Read This: Country Dignity

10 Comments

1. Dang, it’s sad but largely true…

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2. WOW, that is so true. In the rush to try to gain more fans the country was left out of the music. Thanks for the link!

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3. Thanks Dan, I think Mr. Bickhardt nails it. Where’s the dignity that real, everyday country folks live out every day? I think folks like Alan Jackson and George Strait are in tune with the reality and often celebrate the dignity of hard working Country men and women… but many many others, however, have reduced country living to nothing but stupid cliches.

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4. Thanks for posting this Dan…I think the author nails it.

   Folks like Alan Jackson and George Strait often celebrate the dignity of country men and women in their songs, but many, many others have reduced them to stupid cliches, as Mr. Bickhardt points out.

   This is an important article, and something that really needed to be said, but the question remains, is anyone in Nashville listening?

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5. Sorry for the double post/variation…dang computer told me that “page was not availble” when I hit submit, then it told me “looks like you already said that” when I tried again. But could not find the original posted, so I rewrote and resubmmited the comment.

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6. Well said. While I think there is room for throwaway lyrics here and there, now and then – The crap that little Taylor and Miley chirp about seems to be here to stay.
   Long live Jamey Johnson and Lee Ann Womack

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7. I think Craig makes a lot of good points. But what I think is even more pathetic than these so-called “country” songs themselves is the fact that the audience keeps buying them, listening to them, and requesting them on the radio all the time.

   It’s not only mass-market Nashville’s problem. The country fans must shoulder some of the blame as well (IMHO).

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8. Don’t you think radio has a big influence on what songwriters are writing about? If their songs ain’t playing on the radio they ain’t bringing home the bacon just like the singers. I imagine songs about country folk are written everyday and my guess is radio thinks nobody wants to hear about it. Shouldn’t we be pointing our fingers a little higher. The suits who reside in Las Angeles, New York, and Nashville are the ones I’m wagging my finger toward. Songwriters are just trying to scratch out a living while losing their heart at the same time.

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9. Gavin says ” Songwriters are just trying to scratch out a living while losing their heart at the same time.” Maybe. But some of the songwriters who produce tripe have had many hits and probably are no longer trying to “scratch out a living.”

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10. Thank you, Dan. I would like to see more real country life highlighted in COUNTRY music. I grew up in the Shenandoah Valley where farmers had little money but much wisdom. They looked out for each other, always had a sincere smile and something to chuckle about, valued simple pleasures over reckless ambition and power, and much of community life was centered on what was happening at church. And there was always something good happening at church. Bring back integrity and home-cookin’! Neither ever gets old.

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