But... I still enjoy country music. I like that the songs can (and often are) about little, everyday moments. I like how a lot of country music focuses on telling a story. The music has a lot of personality. So much so that Raven and I have both based scenes and characters at least in part off country songs.
I also think, contrary to what a lot of people believe, that country music can be very beautiful and even well-written. I have heard some very clever, very funny country songs that are a blast to sing along with. Which brings me to prime reason I like country music - most of the songs are largely inoffensive and fun to jam with in my car, where I consume most of my music. But there are times the songs are very offensive. Times when country music shows its roots; the ones planted firmly in the controversial past of this country.
Tonight I thought I would give you another list.... *drum roll*
Owl's Top 3 Most Offensive Country Songs
(in descending order of offense)
3. "Girl Crush" by Little Big Town
I cannot get away from this song right now and that may be why a fairly inoffensive song is getting my number 3 spot when there are way worse songs that I know I have heard from this genre before. But right now this is a song that is getting under my skin more than any other on the radio. And guys, since most of you don't listen to country radio, let me tell you right now - this song is ALL OVER country radio. In fact, I heard it 4 times today, alone. Or the first few bars before I quickly switched stations. Once, when I tried to switch, I found two stations playing it at the same time. Ugh.
So, why do I hate this song? Well, it's a song about Girl A wanting to be like Girl B because Girl B is dating a dude who Girl A really wants to date. Maybe some of you can already see my problem... That is not the definition of a girl crush. At all. That is jealousy. With some good old-fashioned envy thrown in. It would be a girl crush if Girl A wanted to date Girl B. Or even had a little platonic infatuation going on. Who, straight or gay, hasn't been a little bit in awe of a good friend of the same gender before?
It's wouldn't really be a big deal, except the song sets it up to be like an actual queer song for the first minute or so. The opening lines are, "I got a girl crush, hate to admit it but/I got a heart rush, ain't slowin' down/ I got it real bad, want everything she has/ That smile and the midnight laugh she's givin' you now". Later lines include gems like "I don't get no sleep... thinking about her under your bed sheets... I can't get her off my mind." Then the chorus.... The terrible chorus where the singer (a woman, by the way) says she wants to "taste her lips" because they "taste like [the random dude]". Yeah, that's why I want to kiss girls...
So - what's the big deal you may ask? Seems like just a clever way to say she's jealous, right? Yeah, probably. But being queer myself these are thoughts I have had without the desire for the attached dude. This song uses lines that could describe a lesbian woman lusting after a straight woman and turns it into a straight unrequited love song. And justified or not, that makes me furious. I feel that this song steals a bit of my culture and warps it to fit the dominant culture. It feels icky and wrong to listen to words I have heard gay women say about doomed crushes they've had on straight women being used to create this sort of narrative.
I'm sure most people don't react to this song this way and I'm not even mad at Little Big Town for making the song. I'm sure they didn't even think about how this might affect actual queer folks (also I'm willing to bet not all queer folks would have my reaction). But mostly, this song makes me feel cheated. What could have been a song about an innocent infatuation with a friend or even a riskier song about a not innocent attraction to another woman was really just another way to write a straight romance. And it's clear the song wants you to think it's going to be a queer song for the first little bit (it's gotten a lot of criticism for being too gay, by the way) and that's the worst part for me. I was so excited that maybe country music would have a song for me, but it wasn't. And that hurt. More than it maybe should have, but I still can't stand to hear it. Even if I am being irrational.
2. "Way Out Here" by Josh Thompson
It was hard to determine a winner (or maybe loser) between my two top picks. This one I rated slightly lower because... I get the sentiment, though I am far from agreeing with it. I hate this song on a political basis, but there are lot of other country songs I disagree with politically but can listen to and respect on some level. This one... I can't. I won't listen to it if it's on the radio and I could only listen to about half of it before writing this post. I got so mad I had to just look up the lyrics instead. Not that those aren't rage-inducing all on their own.
This song is a man singing about how things are done "way out here", which I can only imagine means in the deep south, where much of the culture of country music originates. The songs starts out on a strong note for making me hate it. Opening lines? "Our houses are protected by the Good Lord and a gun". I'm not a big gun person, so I'm already not loving this, but country songs are full of guns and Jesus (who as a lapsed Jew I'm also not big on). So I keep listening. There's a funny line about southerners fry everything and then the chorus hits and I'm done. Here is the chorus in its entirety:
We won't take a dime if we ain't earned it
When it comes to weight, brother we pull our own
If it's our backwoods way of living you're concerned with
You can leave us alone
We're about John Wayne, Johnny Cash and John Deere
Way out here
My biggest problem is the first line of this chorus because it shows a gross ignorance of politics that is frankly incredibly damaging in this country. Just because you don't get a check from the government every month, that does not mean you aren't getting monetary support from them. Country glorifies farmers. Farmers as a group receive over 20 billion dollars in federal subsidies every year. That's a lot of dimes you haven't really earned. The US cotton industry is one of the most heavily subsidized in the world, to the detriment of emerging markets like Brazil. Just because you can't see the check, doesn't mean the money isn't there, Mr. Thompson.
The second line is equally infuriating. What he's saying is "his people" aren't a drain on the country. They pull their own weight. But I don't know who "his people" are. Many states in the deep south are very dependent on federal aid (in that they take in more than they pay out). 5 out of 10 of the most federal dependent states in the union are in the south. So, I'm not sure who you are talking about pulling their own weight, but it terms of numbers - much of the south doesn't.
And here's where Mr. Thompson and I differ - I don't see anything wrong with that. The states on that list are some of the poorest in our country (Mississippi and Louisiana to name two) and the people who live in poverty in those states deserve to live healthy and safe lives. That is where the federal dollars go - towards keeping people safe who can't always ensure their own safety. That's not shameful - for the federal government or the people getting the help they need.
So it's not your "backwood way of living" I'm concerned with, Mr. Thompson. It's your backwards way of thinking. It's great to rely on yourself and embrace individualism, but when you suggest running the whole country "like it used to be, ought to be, just like it's done out here" I have the feeling you don't really know what you're talking about. But people are listening. And telling the government to stay out of it. To the detriment of the people who greatly need and rely on federal money.
The last two lines just bug me because none of those folks are politicians and this is a very political song. John Wayne was asked numerous times to run for office and always declined and that's probably a good thing. Wayne isn't the political role model I'd pick. He was an unapologetic white supremacist and blamed the Native Americans for being selfish when they tried to keep their land when Europeans landed in the New World. Though Johnny Cash had a very individualistic image he also championed the cause of prisoners, addicts, and Native Americans. I can get behind that, but I'm not sure that's what Mr. Thompson is getting at. I won't even get into John Deere. They're a company interested in continuing to make money. They give money to candidates who will get that done. Nothing more.
What offends me here is mostly the ignorance that goes along with the song. And that people will listen to this and take it as a rallying cry. People take too much at face value with the federal, and local, governments. To really understand and engage with politics it is essential to be well-informed. I don't think this song is a good example of that and I think it's an irresponsible use of celebrity that irks me a great deal - though I admit it might irk me less if I didn't vehemently disagree with the song's premise.
This is getting to be a loooong post and I have a lot to say about the last song so I will save it until tomorrow. Once my blood pressure has returned to normal. Good night all!
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