Why the English should not do country-western

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I do like Lily Allen - she's talented and has done some great work. She's such a proper English lady. So what happened??? The wrong genre, I guess. I've read that later she's actually embarrassed about this. Indeed. See the cows and chickens, horse whiney special effects? Yep.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fUYaosyR4bE[/youtube]

As a Texan, I would question whether this song is country even in style. What is passing for country music today is a cheesy, contrived mixture of pop and rock and roll put together by music executives in Nashville rather than by artists down on the farm. As such, it is liable to precipitate the same reaction that eighties hair metal precipitated in rock and roll: the so-called alternative movement. There is more than a little resentment among Southerners over the direction their music has taken in recent years. It's the reason I quit listening to country music in favor of red dirt music.

Country music is definitely an ethnic music form in a way rock and roll hasn't been since the "British invasion" of the sixties and seventies. Country music is the direct descendant of the music of the Scots-Irish (i.e., the Ulster Irish) who came to these shores in the 18C, particularly the South. It expresses our unique experiences.

Having said this, the singer is strinkingly attractive, and the song isn't bad. It's just not what I would call country music.

I think the Ulster-Irish can pull it off. There are still a lot of fans there.

Tell me this - why does this song spookily remind me of Cotton Eyed Joe? I think that was Turbofolk, but...it was a derivitive rip-off. Just like this song, which is horrible to me - I don't like her voice.

It hardly sounds country-ish at all.

Octobertiger, the reason this song is vaguely reminiscent of "Cotton Eyed Joe" is the postmodernism that has taken over pop music, more particularly "retro", or reviving old songs and old styles; and eclecticism, which is combining discrete but ultimately incompatible styles into a single song or work of art, and usually done so ironically rather than respectfully.

As far as the Scots-Irish here, of whom I am one, before the music executives ruined country music, it was by far the most popular genre in the US. I'm not sure where it stands now though.

Thelibrarian would especially know, but Lily tried hard to copy the American style. (And I do not know who Cotton Eyed Joe is)! I've always admired Lily, but this one is kind-of funny The whole band struggles to copy the American style. But I DO like her sparkly gold shoes!

The drummer looks outright confused. OK, they should get extra-credit for the hay bales.

Sparkly gold shoes? Women...meh

You've got to know Cotton Eyed Joe. Where did he come from, where did he go?

Librarian, I am Ulster-Irish

Now, how would this be classified:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dGw3w_njQ4g[/youtube]

As far as the song goes, I got a message saying Americans can't enjoy it. Maybe I should sue for some kinda discrimination

Actually, I am descended from a long line of shepherds and moonshiners from Islay and the Glens of Antrim, with the rest of my heritage being English, along with a bit of German thrown in for good measure. This may explain why I don't always get along with myself.

I just listened to this song on Youtube. Whatever it is, it isn't country in the American sense of that term. Actually, we used to hear that kind of music in Europe quite a bit back in the eighties. We used to call it euro-disco for lack of a better term.

Last edited by Thelibrarian on 04 Oct 2013, 4:16 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Cousin Octobertiger, here are several representative samples of real country music, with the first being one of my favorites, as it is very defiant of anybody who doesn't like our kind. Again, this is the music of the descendants of those who left the Ulster Plantation:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WwzYhVL5Sc

Here is a real tear-jerker:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUpf8GqoAYQ

Lab Pet, here is a modern, actually slightly postmodern, version of "Cotton Eyed Joe", which is a very old square dance song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOYZaiDZ7BM

The Lab Pet is rocking out.....thanks, I quite liked Cotton Eyed Joe. Oh, and I LOVE Londonbeat - I hadn't realised their video was western style though. You'll all enjoy this British one, I know!

Ceilidh dance is really easy and so much fun - the men dance with me. It's easy to learn and looks much like your square dancing style.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJEq6_foO-o[/youtube]

Geez - that video by Gary Allan looks tragic Pretty sure his mum knows he's been drinking....

Lat Pet. Real British country-style music? That's interesting. If you have any more that are similar, please post.

Since one good turn deserves another, and you seem to like stomp-style music, here is one of my favorite songs by one of my favorite musicians. Unfortunately, it is not the studio version, which is much better:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnYQPEa1NTk

BTW, western music is different from country. The first mixes bluegrass and western, while the second is a retro song in the old western swing style:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xDh-V6pk2C4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TnP_NRLzlc

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_QonA-4NwQ4[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QI-ep4XBf8w[/youtube]

Haha, very defiant. I quite enjoyed that first song - though it reminded me of Drive by REM? Suppose pretty much every song reminds of another.

I'd expect Willard to know quite a few songs!

Here is another one with the same defiant spirit, though it's more rockabilly than country.

BTW, is that defiant spirit still in evidence amongst the Ulster Irish?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4UYajF4Ejs

By defiant spirit, I hope you don't mean killing each other. I've seen enough of that defiant spirit to last several lifetimes.