Why you should stop hatin' on country music

Growing up in Maine, I've been exposed to country music for as long as I can remember. I'm sure most people are ... I'm just saying, I heard it A LOT. Being groomed for life in a hippie shack filled with folk music and incense, that ole country music was always a no-no in my canon. But the more I heard it, the more I secretly enjoyed it.

And at the ripe old age of 23, I'm admitting it: I like country music. Just like all other genres, it's not all great. But it has its merits.

First of all, it's catchy. You can't help but remember Conway Twitty crooning "Hello Darlin" or The Dixie Chicks wailing "Not Ready to Make Nice". There really is a variety of country music, despite the old "my dog died and my wife left me" adage.

And here is where I'd like to take a moment to address the folk-rock hipsters of the world. If you like Old Crowe Medicine Show, if you were "influenced" by Johnny Cash, if you cover Bob Dylan in an espresso cafe, if you just can't get enough Bluegrass ... you should really stop shitting on country music. It's all the same influence: it's the same rhythms, the same tone, the same tempo. Swing your cowboy boots off your high-horse and embrace the fact that you and the hometown redneck can relate to some music.

Beyond being relatable to hipster music, country music is relatable to life in general. I enjoy making it rain when Weezy tells me to "clap your hands if you got a bank roll" just as much as anybody else, but come on. I don't really have a bank roll. Lets do a quick comparison of lyrics.

The shit on pop radio:

"Girl I keep it gangsta, poppin bottles at the crib
This is how we live, every single night
Take that bottle to the head, and let me see you fly."
- 'Like a G6' Far East Movement

The shit on country radio:

"I know I said I wouldn't miss you
But now I'm saying I'm a fool
You're on the feel good side of leaving
And I'm the backside of a mule."
- 'Come Back Song' Darius Rucker 


I'll say this much. I just found out what a G6 is and I don't pop bottles at the crib, but I know what ole Darius is talking about.

And even if you're still not convinced it's not so bad, let me remind you of this: embracing country music expands your radio options 10 fold, especially if you live in Central Maine.