Country music rocks ya'll!!

So, one of my favorite things in the world is country music. That is why I have decided to devote this entry to it. I hope that if you are a country music fan, you like what I have to say.. and if you aren't that you will have at least gained a new appreciation for it.

Last night, while watching the Academy of Country Music Awards I was so giddy and so happy the whole time. This made me think about all the reasons why I love country music so much. Before I get into that I want to kind of tell you about my "relationship", for lack of a better word, with country music. Growing up, I hated it. My dad listened to it all the time and I would groan and moan when I was in the car with him and was forced to listen to Tim McGraw, Garth Brooks, Vince Gill, George Strait, Alan Jackson and the list goes on and on. I was like alot of people who just thought that country music was all about getting drunk and cheating on a spouse. I am not sure specifically when my opinion started to change but it was probably, like most things, in college. It started out slowly, like I think it happens to alot of people. I started seeing the value in it, but told people I couldn't handle it for long periods of time. I got introduced to Jo Dee Messina, who was a favorite of my dad's and started really liking her. Then slowly, I started getting into other artists and I still can't pinpoint exactly who I started liking first, besides Jo Dee, but then it was kind of like "boom" I was a fan of country music. I firmly believe that you either love country music or you hate country music. I don't feel like there is really an inbetween. I have some friends who would probably say they are inbetween- they don't love it but they don't hate it and I usually tell them that they can't really say that until they listen to more country music.. then their feelings become obvious. Country music just kind of sneaks up on you, grows on you and then before you really even realize it, you are hooked. At least, that is what happened to me.

Now, here are the reasons why I love country music.
1) It's real. This is probably the biggest reason why I am hooked. Country musicians are not afraid to be who they are, to say what they want to say, and they are proud of who they are and where they have come from. They celebrate their roots simply in the style of music they choose to play. Also, to go along with that it's simple. Alot of the music nowadays gets clouded up by cheoreographed dance moves, and alot of high tech devices taking away from the simple music. Most of country music involves the singer and his or her guitar. Sure, there might be a band and when he or she performs there might be alot of different high tech stunts that add to the performance but when you strip everything down.. it is just the musician and his or her guitar. They let the music speak for itself. There are some common misconceptions that I mentioned before about how it is all about getting drunk and cheating on a spouse or significant other. While there are lots of songs out there about that, that is true of any musical genre. I can understand how people might think that, especially the ones that don't really listen to alot of country music. They might be flipping through the channels on the radio and come across the country station and hear one of those songs and make the easy assumption that country music is simply that. As someone who has listened to country and little else, I can say that there is SO much more to country music than that stereotypical viewpoint. In fact, this brings me to the next point on my list of reasons why I love country music.
2) It conveys a wide range of topics. Yes, as I stated before, there are some of the honky tonk let's go to a bar and have some drinks with the guys or the girls kind of songs but there are several other things that make it both real and relatable that it covers. The first one is faith. I chose this as the most important one because it is the most important to me. Country music is not afraid to talk about God and to talk about their faith. In fact, Jeff Foxworthy said it best when hosting one of the country music award shows. He said,
"Country music doesn't have to be politically correct. We sing about God because we believe in Him. We're not trying to offend anybody but the evidence that we have seen of Him in our small little lives trumps your opinion of whether or not He exists."
I remember instantly going on the internet to get that word for word because I thought it was awesome and it completely epitomizes what country music is about. If you listen to alot of it, you can see that faith is a very common theme, even if it's not right in your face. Brad Paisley has a hit called "When we all get to Heaven"

"Sing the wondrous love of Jesus
Sing His mercy and grace
In the mansions bright and blessed
He'll prepare for us a place
When we all get to Heaven
What a day of rejoicing that will be
When we all see Jesus
We sing and shout the victory"

Speaking of Brad Paisley, he is probably the perfect example of a country artist who has a wide range of topics depicted in his songs. You will probably see his name mentioned in every single category.
Also, country music covers deep and serious issues that everyone can relate to on some level. For example, Rascal Flatts has a song called Skin (Sarabeth) where it talks about a high school girl who is dealing with cancer. I cry every single time I hear the song because it is so real and so close to home. I would put the lyrics on here, but I would have to put the whole song because it gives the full effect and is so amazing but this entry is long enough already. Basically though, this girl finds out she has cancer, and she doesn't know how to react because she is only in high school and then she loses her hair and she is feeling insecure about going to her prom without any hair.. then her date shows up with a shaved head so that she doesn't feel bad. I get chills just typing it out. You can't get any more real than that. Several other artists tackle tough subjects as well. Martina McBride is known for writing numerous songs about being abused both domestically as well as child abuse. Keith Urban has a song called "You're Not My God" about his former cocaine addiction. The point is here, that you can relate to it, whoever you are on some level.
There are also many heartfelt songs that just talk about specific times and events that happen in your life. Tim McGraw's "My Little Girl" is all about being a dad and having to let go of his daughter when she gets married. "Stealing Cinderella" by Chuck Wicks is told from the opposite viewpoint as Tim McGraw's.. he is the groom that is essentially "stealing" a daughter from her dad. Brad Paisely deals with death in "When I get where I'm going", Rascall Flatts talk about letting go of someone whether it be for graduation or someone moving in "My Wish". I could go on and on but I think you get my drift.
As a self proclaimed hopeless romantic and lover of chick flicks, I love a good mushy love song and country music has their share of those as well. Keith Urban is my favorite because he knows how to write a good love song. "Making Memories of Us" is talking about how he wants to have a lifetime of memories with someone and his promises to do his best by her. It is adorable and he even sang that song to Nicole Kidman at their wedding. Most of his cd's since marrying her have been a myriad of love songs and you melt just listening to them. "She's Everything" by Brad Paisley is definitely a favorite because it is sweet and also depicts a real relationship by singing about the woman's quirks and things that may not be so glamourous and still saying that it doesn't matter.. she's everything to me. Who can forget about "Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts which is all about everything happening for a reason and ending up with someone who you are meant to be with despite the hardships along the way. I can't do an entry about love songs and not mention "It's Your Love" by Tim McGraw and Faith Hill- the ultimate country couple. It is self explanatory and just plain mushy.
Then there are the fun, humorous songs that poke fun at different aspects of pop culture and even themselves. I feel Brad Paisely is the master of this. There are way too many songs to name here by him that do exactly that but one of my favorites by him is "Online"-
"I work down at the Pizza Pit
And I drive an old Hyundai
I still live with my mom and dad
I'm five foot three and overweight
I'm a sci-fi fanatic mild asthmatic
Never been to second base
But there's a whole 'nother me
That you need to see
Go check out MySpace
'Cause online I'm out in Hollywood
I'm six foot five and I look damn good
I drive a Maserati
I'm a black belt in karate
And I love a good glass of wine
It turns girls on that I'm mysterious
I tell 'em I don't want nothing serious
'Cause even on a slow day I can have a three-way chat
With two women at one time
I'm so much cooler online"...

3) Country musicians are good role models. Let's face it, in this day and age good role models are hard to come by. Not saying that they are perfect, and there are always going to be exceptions butyou rarely hear about country musicians in the tabloids. They seem to keep pretty private lives and even when they do get in the news for something bad they handle it with grace. For example, Keith Urban went to rehab a couple years ago and he was very candid and open about his problems and he got the help he needed. He emerged from it a much stronger person because he didn't make excuses and he didn't try to hide the truth. He admitted he had a problem and he got the help he needed. Also, marriages seem to stick with country musicians. Again, there are a few exceptions but for the most part you don't hear any scandalous rumors and they stick together through the good and bad. Nicole Kidman stuck by Keith Urban when he had his issues and it made them stronger. They show us what marriage is really about- that when you get married you are committed to that person no matter what might come along. You are still committed to them even when things are bad. It is pretty refreshing when all you hear about is the divorce rate increasing and couples not staying together. I guess to kind of also go along with my first point of them being real.. is that they come off as people who are very confident in who they are and they don't try to be someone that they are not. This, as well as everything else I have said, is what makes them good role models.


Those are only three of the many reasons why I love country music but those are the ones that are the most important to me. Those three I think completely encompass country music and the culture around it. This entry is very long and for that I apologize but it was really important to me to talk about why country music is such a huge part of my life.