. Fuck clearchannel (now rebranded as “I heart radio” which is…such a stupid fucking name)
- The recent corporate stuff. There is still indie country and some of it is pretty good. Not something I actively listen to or anything, but I've heard good things before.
We owe our appreciation of Johnny Cash to Rick Rubin who rescued him from literal dinner theater hell.
I'd put Marty Robbins above Johnny Cash, though I guess he's more western than country.
- It's okay, we play both kinds of music here.
I'm the opposite side of the same coin: if I like it, I don't consider it country music.

Lots of stuff without twang I'd just call folk music (add other terms if needed, American, western etc).

Also I'm glad the same thing didn't happen to rock. Like there is a certain mostly-post-grunge vocal style popular in the 2000s that'd be really annoying if it was part of most rock music.
- Folk, blue grass, fast grass. All amazing and technically country...but not to me
I've never gotten the appeal of Johnny Cash. I guess I'm just not one for Texican yeehaw mumblecore.
- The fact that you pinned Johnny Cash down to some made-up and obviously very narrow genre shows you really don't know anything about Johnny Cash.
  
  You don't sing duets with everyone from Bob Dylan to Tom Petty if you stick to a very narrow music genre.

I used to think I didn't like country music, but I realized that I'd been approaching it the same as people who "don't like rap"; there's so much rap and hip hop out there that it's almost impossible to not eventually find something you like. And there's.... so much country music in the world.

Been jamming out to Mama's Broken Heart recently.

Yeah. I like certain Country songs, but the average one I hear I don't particularly care about.

Country music is only awful after 9/11

I'm not really surprised that the Dixie Chicks' careers were destroyed after 9/11. They didn't just criticize Most Holy President, they also sang about things like domestic violence.
There's some great stuff nowadays that isn't just bro country! It's going to be mostly smaller and all my favorites lean heavily into their bluegrass and folk roots, but there's some great stuff!

I'd check out Tyler Childers or Zach Bryan for something more mainstream. I might get flamed for calling them country, but Poor Man's Poison is fantastic as well!

If you don't love Chris Stapleton after one listen of Tennessee Whiskey, then idk what to tell you
- If you don't love Chris Stapleton after one listen of Tennessee Whiskey, then idk what to tell you
  
  I don't know if remaking a song from 81' counts as modern.
- Yes
  
  Tyler Childers
  
  Hayes Carll
  
  Charley Crockett
  
  Jason Isbell (southern rock)
  
  Maren Morris
  
  Sturgill Simpson
  
  Joshua Ray Walker
  
  There is so much good country music coming out now, and probably always has been, it just doesn't get played on the radio.
That and Taylor Swift was the nail in the coffin. Her transition to top 40 pop and sky rocketing popularity showed nothing but dollar signs to country music producers...
- She's a slightly different case I think.
  
  She was basically groomed by the industry to be a pretty young white country girl and made into a sex symbol when she was 14.
  
  When she grew up she changed genres, fired her old label when the contract expired, and then re-recorded her old stuff to keep the old labels from making royalties off new sales.
  
  Everything about her change is a big middle-finger to to her old management.

🎵 Country Roads...... 🎵

West Jamaicaaaa
- Island Mama...

Dolly Parton is a sweetheart and a saint. And a good performer.

Me: again this boring repost

Also me: JOLEEEEEEN

I love the version from Me First And The Gimme Gimmes: YouTube

I've been fortunate enough to see them twice. So so so much fun.
- Out of curiosity- do they have any original songs?

Miley Cyrus has a killer cover of it. https://youtu.be/wOwblaKmyVw?si=tDbbVbTgLhbYF_Nk

Yeah, I actually like this version better than the original. I think the slightly slower pace helps, but those instruments just do it for me
That one really is a banger. But watching that video again, I can't get over how terrible the vocals would actually sound if she was up on the mic like that.

Jolene slowed down to 33rpm made me really appreciate the song anew

https://youtu.be/CMrfM711vXI

How can a digital song be slowed down to 33rpms? Was it originally a 7" 45rpm vinyl single that was played at 33rpm? Then upload to YouTube?

It just doesn't make sense to have digital audio "slowed down" to 33rpm, that's like watching the Simpsons, sped up to 50rpms
- You can get a lot of music on vinyl still, hell sometimes its easier to get than CDs. Even more niche artists like Hulkoff have music on vinyl.
- You know, it takes a very special blend of technical savvy and social ineptitude to generate a comment like this.
  
  My granddad, who still asks "what's on TV" because he just can't wrap his failing dementia addled mind around "Everything. Everything is always on because on-demand video streaming." wouldn't think to make this comment because he never learned how digital audio works and has probably forgotten how record players work.
  
  Neither would my niece, who I think hasn't actually seen a phonograph in person but messes around with audio and video filters on the Tickagram all the time.
  
  Neither would any of my acquaintances who are in audio/video production, because they have meaningful opinions on things like this software with this plugin or that software with that plugin to achieve that effect, possibly choosing methods depending on the source and destination of said audio.
  
  Neither would my actual friends who know everything we're talking about, but are socially capable enough to be friends with people.
  
  You, fellow Lemmian, have that special blend.

It's a fucking great song. I don't consider it country so much as country-adjacent. This is a hauntingly good remix.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ExeQM08TwbE

Miley Cyrus also did a great cover.

I think it's only 'country-adjacent' in that 'mainstream country' has moved away from this type of song to the now stereotypical "guns/trucks/girls/flag-waving".

Most older country is the same honestly.