My sister and mother listen to country radio almost religiously. They adore Brad Paisley, Kenny Chesney, Mark Chestnut, Dierks Bentley and Toby Keith, among others. Just as a note, I'm fairly convinced that all male country singers are the same person. Yet when I listen to some of these songs, I'm just as stunned by some of the lyrics as I am when I hear Akon whine his way through "I Wanna Fuck You." Country music, though, is tricky. It appeals to a sense of Americana, and is musically rooted in a seemingly wholesome tradition of storytelling and history. These impressions are maintained by some of the aesthetic elements of a typical country song- a basic three or four chord structure, lap steel guitar, heavy use of the A and E major chords, liberal references to dead dogs, lost lovers, empty bottles, etc. When we hear the slide of a lap steel, we immediately link it to a sense of nostalgia. Thus country music instantly becomes comforting and soothing and "pure," at least on an aesthetic level. Unfortunately, we rarely look (or listen) beyond the aesthetic level of meaning when we listen to any song, in particular, one that we hear on the radio as part of the background noise of our day. And it's what's under the veneer of American nostalgia that makes country music a little more worthy of criticism than it seems. For example, country singer/songwriter Joe Nichols scored a major radio hit with his most recent single "Let's Get Drunk and Fight." The title doesn't leave much to the imagination, but for the sake of interest, take a look at some of the lyrics:
We'll keep the neighbors up all night.
Now you can scream at me,
And I'll make you cry.
And when the morning comes,
We'll make some make-up love,
While we apologise.
But tonight, let's get drunk and fight!
What?! While I realize that the song does draw some chuckles, and is written (sort of) in the spirit of comedy, is it any different than a rapper talking about slapping his ho, then having sex with her? If it isn't okay for hip-hop artists to abuse women, why is it any different for country musicians? I have a feeling that it's because of that slick country veneer- I told you, it's sneaky! Hip-hop is a type of music rooted in destitution, struggle and violence, and so is seen by the majority as an inherently threatening force. Any action taken within this culture which transgresses the will of the majority is immediately and severely criminalized. That's not to say that abusing women shouldn't be criminalized anyway, but to understand the double standard, take a look at the Joe Nichols example. The speaker in the Nichols song is an abusive alcoholic who seems to be willing to inseminate his troubles away- arguably, not a great role model. But when it's wrapped in those aesthetic cues mentioned earlier- lap steel, certain chord progressions, etc., it becomes somehow less threatening and less worthy of scorn than it would be when placed over say a drum kit and synths. Rather than Family Action Coalitions and letters of protest, domestic violence in country music draws gentle chuckles from the listener.
It's not a hard pattern to pick out- "Last Name" by Carrie Underwood recounts a big night for Carrie that ended in her boning and marrying some schlep whom she presumably met at something called a "honky-tonk." And Underwood is America's Sweetheart. "Courtesy of the Red White and Blue" by Toby Keith is less about moral degradation, drinking and sex than the previous examples, but is actually so stunningly awful that it deserves mention. When he performs the song live, Keith begins the song with a preamble about how he wrote this song post-9/11, finally understanding the sacrifices his father had made as a former soldier to secure his freedom. And that's fine. Soldiers are some of the bravest people there are, and appreciating the sacrifices they make is the least we can do to thank them for their services. Unfortunately, Keith's ode to America soon sprials out of control into an all out honky tonkin', face stompin', beer brawlin', Muslim hatin' booze fest:
Has fallen under attack
A mighty sucker punch came flying in
From somewhere in the back
Soon as we could see clearly
Through our big black eye
Man, we lit up your world
Like the 4th of July
Hey Uncle Sam
Put your name at the top of his list
And the Statue of Liberty
Started shaking her fist
And the eagle will fly
And there's gonna be hell
When you hear Mother Freedom
Start ringing her bell
And it'll feel like the whole wide world is raining down on you
Ahhh Brought to you Courtesy of the Red White and Blue
Ohhh Justice will be served
And the battle will rage
This big dog will fight
When you rattle his cage
And you'll be sorry that you messed with
The U.S. of A.
'Cause we'll put a boot in your ass
It's the American way
It's so atrocious it's almost funny, but then you remember that this guy probably really means everything he's singing. Suddenly, not so funny. It makes oblique reference to the carpet bombing of Iraq and paints it as just desserts for the nameless "they" of the song. It celebrates "boot in your ass" diplomacy, blind jingoism, vicious militarism and outrageous Islamophobia, all while being wrapped in the soothing tricks of country music. We hear the four chords, the low, booming bass of Keith's voice, the twanging steel guitar, and we think not of a right wing zealot basically selling hate and blind faith. We think of days back on the farm, the stories our parents used to tell us, the old dirt road where we used to party, and a whole bunch of other shit that probably never happened.
This is why I hate radio country music. It's basically an attempt at re-writing and re-framing American history and nostalgia in such a way that hate, abuse and zealotry become justified. Spousal abuse and alcoholism? No big deal, that's how my mommy and daddy used to duke it out, and I turned out alright. Banging and marrying some stranger from the bar without ever learning his last name? Totally alright. You only live once, am I right? Hating all Muslims and having blood and fire lust coming out the ass? It's the American way! Pour me a cold one and turn up the Hank! I'm gonna have me some fun tonight!
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