I'd have never thought it, but country music...

[sendero]

... is the new rock I'm afraid.

I have a place in the boonies I go to on weekends. I have a country station programmed into my radio there, 1 out of 5 stations. I have never cared much for country, my dad had me dead sick of it by the time I was 8 :).

(Of course, in my later years I've learned to appreciate Johnny Cash, some Willie, and a few other real artists who happen to work in the country medium.)

Well, I listened to about 4 songs as I took a little rest. The first was a song by a guy named Todd Snider. It talked, basically, because I only heard it once and couldn't believe my ears, about the fact that your latchkey kids are not going bad because they heard "Louie Louii" or Eminem - it was a bigger problem. He talked about our war machine and how the meek were supposed to inherit the earth and how no wonder our kids were confused.

The DJ said the song "raised his blood pressure" but he played it on request.

Then, a couple of songs later I heard a traditional country song where the lyrics talked about the preachers telling us how to live being caught in a hotel room with a ho. The song went a little deeper than that but you get the gist.

Now, these sorts of subjects (and IMHO both of these qualify loosely as "protest songs") were almost only the province of rock and roll. I don't know, I never hear any good "screw/question the man" rock songs on the radio any more, rock seems to have lost its way totally in that regard. Hip-hop? Well, excuse me if I don't consider Eminem whining about his one big chance to get out of the trailer park really socially redeeming, or listening to folks brag about how big a thug they are and how much money and ass they are getting.

So, I'm starting to reluctantly conclude that country is now the only place where someone will stand up and talk about what the hell is going on in our society. I'm frankly kinda shocked at hearing these two songs, and I have no idea how much airplay on other stations these songs might get (I heard them on a Dallas station). I do know this - music did change the world in the 60s and maybe it could happen again. But it won't be rock this time I don't think. :)

[Buzz Clik]

1. Great post.

The best protest songs will come from unexpected sources.

[sandnsea]

2. Loretta Lynn - The Pill

It's always been there, just got lost the last few years. I remember this one was quite scandalous in the late 60's.

You wined me and denied me when I was you girl
Told me if I'd be your wife you'd show me the world
But all I've seen of this old world is a bed and a doctor bill
I'm tearin' down your brooder house because now I've got the pill
All these years I've stayed at home while you had all your fun
And every years that's gone by another baby's come
There's gonna be some changes made right here on nursery hill
You've set this chicken your last time cause now I've got the pill
This old maternity dress I've got is going in the garbage
The clothes I'm wearing from now on won't take up so much yardage
Miniskirts hot pants and a few little fancy frills
Yeah I'm making up for all those years since I've got the pill

I'm tired of all your crowing how you and your hens play
While holding a couple in my arms another's on the way
This chicken's done for up her nest and ready to make a deal
And you can't afford to turn it down cause you know I've got the pill
This incubator is overused because you've kept it filled
The feeling good time's easy now since I've got the pill
It's gettin' dark it's roostin' time and that's too good to be real
Oh daddy don't you worry now cause momma's got the pill
Oh daddy don't you worry now cause momma's got the pill

[Ron Green]

3. This is a very interesting post. I've thought that in the past few years

"country music" has become simply a pop product to support the Nashville star system, while drifting farther away from its true rural musical roots. Your observation that social issues are showing up more and more in country lyrics makes me think that it is more in keeping with the folk music tradition of topical commentary and protest, while maintaining a non-threatening pop sound. After all, country instrumentation and harmonic structure are never going to be on the cutting edge of anything.

[Zensea]

4. Nothing wrong with that - it's a long tradition

think of these things
Bob Dylan and Johnny Cash
Gram Parsons and the Byrds
Carl Perkins
Sir Douglas Quintet
the Grateful Dead playing at the Willie Nelson picnic in 1978
Steve Earle
Buddy Holly


just for starters

[talk hard]

5. Black Hoodies

I really despise country music, sorry.

Don't care for Eminem's either, but his latest video rocks the political landscape.

Go black hoodies.

[sendero]

6. I found the lyrics...

Artist/Band: Snider Todd
Lyrics for Song: Ballad Of The Kingsmen
Lyrics for Album: East Nashville Skyline


The Kingsmen came together in a garage,
They could hardly even play
But they practiced night
And day pretty soon they got to where they could really play that song Louie, Louie
So, they saved up all the money from the shows,
Went in to one of them studios and gave their version of the song a try

Now, I don't know the words to that song Louie,
Louie and I'm pretty sure the singer for the
Kingsmen didn't know ‘em either,
If he did know ‘em he didn't get ‘em right on the record
Cause on the record they sound jumbled in his jaw? It says,
Me think of me girl oh so constantly
Ahmayaaah makaaaah aahh ooohoooh aaaaah
Well, that last part scared everybody from the PTA to the FBI
You see, the kids had been going kind of crazy lately
And it seemed like nobody could figure out why,
So they decided to form a coalition,
Launch an investigation, you know for the children, they at least had to try
To figure out the words to Louie, Louie


Chorus
It's the feel good hit of this endless summer
It gets these kids out of control
Singin along to that star spangled bummer,
Hail, hail rock and roll

Marilyn Manson’s real name isn't even Marilyn Manson,
He's a skinny public high school Kid from Florida,
Not some monster from out of this world and like of a lot other skinny long hair public
High school kids he was sick of getting
Beaten up by the pulling guard all week only to go out on the weekend,
And watch the Quarterback get all the girls so,
He formed a band man
Now' he gets all the girls,
A few years later a couple of latchkey kids go tragically
Mad and everybody's standing around the television store at the mall trying to figure out what went wrong,
This guy says,
You think the life of a kid going to high school could've gotten so bad this other guy says nah,
It's just the words to one of them goddamn Marilyn Manson songs,
You know the one

Chorus

You know, every ten years or so our country and some other little country,
We start firing all of our newest weapons
At each other for some reason or another, right or wrong,
Like it or not, it happens, and when it happens
People get shot and when people get shot,
They show it on tv a lot every night at six o clock
And you don't even have to be eighteen to see it you don't even have to be in first grade,
First grade where they teach the kid pride
They tell him he'll need to thrive,
In a world where only the strong will survive,
So he's taught the art of more
To compare to and to keep score Monday thru Friday while
He stares at the floor til' Sunday they make him go to
School once more only this time they make him wear a suit and a tie
And listen to some guy who claims to know Where people go
When they die tell him that only the meek are gonna inherit the earth Well shit,
By this time the kid doesn't know what anything
Is worth, now brothers and sisters I am only one guy
And I don't even know the words to that song Louie,
Louie but I can tell you right now without batting an eye
That the next time some latchkey kid goes wrong
It aint gonna be cause that Eminem gets to say the word Fag in his song
And I'm not trying to preach to ya either,
I'm just trying to sing to ya too, you know string a few words together

Hey kids...
Lets get it on,
Lets get it on

[Mackenzie]

7. My favorite album is Heart Like A Wheel by Linda Ronstadt.

It's a country/rock album from 1974.

[Uzybone]

8. You dont listen to enough rap

The Roots, Outkast, Common, Paris etc all release protest songs on the regular. But they are not commercially viable songs so you never hear them. As far as Im concerned country music is status quo music. Wave the flag rah rah type shit.

[Droopy]

9. There's poignant music being made in all genres

Although there's not a whole lot of it being made or at least hitting the pop scene. I'm not a fan of country music, but if the next impetus for progressive social change comes from that genre I'll become a fan.

[snoochie]

10. You're talking about an song from years ago

and ... what ... ignoring Mosh?

It's nice that these songs are talking to the audience of that music in a way these mostly bushbots will be receptive about important things, but let's not unfairly ignore Em's contribution.