The other day I was talking to an old friend whose musical taste I’ve always held in high esteem. I had sent him a disc with a smattering of songs I’ve been drawn to the past year or so, plus two more of Ray LaMontagne’s music (because I can’t help my spreadin-the-Ray-love self). When I asked him how he liked it, his unexpected reply was, “Great songs. Noticed a country streak in you though. You into some sick thing with some gaucho over there? Haha.”
The first thing that flashed in my head was: country?? (Well, not really. The first thing was a guess at what a gaucho might be. I had to go check Wikipedia. *hangs head in shame*) I quickly replied that I’ve been listening to a lot of folk music lately, which might be construed as country-ish. Then I lamely whimpered, “Is Ray LaMontagne considered country?” As if labeling Ray as such would magically give me peace about being called a country music fan.
What is this self-defense mechanism that kicks into gear when someone catches me enjoying country music? Isn’t country music the most popular genre in the US? After all, country music has produced two of the top selling solo artists of all time (Elvis and Garth Brooks.) Hasn’t country music influenced many respected music legends? Artists like Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, James Taylor, Eric Clapton … heck, we’ve even seen John Mayer and Dave Matthews on CMT’s Country Crossroads.
Country music has its roots in, among other genres, folk music and the blues. So why is it easier to admit to being into folk music, or the blues, but riskier to say hey, I like country music? Is it for fear of being thought of as a “my horse died and my woman left me so now I’ll just sing my honky tonk off in a nasally whiny voice with a fiddle in the background” fan? Or it that sad stereotype mostly confined to the certain geographical regions (cough*northeast*cough), where so-called intelligent and discriminating listeners are expected to aspire to music snobbery?
I know so little about music history and genre delineations here. Growing up, it was mostly just an artist or song preference. I remember riding to school listening to the radio, and the stations would play a Zombies song, followed by Esther Satterfield, then Cotton, Llyod and Christian, and rounding up the set with a little Captain and Tennille. Songs weren’t seen primarily as country, or pop, or jazz. They simply had great or boring melodies, intelligent or sappy lyrics, strong or forgettable vocals. Genre? What was that? How do you even spell or pronounce that?
More than once, I’ve been asked to explain how to categorize music. And more than once, I’ve been unable to answer that clearly. Now, I just say I don’t know, and it doesn’t really matter to me anyway what the genre is (true for the most part). It’s other people that label music as such, and I’m not sure even they know how to answer that. There are some that are easy – like bluegrass, or some jazz, classical, new age. But what in the world is “Adult Contemporary”? How does one tell if a song is more “Rock” than “Pop”? Then there are all these hybrids. Folk Rock, R&B Soul, Country Pop … it seems like it’s all based on the general feel of the song, and if so, then doesn’t that depend on who’s feeling it?
I really don’t have a point here (I’ve been doing that a lot lately). I listen to just about all kinds of music, and don’t go through the same defensive mode when it comes to the other genres. (Okay, maybe that’s not entirely true. I do get a bit defensive when admitting that I listen to Barry Manilow, and feel the need to qualify that by saying it’s mostly his more obscure stuff that I like. Although I may have, on occasion, been spied singing along to Copacabana. But like half of the people who do the same, it was purely involuntary. Like a spasm you can’t control. Yeah, that’s it.)
Maybe I’m just thinking out loud and trying to convince myself that it’s really okay to be a country music fan, period. Because in truth, I am. I just have to get over the perceived stigma that seems to come with such an admission.
So, to paraphrase Band-Aid Boy from a recent Monkbot convention in New Orleans, let me say, loud and clear: My name is Ivoryhut, and I listen to country music. There. I said it. I’m not ashamed.
And no, I’m not into some sick thing with a gaucho somewhere.
…
Here are some of the tracks of that CD I sent. Country? Folk? Alternative? Blues? Soul? Maybe country folk blues? You be the judge. Or, just listen and enjoy.
Ray LaMontagne – Empty
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John Mayer – Gravity (AOL Music Sessions version)
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Sufjan Stevens – To Be Alone With You
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Hem – All That I’m Good For
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Mark Knopfler, Emmylou Harris – If This Is Goodbye
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Amy Winehouse – Love Is A Losing Game
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James Morrison – The Last Goodbye
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That friend of yours is a little judgemental. I sing when work requires me to. I agree that good melodies and songs matter the most, last the longest, and can be interpreted in any genre/style. I say: don’t let him scare you. Tell him to try being kind, respectful, creative, and to improvise. Like good Jazz musicians and actors. :-)
Hi, Gillian! It was a tad judgmental, wasn’t it? That was my first thought. Now that I reflect more on it, I think it’s because he hasn’t had a broad enough exposure to different kinds of music, which tends to lead people to rely on stereotypes rather than limited experience.
So you sing when work requires you to? I, on the other hand, suspect that people would gladly pay me NOT to sing. :-)
Thanks for dropping by!
Interesting…thought…I classify music alphabetically…I kid. I actually classify it by speed. Seriously. This is a summer tune. This is a mellow Sunday Morning song. This is a party mix and this is great driving music. That’s how I do it.
That said…I know I have a certain “twang” threshold. There is only so much I can take…but I also have a certain, boy band threshold, R&B run threshold, jam band threshold…etc, etc.
I am curious why you and Gillian believe your friend is judgemental, when the label country caused such distress? Was it used as a negative term? I mean you DO have Emmilou on there. ;)
PS- send any and all unwanted Gauchos my way
Hey Shrew! Be back to comment in a week. I’m off to that *other* coast. :)
Hey! I just now got a chance to check your blog out. I am embarassed to say I have never checked out Sufjan Stevens. Wanna know why? I was turned off by his name. superficial, no? I quite liked all the songs that you posted. I kind of have stayed away from Amy Winehouse as well, because the one song of hers I have heard (Rehab) grates on me a little. “Love Is A Losing Game” is pretty!
Thanks for steering me to a couple of artists I may have otherwise ignored!
There is definately a negative bias against Country and Western music. I must say, though, some of the cleverest lyrics come from this genre, and if you are drawn to emotion in song, you would be remiss if you dismissed Country music out of hand.
Hi Squee! Thanks for dropping by.
I wasn’t a big fan of “Rehab” the first time I heard it, too. However, the first Amy Winehouse I ever heard was “Love Is A Losing Game” when Gray posted it. And I instantly liked that.
Glad you liked some of the songs I posted. I’ll be posting more now and then. My way of giving back, since a lot of the new music I now enjoy, I’ve discovered online.
Don’t worry about artist name aversion. I’ve been known to make quick judgments based on name alone, although that’s mostly when the name sounds like it’ll be the kind of artist who’ll put out rap music using objectionable language. I have nothing against rap, but I’m anti-swearing and cursing and demeaning any group of people.
Shrew, I think my friend’s tone of voice when referring to country music is what made me a bit defensive. Then again, this is the same friend who once wrote out the lyrics to “Gentle On My Mind” and kept it in his briefcase.
I have a set of tempo classifications for music too. I have playlists called Chill Music, Driving Music, For Working Out (which I never do, by the way), Relaxing Music … I think I’ll add your Mellow Sunday Morning Music to my list. I can already think of songs I’d want on that.
So what song(s) do you typically listen to on a mellow Sunday morning?