Country music is enjoying an upsurge. Whether it be Dolly Parton, whose fame only continues to grow in her 70s, or younger stars such as Taylor Swift and Beyonce, whose Texas Hold-‘Em recently became a record-breaking hit, country is winning over more fans than ever. Why is this? Streaming is known to have widened musical tastes by making it easier to experiment and explore different styles and singers with a single tap or click. But maybe country’s also found to be positive for wellbeing?
A lively rhythm, lyrics that draw you in, music legends who have come to embody the genre – just some of country’s strengths. As in so many music genres over the last century, country uses a lot of syncopation (where the note is played before the beat). I thought how hearing a country song makes me feel. It’s warming, life-affirming, energising, with a strong onward movement. Good music to motivate or to lift mood. And it never shies away from the darker, sadder or messier side of life. It’s down to earth – think Lynn Anderson’s Rose Garden, singing how the sun can’t shine all the time, rain has to fall…An openness that feels like empathy with whatever the hearer might be going through. Country understands and has been there before you.
Country music has its roots in the southern states of the USA in the 1920s. No wonder that Tennessee alone is still the very nerve centre of the genre, with Dollywood the state’s most visited attraction, and Nashville a magnet for country music fans from across the globe. So famed is Nashville as the home of country that it has its own Walk Of Fame.
So country music is also deep rooted within the country itself, expressive of home. Dolly Parton is not alone in singing of Tennessee. So many other music styles have strong US ties, but maybe none quite so strong nor so personal as country and western as it used to be called, remembering days gone by. That a pop star like Beyonce should now move into country signals it wide appeal. She’s brought country to new audiences and proved that genre is no barrier. She isn’t the only one. More and more, music is blurring traditional distinctions. It’s all about sound, whatever the genre. The BBC Proms alone have contributed by introducing different styles over recent years, this time featuring a disco themed dance night at the Roya Albert Hall. Not everyone agrees I know, but I feel this can only be good news, throwing open the joy of all music to everyone.
But back to country. Most – maybe all – moods will find a country song to fit. Country music is all about your and my experience of life, somehow, so we hear an echo of how we feel. Sometimes it also paints a picture in sound, a scene of the American south and west, of daring and adventure and horseback rides. So it opens up different and familiar worlds alike to imagine, and that alone helps raise spirits. Hear a country song today and see what you think.
It would be good if you’d like to share experiences or thoughts in Medley’s Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/359291215486002 – thank you.