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Do people really hate Country Music?

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Skibz888
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22 Jul 2015, 8:21 pm

rvacountrysinger wrote:
The question remains: If everyone says "I like everything but Country" then how is Country Music so Popular? Who is buying the records? According to sound scan, Country Music is selling records, in an Era when record sales have plummeted elsewhere. And Country is the most popular radio station format. So someone is listening to Country Music- even if I don't like it in its current form- maybe people say they hate Country because its too Popular and over played and its "cool" to hate things that are Popular.


The cliche phrase - usually used by teenage white girls on MySpace pages - is "everything but country and rap". It doesn't downplay the significance or popularity of either one; both are huge industries, but both are typically removed from the mainstream "accessibility" of rock and pop, despite being part of it. Am I making any sense? Like, nobody would say "oh, I listen to everything, except New Age and classical", because those genres - despite also being big - are wholly distinct from mainstream music, whereas country and rap are typically part of it. Country and rap get regular radio airplay and usually the two will have crossover hits on the mainstream pop charts, thus warranting a distinction such as "I listen to everything [read: rock and pop], but not country or rap". Hopefully that ramble makes some sense.

As far as why country music specifically is targeted for derision? Well, for one, geographical location definitely plays a part. Living close to Los Angeles, you can imagine that country isn't exactly a particularly dominant force in my local music scenes or radio stations (you can't hate something for being "too popular" if it barely gets any exposure), but move closer to the heartland and you'll find it no doubt has bigger commercial popularity.

Really, country just has its own distinctive sound which doesn't appeal to everyone. The same can be said of literally every single music genre. There's no conspiracy to "hate" things that are "cool", this is just how personal taste works: I don't like country music because I find nothing interesting about its musical style or instrumentation, but that's because my own musical tastes are far removed from country and centered more around heavier and complex progressive rock, something which I'm sure most people who listen to country would dislike. Nothing more than that.



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22 Jul 2015, 9:10 pm

In the 80's I liked some 'Cowpunk' bands, such as 'The Knitters, X, and few others. I also liked listening to Dwight Yoakam and attended a few of his concerts at the Palace in LA and some other funky 80's style venues. I've never been too into Country, per se, but I do like some random songs by various artists, eg; Hank Williams (Sr.) KD Lang, and the like.



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22 Jul 2015, 9:12 pm

You are then listening to the genre for the sake of its lyrics & its connection to your own personal-life.
Then again is there really any real meaning behind singing about trucks & tractors & country roads & girls & lyrics about asking those girls to get into your trucks that you sing about ? 8O


Not to mention the country songs about beer & cats & dogs & how the wife ran off with some city-slicker, etc.

rvacountrysinger wrote:
Ban-Dodger wrote:
Not a Fan of Country-Muzax. Now give us something we can Break-Dance to then you be talkin' ! :D



See, that kind of music to me just sounds like noise or sound effects. Country Music has meaning.

Yes, I understand that some lyrics yield the « emotional-connection » for some people, but when it comes to music-quality, you are comparing apples & oranges so-to-speak, kind of like going to a movie-theatre, and wanting to see drama in order to feel emotions that bring you to tears instead of going for comedies or documentaries.

The purpose behind dance-music is for that, dancing, and they are designed as dance-beats. For all other intents & purposes, some of the music-compositions that are released into video-games by Japanese-producers are considered master-pieces, even though they do not have any particular genre with which the American-culture can identify.


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22 Jul 2015, 9:24 pm

Skibz888 wrote:
rvacountrysinger wrote:
The question remains: If everyone says "I like everything but Country" then how is Country Music so Popular? Who is buying the records? According to sound scan, Country Music is selling records, in an Era when record sales have plummeted elsewhere. And Country is the most popular radio station format. So someone is listening to Country Music- even if I don't like it in its current form- maybe people say they hate Country because its too Popular and over played and its "cool" to hate things that are Popular.


The cliche phrase - usually used by teenage white girls on MySpace pages - is "everything but country and rap". It doesn't downplay the significance or popularity of either one; both are huge industries, but both are typically removed from the mainstream "accessibility" of rock and pop, despite being part of it. Am I making any sense? Like, nobody would say "oh, I listen to everything, except New Age and classical", because those genres - despite also being big - are wholly distinct from mainstream music, whereas country and rap are typically part of it. Country and rap get regular radio airplay and usually the two will have crossover hits on the mainstream pop charts, thus warranting a distinction such as "I listen to everything [read: rock and pop], but not country or rap". Hopefully that ramble makes some sense.

As far as why country music specifically is targeted for derision? Well, for one, geographical location definitely plays a part. Living close to Los Angeles, you can imagine that country isn't exactly a particularly dominant force in my local music scenes or radio stations (you can't hate something for being "too popular" if it barely gets any exposure), but move closer to the heartland and you'll find it no doubt has bigger commercial popularity.

Really, country just has its own distinctive sound which doesn't appeal to everyone. The same can be said of literally every single music genre. There's no conspiracy to "hate" things that are "cool", this is just how personal taste works: I don't like country music because I find nothing interesting about its musical style or instrumentation, but that's because my own musical tastes are far removed from country and centered more around heavier and complex progressive rock, something which I'm sure most people who listen to country would dislike. Nothing more than that.


Yes, I see. But teens and young adults typically have bad taste in music anyway, so maybe saying they don't like Country is a compliment to Country Music, not a disparage. To me Country Music is grown up "adult" music and I always felt i had superior taste because I listened to it growing up. Although I grew up in Virginia, Country Music was still not the favorite of most kids my age. It was something their parents listened to.

I respect your liking odd types of music. To me, "Complex" music often lacks personality and soul, and is far too cerebral for my tastes. To me, music should not be something you think about too much. It should move you in some way, but its still entertainment. I just love the Country Music because its so endearing and so charming and you just don't get that from other genres as much.



Skibz888
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22 Jul 2015, 10:14 pm

rvacountrysinger wrote:
Yes, I see. But teens and young adults typically have bad taste in music anyway, so maybe saying they don't like Country is a compliment to Country Music, not a disparage. To me Country Music is grown up "adult" music and I always felt i had superior taste because I listened to it growing up. Although I grew up in Virginia, Country Music was still not the favorite of most kids my age. It was something their parents listened to.


Nobody has "bad taste in music". People like what they like. I don't want to sound like I'm being harsh towards you, but objectively speaking, who are you to say someone's taste in music is bad if they listen to something which genuinely entertains them and makes them happy? There are plenty of people who would say that listening to country is "bad taste", but I disagree with that as well. If somebody likes a particular style of music and they find a personal connection to it and it's important to them, then there's no way I can call that a "bad" thing. After all, it's really none of my business what other people listen to.



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22 Jul 2015, 10:45 pm

I grew up listening to a lot of Johnny Cash. My parents both like oldies music but my dad was big on Johnny.

Country isn't my favorite genre of music but I do like some musicians. I have a small collection of country on my computer, mostly from the 90's.

Here are a few of my recent favorite country songs that I like.



Aaron Lewis (lead singer of Staind) recently made a great country album.



If you or anyone else if feeling adventurous, some country/rap.


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22 Jul 2015, 10:47 pm

Skibz888 wrote:
rvacountrysinger wrote:
Yes, I see. But teens and young adults typically have bad taste in music anyway, so maybe saying they don't like Country is a compliment to Country Music, not a disparage. To me Country Music is grown up "adult" music and I always felt i had superior taste because I listened to it growing up. Although I grew up in Virginia, Country Music was still not the favorite of most kids my age. It was something their parents listened to.


Nobody has "bad taste in music". People like what they like. I don't want to sound like I'm being harsh towards you, but objectively speaking, who are you to say someone's taste in music is bad if they listen to something which genuinely entertains them and makes them happy? There are plenty of people who would say that listening to country is "bad taste", but I disagree with that as well. If somebody likes a particular style of music and they find a personal connection to it and it's important to them, then there's no way I can call that a "bad" thing. After all, it's really none of my business what other people listen to.


Ok. But honestly Country Music is the only music I truly feel passionate about. If there were a Country artist- especially an obscure one coming to a venue in my home town, its the only one I would be excited about seeing. Since I don't go to live shows much anyways. I just don't understand why anyone would make such ridiculous statements as I listen to anything but Country. Because Country Music influences many other genres.



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23 Jul 2015, 3:48 pm

Not a fan of Johnny Cash, but I like this song:


I admit my biggest problem with country isn't the music itself, but that it just feels too "rednecky" for me.

And people who say they listen to everything but country are just ignorant to just how many different genres of music are out there.


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23 Jul 2015, 6:46 pm

Ganondox wrote:
And people who say they listen to everything but country are just ignorant to just how many different genres of music are out there.


I can't blame people for generalizing. It's not like someone's going to say "Oh, I listen to everything but rap and country and Zydeco and blackened death metal and progressive bluegrass and electrocore and goregrind and post-disco and third-wave ska and Gregorian chant and...".

After all, in the broadest sense, you can really split all music into about a dozen categories. Go into any major retailer and you'll always see it split up the same way: rock, pop (or "rock/pop"), country, jazz, blues, classical, folk, rap, new age, international and showtunes (and occasionally "electronic", while sometimes reggae and Latin are separated from "international").

Country and rap are really the only categories which significantly bleed over into rock and pop (i.e. "the mainstream"), so that's the only reason why people would specific "rap and country" as being excluded from their pop and rock-oriented musical taste.



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23 Jul 2015, 8:11 pm

Skibz888 wrote:
Ganondox wrote:
And people who say they listen to everything but country are just ignorant to just how many different genres of music are out there.


I can't blame people for generalizing. It's not like someone's going to say "Oh, I listen to everything but rap and country and Zydeco and blackened death metal and progressive bluegrass and electrocore and goregrind and post-disco and third-wave ska and Gregorian chant and...".

After all, in the broadest sense, you can really split all music into about a dozen categories. Go into any major retailer and you'll always see it split up the same way: rock, pop (or "rock/pop"), country, jazz, blues, classical, folk, rap, new age, international and showtunes (and occasionally "electronic", while sometimes reggae and Latin are separated from "international").

Country and rap are really the only categories which significantly bleed over into rock and pop (i.e. "the mainstream"), so that's the only reason why people would specific "rap and country" as being excluded from their pop and rock-oriented musical taste.


I can understand people not liking Rap. Rap is non-musical and sounds rather primitive. At least Country music sounds like actual music, because it has chord progressions , a melody and something more than just a beat with talking over it.



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23 Jul 2015, 8:29 pm

rvacountrysinger wrote:
I can understand people not liking Rap. Rap is non-musical and sounds rather primitive. At least Country music sounds like actual music, because it has chord progressions , a melody and something more than just a beat with talking over it.


Most hip-hop does has chord progressions and melody, especially golden age hip-hop and my own preferred sub-genres of alternative hip-hop and jazz rap. It doesn't help to stereotype an entire genre: the common stereotype for country music is just twangy banjos and unintellectual songs about pick-up trucks sung by beer-drinking rednecks, but we both know that's not true. Every genre has as much nuance and complexity as it will simplicity and inanity. I don't remotely understand most techno or electronic music, for example, but I have no doubt there are countless compositions of great richness and technique.



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23 Jul 2015, 9:17 pm

This is one of the « country » releases that I used to listen to back in the day.

...quoting one of the comments to said music-clip from the video-embed...

Thomas Coleman (3 months ago) wrote:
I love reading the comments. As a musician it is always amusing to see how ignorant people really are. It does not matter where you originate from, music is music. From classical to death metal. It is an expression of ones own self image.
I grew up listening to a wide variety of music in the 70's and 80's. I was fortunate to see Johnny Cash perform live when I was 21, and in the same month I was at a metalllica concert in Kansas City. Danced and had a blast listening to zydeco in Louisiana, Bluegrass in Hickory North Carolina, true country out of Austin city limits and have bounced to the rhythms of Nelly and thrashed at Pantera... I chill to blues and classical while working in my office, I listen to rock a billy while letting the wind whip my hair on the Harley...
Many musicians, regardless of the genre of music that they prefer can appreciate the works of others in other genres... I have seen country bands turn hip hop into line dancing country..and I have seen rap bands turn some country into some awesome beats, I have watched rock n roll bands take all sides...
To completely dislike a genre of music is pure ignorance.

This song here takes me back to my early teen age years. Memories of running four wheelers through the mud, deer hunting with my grandfather, and the great get togethers we had on the occasional Friday or Saturday nights.
Not to mention as a grad from LSU it does have some other memories attached as well.
I would really like to be able to read comments without the bigotry styled comments and sheer ignorance.
If you do not like a certain song, or style (genre) of music... then don't listen to it. Seriously, anyone with an IQ over 75 can argue music and sound like a racist. An example of arguments I have heard... Rap causes violence, country causes inbreeding, wife abuse, and alcoholism, rock promotes drug usage and satanism, and on and on and on...

so... how about just enjoying music for what it is... music.

Your music-genre preferences seem to represent your expression.
Instead of expressing ourselves facially the possibility exists that some Aspies express themselves musically.
Whether through either producing & playing said music or simply listening & preferring a particular genre.
Either way, I like high-performance acrobatic-style dances, and is one of my chosen expressions.


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23 Jul 2015, 10:20 pm

Skibz888 wrote:
rvacountrysinger wrote:
I can understand people not liking Rap. Rap is non-musical and sounds rather primitive. At least Country music sounds like actual music, because it has chord progressions , a melody and something more than just a beat with talking over it.


Most hip-hop does has chord progressions and melody, especially golden age hip-hop and my own preferred sub-genres of alternative hip-hop and jazz rap. It doesn't help to stereotype an entire genre: the common stereotype for country music is just twangy banjos and unintellectual songs about pick-up trucks sung by beer-drinking rednecks, but we both know that's not true. Every genre has as much nuance and complexity as it will simplicity and inanity. I don't remotely understand most techno or electronic music, for example, but I have no doubt there are countless compositions of great richness and technique.


Most Hip Hop is sampling other songs. Rap is a beat with someone talking over it. There is no melody in it, and I can see why people wouldn't enjoy it. My father calls it jungle jive. As for Country I know very FEW Country songs in my playlist that have anything to do with drinking beer or pick up trucks. I listen to hundreds if not thousands of Country songs. And Actually, Country songs have meaning. For some people its too emotional and they think its whiney or maudlin . But there a lot of upbeat happy Country songs as well.



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24 Jul 2015, 2:53 am

That reminds me of the joke from back in the vinyl era about the effects of playing a country record backwards. You get your wife back, your kids back, your dog back, your truck back, et cetera. :mrgreen:

Seriously though I don't dislike today's secular country music as much as I dislike hip hop, rap, techno/house, or Seattle grunge. FWIW, "Inspirational" music doesn't generally agree with me either regardless of style genre.


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24 Jul 2015, 3:04 am

I have had quite a few people tell me to my face, if it ain't country, it ain't music, knowing I prefer the music of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, Stan Kenton, Benny a Goodman, etc. I say country ain't music because it, like most popular music of today, is brainless swill. Classical, as well as Jazz, is marginalized in this country because you have to use your gray matter in order to appreciate it, something most NT's, and I suspect a few Aspies, can't or won't do. Then, again, very few people, over the last 60 years, have been exposed to this type of music, no thanks to the gutting of school music programs here in the U.S.



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24 Jul 2015, 7:02 am

Seconded ! Yes, I remember, back in the day, I would frequently be tuned to a Jazz-Station.

Meistersinger wrote:
I have had quite a few people tell me to my face, if it ain't country, it ain't music, knowing I prefer the music of Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms, Stan Kenton, Benny a Goodman, etc. I say country ain't music because it, like most popular music of today, is brainless swill. Classical, as well as Jazz, is marginalized in this country because you have to use your gray matter in order to appreciate it, something most NT's, and I suspect a few Aspies, can't or won't do. Then, again, very few people, over the last 60 years, have been exposed to this type of music, no thanks to the gutting of school music programs here in the U.S.

Unfortunately, KWJZ no longer exists, replaced by some « pop » station that I do not find very tasteful.

The Legacy of KWJZ will still exist as a Legendary for those whom are Familiar With Its Smooth-Jazz...


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