Why is Country music so popular in a left of center country?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:aren't a lot of the up-and-comers far less old-school, flag-waving and a lot more inclusive? kacey musgraves, kelsi ballerini, etc.?

Yes, and the mix of political affiliations is more in keeping with the roots of country:

https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/how-country-music-went-conservative

https://www.wnycstudios.org/story/class-politics-country-music-hillbilly-humanism

[Anonymous]

Your premise is wrong OP. I'm a liberal, and the U.S. is not "left of center". Where the heck do you live to think that? Red states love country and so do a lot of blue collar whites.

[Anonymous]

So, you just don't like country music, and associate it with politics you don't agree with.

You know you're wrong, OP.

[Anonymous]

all I know is I can't STAND country music. It makes me want to stick something sharp deep into my ear canal.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:all I know is I can't STAND country music. It makes me want to stick something sharp deep into my ear canal.

OP here, I did not write this, but I share the same sentiment.

[Anonymous]

Plenty of country stars over the years have been and are liberal.

[Anonymous]

I have started to seriously dislike mainstream country for a number of reasons:

- Relying on the same crappy fake pop/hip-hop drums most modern music have.
- (C)rap.
- The same tired tropes. Yes all modern genres of music do it, but country feels like the worst offender. I'm a redneck driving in my truck with my girl to a party to get wasted on Saturday night, but Jesus will forgive me Sunday morning.
- Country music is also self-serving. There are no pop songs glorifying pop music. There seems to be tons of country songs glorifying country music and ideals.

Now, I don't hate all country. I like older country better. Dixie Chicks, Alan Jackson, Reba, etc. There are some modern country acts that are decent, although real country seems to have been renamed "Americana". One artist in particular I love is Jason Isbell.

[Anonymous]

I mean Zac Brown sells out 2 nights at Fenway almost every year in like an hour. There is the bro country shows that tend to be fluffy summer fun music and then there are the singer songwriter groups that tell beautiful narratives with guitars. That's awesome a lot of the time. And I think you would be surprised how left leaning most country artists probably are
They are starving musicians without health insurance and barely surviving for decades sometimes before making it. They live and work with all walks of people on their way up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have started to seriously dislike mainstream country for a number of reasons:

- Relying on the same crappy fake pop/hip-hop drums most modern music have.
- (C)rap.
- The same tired tropes. Yes all modern genres of music do it, but country feels like the worst offender. I'm a redneck driving in my truck with my girl to a party to get wasted on Saturday night, but Jesus will forgive me Sunday morning.
- Country music is also self-serving. There are no pop songs glorifying pop music. There seems to be tons of country songs glorifying country music and ideals.

Now, I don't hate all country. I like older country better. Dixie Chicks, Alan Jackson, Reba, etc. There are some modern country acts that are decent, although real country seems to have been renamed "Americana". One artist in particular I love is Jason Isbell.

Pop songs are ALL ABOUT living your best Instagram life via being a popstar! Hip hop does it too. All genres do come to think of it!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Sounds like OP has politics and music confused with one another.
Politics drives people apart.
Music brings people together.
Just ask Billy Ray Cyrus and Lil Nas X

+1. Who wants to listen to politics when relaxing?

[Anonymous]

I’m moderate and I love old school country music. I also love Americana/alt country. As others have said: Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires. They’re people I admire and I adore their music.

[Anonymous]

I used to hate country music with a passion. Then my teenaged daughter started playing it in the car and now I really like most of it. She asked why I like country and not rap and I realized it was because country music exalts women - every song puts the woman up on a pedestal and talks about her like she walks on water. Rap music is the polar opposite. A PP mentioned wanting to stick something deep in their ear when they heard country music - this is exactly how I feel about rap. Hand me the ice pick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm not sure why you're confused...country music is popular across all races and especially with the caucasian demographic. Since this country is majority white, it makes sense that it would still be doing well.

Also the music genre doesn't tend to have much to do with politics across the entire category.

No better way to show that than the Dixie Chicks standing up to Bush post-9/11 even though they were country music darlings.

“Standing up to Bush?” They went to England to do it. Super brave. If they’d made those statements at a concert in Dallas, I would have had some respect for them.

[Anonymous]

For liberal female country artists, look at 2 of the most successful current ones: Kacey Musgraves (“one of the loudest symbols of young country musicians embracing progressive values” says RS) and Maren Morris (pick up the latest playboy mag to learn more).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I have started to seriously dislike mainstream country for a number of reasons:

- Relying on the same crappy fake pop/hip-hop drums most modern music have.
- (C)rap.
- The same tired tropes. Yes all modern genres of music do it, but country feels like the worst offender. I'm a redneck driving in my truck with my girl to a party to get wasted on Saturday night, but Jesus will forgive me Sunday morning.
- Country music is also self-serving. There are no pop songs glorifying pop music. There seems to be tons of country songs glorifying country music and ideals.

Now, I don't hate all country. I like older country better. Dixie Chicks, Alan Jackson, Reba, etc. There are some modern country acts that are decent, although real country seems to have been renamed "Americana". One artist in particular I love is Jason Isbell.

Pop songs are ALL ABOUT living your best Instagram life via being a popstar! Hip hop does it too. All genres do come to think of it!

PP. Yes, that was mentioned in my third point. I still find country has a smaller pool of clichés to heavily rely on.

Also speaking of the Dixie Chicks, there's a fantastic documentary called "Shut Up and Sing" about the fallout from the Bush comments. Highly recommend it.