RAMBLINGS OF A "REDNECK"

posted in: Country • Features

Attention all country boys and girls! Do you ever feel like you’re constantly defending your favorite music? It’s time once and for all to clarify what country music is really all about. No, country music lovers are not all redneck hillbillies who ONLY care about getting drunk in the back of trucks (although there are a few exceptional songs about this particular “pastime”.) Yes, country lovers do appreciate a good song about beer and our horses, but what it’s really all about is telling stories about life and love. And just because country music is about simple values, doesn’t make those who listen simple.

While there might be a few songs about alcohol, or sexy tractors, country folk see the big picture. Country radio has some of the deepest song topics out there on the airwaves. During this tough time for our country, country songs can really bring us all together with songs about patriotism and other Americana values. Whether or not you believe in a higher power, country music boasts songs about faith, as well as the sentiment to be thankful for what you’ve got. And if you’re looking for a love song to reflect exactly how you feel, just listen to a Taylor Swift original recording (And if you must listen to her pop versions to understand what I mean, so be it.)

I know the pain of listening to the constant complaints when you put on your favorite radio station, like Country 102.5, during a long road trip. It seems everyone has something negative to say about the twang of a guitar string in a country song. But what about the popped up, synthesized music that’s invading our airspace too! Is it too much to ask to want to be able to identify the instrumentation in your favorite song? Or know that your favorite artist actually has some musical talent, or a halfway decent voice? What about the value of writing your own songs about events you’ve lived through? The real life ramblings of country singers truly hit home with their audience. It’s like you could be the one writing the song, as if someone is putting your thoughts into coherent and relatable lyrics. But most of countless country music fans love country because, as country music star Trace Adkins sings, “They’re songs about me, and who I am. Songs about loving and living, and good-hearted women, and family and God. Ya, they’re songs about me.”

Later this week there will be a playlist of some truly great OurStage country songs, called Ticks ‘n’ Sticks. Listen in, and I’m sure you’ll understand what I’m talking about.