Murder On Music Row (Newsweek)

[CoolBreeze]

Taylor Swift? Songs about cute little kids? What has happened to country?!

In what the reactionary me considers the good old days of Nashville, Johnny Cash "shot a man in Reno just to watch him die." In 1968's "Mama Tried," Merle Haggard "turned 21 in prison doin' life without parole." George Jones once sang, "If drinkin' don't kill me, her memory will" and lived what he sang, routinely missing concerts and earning the nickname "No Show" Jones. This was the country music that country people like me listened to when I was growing up in rural Virginia.

Here's what I hear on the radio today when I'm driving my Jeep through the streets of Washington, D.C.: songs like "Watching You," which tells the gritty tale of a little boy making a mess of his McDonald's Happy Meal after his daddy hits the brakes too hard ("His fries went a-flyin' and his orange drink covered his lap"). It makes me turn bright red with shame every time it comes on, which is often, because it was Billboard's No. 1 country song of the year in 2007. The group Lonestar had a hit not too long ago with these hard-core lyrics: "There's a carrot top who can barely walk, with a sippy cup of milk." It had another big song called "Mr. Mom."

I could go on, but you can see where I'm going with this.

More..... http://www.newsweek.com/id/192377/page/1

[Lee]

Interesting article, and I couldn't agree more.

Keep in mind, MOST country artists don't write their own songs. Like Motown, they come from "Hit Factories." I don't know it Taylor Swift or Lonestar writes their own lyrics, but judging by some of the songs......yeah. If not, that's bad.

I can never really take a guy seriously who stands on stage wearing a 10-gallon hat, a belt buckle the size of a dinner plate, and cowboy boots...because it's not AUTHENTIC, and it's also kinda gay. And you know most of those guys have never even sat foot on a barn or even ate at Texas Roadhouse.

Try this:

[Scott Reppert]

And you know most of those guys have never...even ate at Texas Roadhouse.

I needed a laugh this morning!

[Bob Campbell]

Where can you get one of those "girl in a box" thingys like you have on your avatar Scott?

[Hoosier Daddy]

I want one too. Redhead. 5'1" 100 pounds. 23-ish. Hardbody nymph.

[Scott Reppert]

Uh, right now we have a salesperson doing a convention over at the Wisp Resort.

Seriously.

I kid you not.

Why do you ask me these things on days when the truthful answer can seem the funniest?

[Scott Reppert]

And for those of you in the southeastern part of the United States, stop in at our Florida location...

[Hoosier Daddy]

[Scott Reppert]

I'm here slaving over ingesting 22 hours of video into the Studio 12, running the Bravo Pro II nonstop, designing my own CD labels, video editing a teachers' seminar, audio editing the radio show and readying a sound system to hit the road on Sunday morning AND FREAKING 'GIRL IN A BOX' EDNA IS ALL FANCY SCHMANCY OVER THERE AT THE WISP RESORT HAVING A WONDERFUL TIME!!!!

That's what I'm trying to tell ya...

[Scott Reppert]

...along with that fact that those of you in the southeastern part of the United States can stop in at our Florida location...

[AmpedNow]

I don't like country music, but I don't denigrate those who do. And for the people who do like country music, denigrate means "put down."
—Bob Newhart

Ouch.



BTW, I think the article is spot on, as to the reasons why Nashville has "softened up".

That ol' darned violence just ain't that cool anymore, Johnny.

[jag]

Let's see...

Country music used to deal with topic such as fighting, killing, guns, disrespecting women and substance abuse.

More recently, hip hop music has dealt with topics such as fighting, killing, guns, disrespecting women and substance abuse.

Therefore, country music has strongly influenced hip hop music--reflecting that the whole country music culture gave rise to the hip hop culture.

Maybe, then, hip hop music will, in time, become a kinder, gentler form of entertainment, much as has the country that's gone before it.

Right?

[Dave Harman]

Country music is not dead.

Listen to Jamey Johnson's new album "That Lonesome Song". He just won AMC Song Of The Year honors for "In Color". In fact, country is the most widely varied format out there, still.

[Scott Reppert]

Therefore, country music has strongly influenced hip hop music--reflecting that the whole country music culture gave rise to the hip hop culture.

You want visual proof? How 'bout THE MAN that birthed the hip hop "look"...