Giving The Band Perry’s New Single “Live Forever” Its Deserved Kick to the Nuts
Goodness, can we just kill off mainstream country music with one final shotgun blast to the noggin instead of watching this long, suffering, painful smothering at the hands of the proprietors of pop who have positively no idea what country music is supposed to be, and are willing to slowly strew its disemboweled innards all across the public sidewalks in victory? Don’t these bastards have any compassion?
Friday morning (8-14), The Band Perry unveiled their new single “Live Forever” from their third upcoming album to a crowd full of shills who were handed signs made by a marketing agency, and acted super excited to see the performance for a song they’d never heard before in their lives.
And indulge me for a second, but what the hell is up with these morning news shows becoming a puppet for pop country all of a sudden? “40-something dead, over 700 injured in a massive industrial blast in China, oh but hey, let’s break away from that to show some mid-level band dressed in Dollar General colors gesticulating to a backing track in the middle of Central Park!”
Yes, seems like a worthy appropriation of valuable media attention and public works, no?
And when an artist is going to perform on one of these dumb morning shows, you can almost guarantee it’s going to be pre-recorded. The other day I saw one of these things for Scotty McCreery who is sporting his own sellout single these days called “Southern Belle.” “This is probably about as far left as we’ll go,” Scotty said, with “probably” being the optimum word there, as if Scotty was some traditionalist to begin with. Of course when Scotty came out on stage there were sounds emanating from the speakers not being accounted for by human activity, including a banjo in the mix when there wasn’t even a banjo on stage. They don’t even try any more to camouflage the ruse because they know the only people who watch this crap are gullible enough to believe anything. The puppetmasters at America’s major labels want everything perfect for these debut performances, so it’s guarantee you’re not going to get it live.
Don’t these morning shows have a pie recipe to unveil or something? Thank Jeebus I normally don’t wake up before 9 a.m. because this major network morning show crap sends me into an immediate and seismic fetal-position-inducing culture shock from the abomination of Western civilization they display.
But I digress.
We can’t be too appalled this is the direction The Band Perry has chosen. They’ve always been way more pop than country (and enjoyed performing to a backing tracks). This is their big moment to replace Taylor Swift as country’s top pop draw as part of the long-term diabolical scheme of the country music Antichrist, Scott Borchetta. Swift didn’t deliver Borchetta the three country pop singles he requested from her last record, so get The Band Perry to fill the void apparently.
“Live Forever” is perfect for a mindless pop crowd who wants to be told when to throw their hands up, when and what to shout during the chorus, and how to act to fit in with everybody else and be cool. “You and I, we’re staying young! We’re gonna live forever!” says the song. Well shit, who doesn’t like that message? The Band Perry have discovered the goddamn Fountain of Youth by golly. Ponce de León, eat your ever-loving conquistador heart out.
The track was co-produced by some asshole named RedOne who previously worked with Pitbull and Niki Minaj, and is yet another one of these Swedish-based pop producers in the same vein as Max Martin, Shellback, and Axident, who have moved in to exploit American country music for top returns. It’s the cultural version of the IKEA invasion basically—cheap crap that looks fancy on the surface, but falls apart under even the slightest bit of careful scrutiny.
Anyway, this song sucks, and so does The Band Perry for releasing it. And the decision to spend hours and hours choreographing stage moves instead of rehearsing the actual song so they could perform it live is an insult to the music performance medium.
This whole thing should be scrubbed from concious human thought and never be spoken of again. And seriously, unless you’re working at the Dollar General or Waffle House, don’t sport primary yellow like this. It just looks cheap, even when your new logo is a diamond with tits on the top.
Two guns down.
August 14, 2015 @ 11:29 am
And here I am listening to Iris Dement’s new album the Trackless Woods….which feels like a parallel universe compared to “Live Forever”.
The Band Perry is a band tailor made for pop, but calling this country music is an obvious lie. This is Imagine Dragons with a female lead. UGH. Why can’t they just call it pop rock mishmash and move on?
However, the Ponce de León reference is amazing, which we would not have gotten had this song not been released, so thank you for that Trigger!
August 14, 2015 @ 11:39 pm
“…And here I am listening to Iris Dement”™s new album the Trackless Woods…”
What’s your take on Iris Dement’s new record ?
August 15, 2015 @ 9:55 pm
” This is Imagine Dragons with a female lead.”
That was exactly my first impression. As far as pop goes, its not bad – at least compared to most of the dreck out there these days.
No way in hell this belongs anywhere near a country format though.
August 16, 2015 @ 4:12 pm
Agreed John. It’s not a country song by any stretch of the imagination.
August 16, 2015 @ 4:09 pm
Hey Albert, The Trackless Woods is a great album, but it takes some time to get into some of the songs. This is because Dement is taking Russian poems by Anna Akhmatova and making them into songs.
“From an Airplane” and “Last Toast” are must hear tracks.
The album is very sparse for the most part, just Dement and a piano. It’s similar to Sing the Delta (her last album), but has less instrumentation. Also her voice has a more ethereal quality to it this time.
I’d give it a B+ or A-. It’s an album to absorb while at home though. I still feel I need another listen where I am not driving.
August 16, 2015 @ 8:49 pm
I appreciate the feedback here folks . I haven’t listened to Iris in many years -I’m happy she’s still recording . I’ll check out TRACKLESS WOODS
August 14, 2015 @ 11:33 am
I honestly think I like this even less than I like Sam Hunt.
Its bad hipster pop. I never really liked the band perry, but when they pretended they were country, I think they might have had one song that i thought was okay. I’m not sure, I can’t tell all these groups apart.
August 14, 2015 @ 11:34 am
What the bloody hell is that shit? What marketing genius decided it would be cool to have the band look like a banana on stage? Or was it some in joke from the label who secretly call them The Banana Perry?
August 14, 2015 @ 11:35 am
Scotty McGreery respects country music and older artists more than most. He was opening for Dierks Bentley, and he started playing songs by Hank Williams, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Waylon and Willie, and George Strait, with blasting steel guitar and fiddle and everything. He said they wouldn’t let him do it because this was a “pop show,” but he did it anyway. Meanwhile, Dierks did that “We’ll be Countin’ Stars” song with a fiddle and banjo… Dierk’s own songs sounded good though, and he sings good in person without auto tune unlike Aldean and Bryan. Anyway, Scotty already had a sellout single. It’s called “Feelin’ It.”
August 14, 2015 @ 12:11 pm
I agree with your point about Scotty respecting traditional country music more than most mainstream acts.
I saw him this past June at the Opry and he did a fine rendition of “The Grand Tour.”
I caught him at festival last year and it was refreshing to hear him cover “Move It On Over,” “That’s Alright,” and “Check Yes or No,” as opposed to the pop/rock covers the other mainstream acts performed.
August 20, 2015 @ 3:30 pm
How are “Feelin It” and “Southern Belle” sell outs? Perhaps they are just fun summer songs. We need those in addition to more serious fare. I’d rather hear McCreery sing the phone book than most of the other artists on country radio these days. Whatever he wants to sing is alright with me.
August 14, 2015 @ 11:40 am
I prefer Billy Joe Shaver Live Forever. It has a strong religious message and very uplifting.
August 14, 2015 @ 8:02 pm
I was actually about to comment that I was hoping this would turn out to be a well-meaning (if poppy) cover of that song. I suppose my expectations for something resembling a decent song were a little too high.
August 15, 2015 @ 4:20 am
I’ll take Oasis’ Live Forever. It’s not country, but it’s a great song.
August 15, 2015 @ 5:32 am
I’ll throw in Black Sabbath’s “Live Forever”
August 15, 2015 @ 4:59 pm
What about the Highwaymen’s “Live Forever”, eh? How am I the first to mention this?
August 17, 2015 @ 10:12 am
That’s the same song as Billy Joe Shaver’s…he wrote it
August 17, 2015 @ 10:20 am
Pretty sure that was a cover of the Billy Joe Shaver song…
August 17, 2015 @ 10:45 am
Haha I guess that answers my original question. My bad.
In any event, I prefer the Highwaymen’s rendition
August 17, 2015 @ 10:29 am
I can relate. When Little Big Town came out with “Day Drinkin'” I was hoping it would be a cover of the Dave Dudley/Tom T. Hall song.
August 14, 2015 @ 11:50 am
This is basically a Katy Perry song, and not even a good one. Wow. I had very little respect for this “band” to begin with, other than “Better Dig Two.” And why the hell would I even listen to that when I can hear Brandy Clark sing it instead?
I can’t even call this a sellout, considering, but it might be the most egregiously non-country “country” song I’ve heard yet. At least Taylor took this stuff to pop radio where it belongs.
“Ponce de León, eat your ever-loving conquistador heart out.” At least that left me with a good laugh. 😀
August 14, 2015 @ 11:54 am
Well if your music is going to be that bad you have to have something to distract from it. I couldn’t tell you a single word from that song because I was caught up in the lead singers admittedly distracting outfit and the giant lemon that is the stage.
August 14, 2015 @ 11:56 am
Terrible. Not that I expected much from The Band Perry which has always annoyed me. A lot of people will be hurt financially by this, but I for one cannot wait for the inevitable implosion that is going to happen to mainstream Country music soon enough. Maybe it never happens, but at this point the genre is just too far gone to circle the wagons back. It basically needs to just collapse and hopefully then the genre can pick up the pieces and get back to being the genre I would guess 99% of the readers of this site fell in love with.
August 14, 2015 @ 11:59 am
Now picture me doing a thumbs down whilst making fart noises with my mouth… Downright awful.
August 14, 2015 @ 12:01 pm
That’s awful. Sounds like something “the Archie’s” would have done. It’s particularly hurtful that they stole the song title from Billy Joe Shaver’s masterpiece. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aeJ4kp1AwY4
August 14, 2015 @ 12:39 pm
Thanks for the clip — that was great! 🙂
August 14, 2015 @ 12:41 pm
Ditto …
After just starting to watch this trash … I mean video, I had to stop it and watch the Billy Joe Shaver song … I think the Band Perry did have a couple good songs earlier (If I Die Young, Better Dig Two, and of course, the Gentle on my mind cover) … so I know they can do better …
Singers and bands like the Band Perry are creating songs that they think will sell and play on the radio. And the songs do … to some extent, doesn’t this says about what we as a society wants?
August 14, 2015 @ 8:01 pm
I always love to point out that Big & Rich are featured in this rendition of the song 🙂 . And people say they have no respect for country music. Give me a break.
August 14, 2015 @ 12:09 pm
This is so incredibly weak! I realize that there are backing tracks here but her vocals are extremely weak for an anthem type of song. And those two nancy boys of brothers she’s got next to her aught to be ashamed for the way they go along with this obvious and total made-up bullshit of an act they are perpetrating onto civilization.
They are just terrible, terrible I say. From this day forward I shall never willingly listen to another The Band Perry song. Not that I can really identify much of their past work anyways.
August 14, 2015 @ 12:11 pm
I noticed one good thing in this video, and I probably shouldn’t mention it 😀
August 14, 2015 @ 12:46 pm
The Perry girl’s navel? I give up.
August 14, 2015 @ 3:32 pm
Wrong side I suspect!
August 14, 2015 @ 3:24 pm
Kimberly Perry’s curves? 😉
August 14, 2015 @ 12:12 pm
“Goodness, can we just kill off mainstream country music with one final shotgun blast to the noggin instead of watching this long, suffering, painful smothering at the hands of the proprietors of pop who have positively no idea what country music is supposed to be, and are willing to slowly strew its disemboweled innards all across the public sidewalks in victory? Don”™t these bastards have any compassion?”
You could have stopped right here Trigger . Dead on .
The Band Perry were DONE with the release of the song …..well …” DONE” in terms of integrity , uniqueness ,band input playing , singing or writing-wise , in my humble estimation . They sexed ’em up and trotted them out all choreographed and shiny and a completely different band than was first signed and this HAD to be disheartening to thousands of fans . They are a parody of just about every pop act out there at this point ….from material to appearance to performance . Sad and telling and , unfortunately , not even unexpected to those of us who are listeners and observers.
August 14, 2015 @ 12:27 pm
Good gravy. A cover of the Oasis song “Live Forever” would’ve been better than this! :p
August 14, 2015 @ 12:41 pm
That’s a great song! Oasis first two albums ‘Definitely Maybe’ and ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory?’ were very good.
August 14, 2015 @ 2:02 pm
Yep. 🙂 I liked quite a few of their early hits; “Don’t Look Back in Anger” is still probably my favorite.
August 14, 2015 @ 7:53 pm
That is a fantastic song. I spent the summer of ’96 bacpacking across Europe and that song was everywhere. Of course, so were the Backstreet Boys, the Macarena and the Kelly Family.
August 14, 2015 @ 8:15 pm
Is that you Joey Tribiani?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HguzO9KmHBU
August 16, 2015 @ 9:58 am
Personally, my quintessential European “American song” is Teenage Dirtbag.
There’s nothing like it when the entirety of Coppers starts roaring along.
August 14, 2015 @ 12:41 pm
I had a similar reaction when I saw The Band Perry performing “Uptown Funk” at the iHeartCountry show in Austin. I am blissfully oblivious to most of the band’s activities, but between the Bruno Mars cover and this new single, it seems obvious that these guys have no interest in country music.
I don’t know much about Scotty, either, but my impression is that he is more committed to the genre’s history and stylistics. His problem is figuring out how to stand out among the spate of boy crooners vying for the spotlight.
August 14, 2015 @ 11:00 pm
Ha! I feel like Ross now. (Story is true though).
August 14, 2015 @ 12:42 pm
N/M – I see that you’re referring to the mix not being live rather than the performance itself not being live.
August 14, 2015 @ 12:44 pm
I hate to criticize talent, but this chick has an awful time singing live. Every time I’ve heard her on an awards show or some shit like this, she seems to be sucking down as much oxygen as possible while trying to sing.
Maybe she’s just got bad asthma …
August 14, 2015 @ 12:49 pm
Yes, she’s very breathy, and they’ve got her running around stage so much, it makes it so much worse.
The whole stage performance just feels incredibly contrived. As horrible as they are, you won’t see Florida Georgia Line doing choreographed stage moves in unison. What is this, Styx?
August 14, 2015 @ 3:54 pm
Whoa, lay off of Styx! They may be pretentious and all but they are better than this crap. They deserve a little respect if for no other reason than their tangential presence in the season 2 finale of Chuck. Funniest thing ever on television.
August 14, 2015 @ 10:04 pm
Oh come on, I’m not jumping Styx’s case, or even coming close to comparing them to this. Just saying the last few times I saw videos on them, there was synchronous stage movements.
August 14, 2015 @ 6:02 pm
I WISH it was Styx *cranks Renegade*
August 14, 2015 @ 8:23 pm
*Cranks Lords of the Ring*
LOL, JK. But Renegade is really good, tho.
August 14, 2015 @ 8:24 pm
Hey, be nice to Styx man!
August 14, 2015 @ 12:49 pm
Maybe she smokes three packs of Lucky Strikes a day. The only difference between marketing this swill as country and marketing it was pop is the album cover. Because it is being marketed as country, she is wearing a shirt underneath her Big Bird sweater. If it were marketed as pop, she would be naked under the sweater, and she would have a navel piercing and a tattoo on her hip that said “BITCH.”
There is no helping the two cock smokers that are flanking her. They look like Eurotrash to me.
August 14, 2015 @ 12:53 pm
I’ve only seen them twice on an award show but I noticed that too. She is really struggling to project. As I stated earlier, her vocals are incredibly weak to try and be the lead on a live performance.
August 14, 2015 @ 6:10 pm
“I hate to criticize talent, but this chick has an awful time singing live. Every time I”™ve heard her on an awards show or some shit like this, she seems to be sucking down as much oxygen as possible while trying to sing.Maybe she”™s just got bad asthma ”
When the BP first hit the scene , their material FIT their talents . She can sing those folky/country things and sounds very good doing it . The unique character of her voice can be appreciated and be a strong focal point with appropriate material . Sadly , this and many other bands have let the powers that be dictate to THEM to supposedly satisfy the demands of this younger demographic. A REAL artist understands their strong points and the importance of standing your ground ALWAYS . Chasing trends and a record deal in this climate almost always ensures a compromise which can come to no good spiritually and artistically . Based on the weak , inept vocal performance in this inappropriate material BP is well past ” DONE ” .
August 14, 2015 @ 12:48 pm
THE SONG IS OK FOR POP, BUT WHY IS SHE TRYING TO DRESS LIKE A HARLEM BLACK GIRL. CULTURAL APPROPRIATION
August 14, 2015 @ 12:50 pm
Would’ve been a service at this point if they followed their first single “Die Young” and let their career to just that, but now they look foolish like so many other mainstream acts that are scrambling for relevancy. This song sucks and I’m sure they know it. What a shame.
August 14, 2015 @ 12:58 pm
I agree, I bet they know it sucks too. But they are too far down the road on releasing this single to promote the new album to back out now.
August 16, 2015 @ 10:02 am
Heh, it’s ironic that this is pretty much the opposite of Die Young (which I already didn’t like all that much!)
August 14, 2015 @ 12:50 pm
All I can say is that the night is darkest before the dawn. With all the horse piss they are spraying on suburban porn radio these days, I’d say the dawn better come soon. Otherwise, it is past time to put the sick horse of Nashville country down, as Trigger suggests.
Honestly, other than the Cronenbergian body horror type entertainment real country fans get from watching this freakshow, I am not sure why we even pay attention to this nightmare.
August 14, 2015 @ 12:59 pm
We’ll all still be singing this wonderful timeless classic tune years from now. 😉
At least Kimberly still looks good.
August 14, 2015 @ 1:03 pm
Did the one Perry guy finally get rid of his Darth Vader helmet haircut?
August 14, 2015 @ 1:08 pm
Did the Dr. Scholl’s marketing team force that shade of yellow on them? It is their theme accent color on their web site.
August 14, 2015 @ 2:27 pm
If it worked for Billy and the Boingers it’ll work for anyone!
(now to see how many will get this reference without looking it up)
August 14, 2015 @ 3:57 pm
Now that is funny. It makes me wonder if that particular sponsorship was birthed by an ad exec with a sense of humor. Have you heard that Bloom County is coming back?
August 14, 2015 @ 11:14 pm
Actually if it wasn’t for this post I wouldn’t have known that (and it’s funny because Bloom County is my all-time favourite strip). Now I know and knowing is half the battle! /derail
August 14, 2015 @ 1:11 pm
doesnt sound like Hank to me.
August 14, 2015 @ 1:12 pm
I actually enjoy this as a POP song. If it were being serviced to Mainstream Top 40 airwaves, I can admit I’d nod to this with affirmation.
As a COUNTRY song, however, it is utterly insulting to the intelligence. Especially on the heels of their gorgeous cover of “Gentle On My Mind”.
*
This also reinforces how Borchetta seems to be prodding each act on his roster to push toward a so-called “crossover-friendly” sound.
We’re seeing this near simultaneously with The Band Perry and this track, the Eli Young Band’s befuddling “duet” feature on Andy Grammar’s “Honey, I’m Good”, the Zac Brown Band with “Beautiful Drug” and Thomas Rhett with his forthcoming album “Tangled Up” entirely. And it will be interesting to see what comes next from Rascal Flatts, Justin Moore and Danielle Bradbery most notably.
Also, Tim McGraw’s new lead single, while not as bad as his previous two lead singles, nonetheless AGAIN reverts to some synthetic production elements and “hey girl” songwriting by formula. I remain optimistic that, after seeing that “Lookin’ For That Girl” was the outlier of his most recent album, that the same will be the case here………………….but it’s still absolutely frustrating.
August 14, 2015 @ 1:20 pm
Personally I could care less what happens in China
August 14, 2015 @ 1:32 pm
Is it just me, am I the only one seeing the irony between their first “hit” – If I Die Young – and this release -” Live Forever”? (Or did miss someone else making this same point already?)
In any event I wish they’d make up their aleged minds…
August 14, 2015 @ 3:05 pm
I hope their fixation on forcefully aiming to “evolve” country music dies young! 😉
August 14, 2015 @ 1:40 pm
What would it take to begin sueing for defamation of character everytime a song like this released under the guise of “country”. Youre making shitty pop and at the same time making country even shittier.
August 14, 2015 @ 1:47 pm
They need to spend a few bucks on a hairstylist for the group. They all 3 have the worst hair in the business.
August 14, 2015 @ 1:53 pm
The Perry girl couldn’t sound worse singing this shitty pop song if she tried and her brothers couldn’t be more emasculated. What a time for mainstream country music.
August 14, 2015 @ 2:23 pm
The Band Perry is a hit or miss for me. This song is a miss. They can sing country but this is bad. Chainsaw is bad. Done is bad, and so is Hip to my Heart.
August 14, 2015 @ 3:16 pm
I’ve mostly liked The Band Perry up until this release, but I am quite uneasy about the general direction they are moving under the guise “country”.
They sounded great on their reading of “Gentle On My Mind”. “Postcard From Paris” was one of my favorite mainstream country singles of 2012. “All Your Life” wasn’t anything deep lyrically, but it also really worked for me in how intimate both the vocals and production were. Conversely, “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely” had lousy production but it was written well. And they have some strong album cuts like “Lasso”, “Walk Me Down The Middle”, “Mother Like Mine” and “I Saw A Light”.
Much like Florida Georgia Line, I’m quite likely more lenient on this trio than most here mostly because I do think most of what they write and perform is at least age-appropriate and well-intentioned. And as a pop song, “Live Forever” works in my opinion. But I can’t in all clear conscience excuse that as a country song. I resent they’re allowing themselves to be marketed that way.
August 14, 2015 @ 2:23 pm
I’m pretty sure at this point that mainstream country is just trolling everyone.
August 14, 2015 @ 2:49 pm
Fan girl obsessing over this song and glorifying how great it is: OMG I love this song it’s such a great country song!
Me: this song is shit I can’t believe people listen to this.
Fangirl: well I like it and I could care less about what you think.
Me: are you stupid? This song suck ass and it’s not even country.
Fangirl: well country music has to evolve it can’t sound like it did 50 years ago.
Me: whoever said country music can’t sound like it did 50 years ago? Ever heard of retroizing? Nobody who’s mature doesn’t want to listen to shitty ass pop-country music.
Fangirl: …
Do you think this is pretty accurate? I’m open for opinions.
August 14, 2015 @ 8:05 pm
Dead nuts, my man.
August 14, 2015 @ 3:14 pm
I had high hopes for this band after hearing “If I Die Young,” but every song since has disappointed me. This new single doesn’t resemble country music at all and it’s not even any good as a pop song (which probably means it will be a massive hit).
August 14, 2015 @ 3:15 pm
I think that this single is better than most pop songs, in that it actually contains a melody.
August 14, 2015 @ 3:14 pm
I actually consider this a not bad song. It has an okay melody and a strongly anthemic feel. As Nadia mentioned above, it would make for enjoyable listening on pop radio. However, it does not remotely belong in the country fold.
August 14, 2015 @ 3:20 pm
For perspective’s sake, I would rate this a Light 0 as a “country” song, but a Decent To Strong 6 as a pop song.
The only reason this is under such intense scrutiny is because they’re allowing it to be marketed as a COUNTRY song, when they could have clearly respected the genre’s boundaries. Same with “Beautiful Drug” and “Breakup In A Small Town” (which has just been announced as the forthcoming fourth single from Sam Hunt’s album).
August 14, 2015 @ 3:30 pm
But the thing is that they (by they I mean mostly label people) all know that these acts can’t compete if they just go straight to mainstream Top 40 so they hedge by going to country because they all know that country radio will play whatever they are told to play.
What a song sounds like is so far down the list of prerequisites at this point it is almost irrelevant.
Unless that is it sounds too country.
What a messed up situation.
August 14, 2015 @ 4:32 pm
Right.
And I’ve perused a lot of music discussion communities, including the Pulse Music Board and Music Banter, where you have many users ADMIT that these respective songs are NOT country……………and yet STILL insist on these songs succeeding on country radio because there’s nowhere else for them to be shipped to and wishing them to maintain their commercial momentum is more important to them than the identity and preservation of the community.
I’m one who believes the latter is vastly more important. If that makes me a cold-hearted, closed-minded type, so be it. In the longer run, far more legitimate country artists and acts will be doomed from the start in their bid for mainstream success by this logic, as opposed to two to three dozen mainstream acts tops plunging in a downward spiral because they didn’t take the long view in knowing how to market themselves.
*
On a side note, it’s absolutely befuddling to me that countless A and B-list entertainers saturating “country radio” at the moment and their labels are so compulsively adamant about picking up crossover Adult Top 40 airplay that their albums are clinically designed hoping they’ll get lucky and get airplay there.
Yet, even “Take Your Time” has stalled at #12 on that format. “Girl Crush” only made it to #20. “Play It Again” and “Sun Daze” both received detections on a small handful of Adult Top 40 stations and neither made the Top 40. And so on.
I fail to see why they think it’s a viable strategy.
August 14, 2015 @ 4:53 pm
Exactly. The golden era for adult-contemporary crossover Top 40 was prior to 2012, when Taylor Swift, Lady Antebellum, and others were enjoying massive success by releasing songs to both country radio and to Adult Top 40.
Bro-country has completely reshaped the country radio environment.
August 14, 2015 @ 4:51 pm
Really this is the area where Taylor Swift and Florida Georgia Line have probably done the most damage to country music. Before Swift started getting crossover airplay and FGL came along the possibility of getting large amounts of Top 40 airplay was really a shot in the dark. ‘Need You Now’ and ‘Before He Cheats’ were really the only two big time crossovers in several years but when Swift released ‘You Belong To Me’ especially and then a couple years later ‘Cruise’ totally busted the door down everybody thought they could get some of that and it just wasn’t ever going to happen because Top 40 is never going to play country crossovers on a regular basis.
I would argue that this is what directly let to the EDM/R & B whatever you call it music that is dominating country radio right now as they are all on a quest for that crossover gold.
Country radio has almost become like AAA baseball where they all dream of being called up to the big leagues but the vast majority never will.
August 14, 2015 @ 4:56 pm
Just as a clarification, “Need You Now” was released after “You Belong with Me”. Lady Antebellum essentially followed the Taylor Swift template by marketing their song both to country radio and to Adult Top 40.
August 14, 2015 @ 5:01 pm
Yes by three months but my larger point was that Swift did that regularly from that point forward where Lady A was never able to duplicate it therefore it felt more like a one off fluke. She made it look possible to others when in reality she was the outlier.
August 15, 2015 @ 12:17 am
Well as I’ve rgiped before around here. I blame Shania Twain, period. Or her handlers. She started that trend of pop versions of country albums and sold MILLIONS. And I believe the executives and maybe even some of the artists thought to themselves., “That is an awesome idea, now if we could do it without having to make a country album at all…” And bam Taylor Swift, FGL and everyone else…. They don’t want to make country music AT ALL. AT. ALL. They want to make pop music but they just can’t compete with the dominating pop stars so counrty is where they remain. TS of course jumped ship… but she had the help of that all important 12-14 year old girls demographic of UNWAVERING fans who swear their fave can do NO WRONG and the parents who buy this music for them because, “at least it isn’t Lil’ Wayne”.
August 14, 2015 @ 9:59 pm
Yes, it’s the sports equivalent of cheering for laundry. Whatever single a top tier star release will go #1, regardless of what it sounds like. It’s all assured by radio and the major label system, and fans will love it because it’s from their favorite artist.
August 14, 2015 @ 3:16 pm
just no.
August 14, 2015 @ 3:20 pm
I wish I would have been there cause I would have been the dude in the crowd to yell F***IN’ SLAYER!
August 14, 2015 @ 3:28 pm
By the way, has anyone else noticed that the intro drum pattern resembles Roxette’s “Must Have Been Love”?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2C5TjS2sh4
I also hear some similarity with Keith Urban’s “You’ll Think of Me”.
August 15, 2015 @ 12:18 am
First Styx and now somebody is dragging Roxette into this… But yeah similarities about these days. I guess the only good idea is an old one.
August 18, 2015 @ 11:14 am
ignore–wrong post
August 14, 2015 @ 4:13 pm
As long as her husband is no longer playing baseball for my team I’ll take this as a trade off.
August 14, 2015 @ 5:42 pm
I would like to take back any defense I’ve ever made of The Band Perry.
August 14, 2015 @ 8:42 pm
Man country music went downhill very fast.
August 14, 2015 @ 11:50 pm
“Man country music went downhill very fast. ”
Like a f ******* runaway train whose engineer bailed out miles back , Pete . The ” artists” all seem to be operating under a directorate dictating they’d best ” Get it while you can any way you can before it all implodes ” . Hopefully the big implosion will happen during one of those ridiculous televised award shows.
August 15, 2015 @ 12:20 am
Maybe this will end like the dot com bust and they all be broke ass boys ‘n girls back to working the 3AM shift at Waffle House.
August 14, 2015 @ 9:37 pm
I wish more of The Band Perry’s music leaned more towards singles like “If I Die Young,” “All Your Life,” and “Better Dig Two.” I especially like that “BDT” brought a murder ballad to modern country radio. Now that I’ve heard Brandy Clark’s version of it, I prefer that. (Thanks to Melissa for mentioning this in a comment here.)
August 14, 2015 @ 11:28 pm
25 years ago a song like Lindi Ortega’s “Ashes” would not only get radio play, it would be played *a lot* and probably do really well. A song such as this one by The Band Perry wouldn’t even *sniff* country radio because it would be classified as a pop or light rock song which meant it would have stayed far away.
Instead we live in bizarro world where this shitty song will probably be played to the point of overkill. This video makes me irrationally angry and even Luke Bryan songs don’t do that. If I were to think of how Taste of Country or The Boot were to promote this song I’d get even more pissed off.
Yeah yeah, preaching to the choir, all that, but it helps to vent.
August 15, 2015 @ 12:14 am
The Band Perry suck. It’s a toss up as to who sucks worse; The Band Perry or Lady Antabellum. Both represent the worst Nucountry has to offer in the “group performance” category.
August 15, 2015 @ 7:08 pm
“The Band Perry suck. It”™s a toss up as to who sucks worse; The Band Perry or Lady Antabellum. Both represent the worst Nucountry has to offer in the “group performance” category.”
I think you could safely add Gloriana and Little Big Town to this list . These are the furthest thing from country ” groups” I can think of .Yes,…Girl Crush is a terrific song …but NONE of LBT’s or Lady A’s music is country in the traditional sense …..and most of it is kindergarten pop…that is , not even WORTHY of attention by the pop genre and its following.
August 15, 2015 @ 9:08 pm
It is very unfair to label Lady Antebellum as “kindergarten pop”. Their recent songs have been disappointing, but their output from 2008 through 2011 (like “Run To You”, “Need You Now”, “Just A Kiss”, or “Dancin’ Away With My Heart”) ranked among the best that country had to offer even back then, and way above the bulk of pop music. There is a reason why “Need You Now” won the all-genre Grammy for Song of the Year.
August 17, 2015 @ 9:51 pm
Song of the Year or not, I found that one to be almost impossibly whiny. I can’t think of a single song that results in me flipping to AM or just killing the radio as quickly as that irritating pile of crap.
August 18, 2015 @ 12:15 pm
Well then, we just have different musical tastes.
August 16, 2015 @ 10:06 am
Have you listened to pre-Pontoon LBT? They were actually a decent neotrad band.
August 16, 2015 @ 10:24 am
“Have you listened to pre-Pontoon LBT? They were actually a decent neotrad band.”
My introduction to LBT is through their singles . With the exception of , perhaps , BOONDOCKS , they , like most acts, have left country music in the dust . Yes , initially some of those acts ( Lady A – NEED YOU NOW was not a country song- , T. Swift, even Carrie ) straddled the line more convincingly . But in the past several years , none of them seems the least interested in tradition outside of a token banjo etc. I’m not saying their material wouldn’t live comfortably in another genre but if we’re accepting their stuff as country we’re as brainwashed as every other listener of contemporary country radio . Its about a mindset , now ….a sliding scale of what material is the lesser of several evils . Is LBT LESS pop than Band Perry ? Is Luke Bryan LESS pop than Keith Urban ? Is Hunter Hayes LESS pop than Sam Hunt ? Maybe ……but no one is really making a COUNTRY record whether they may have ONCE or not . These are NOT country acts by definition of the genre , if such a thing exists . Only by contemporary radio standards . At least T Swift did the noble thing and left the ” relationship” before she caused any more heartache to it .
August 16, 2015 @ 12:49 pm
So…no, you haven’t.
Boondocks is the typical song from The Road to Here.
LBT actually sold out. On that scale from the Luke Bryan review, they’re much closer to the Blake end than the Luke end.
They genuinely were a decent neotrad band for several years before deciding to follow the money and go pop. That’s why I find them so irritating now.
August 17, 2015 @ 10:37 am
YES. Even if Little Big Town started out with good intentions and reasonably country music, they’ve been on a steady decline for a long time now. Their music has turned into insipid, pointless garbage. I’ve never looked upon them as a country act anyways, but they just seem to stoop to new, more creatively bankrupt lows.
August 15, 2015 @ 12:28 am
I’m ashamed to say that I’m from the same town as these shit stains….
August 15, 2015 @ 12:48 am
RedOne is a Lebanese producer who has not “moved in to exploit American country music for top returns” as he broke out in 2008 when he produced Lady Gaga’s debut single “Just Dance”.
August 15, 2015 @ 8:05 am
Yep, sounds pretty country to me!
August 16, 2015 @ 1:32 pm
He’s actually from Morocco, and he moved to Sweden when he was 19.
August 15, 2015 @ 3:24 am
Trigger, what you need to do is some research and investigation on the billboard selection process/committee/heads who are placing singles into their designated radio genres. To me, it has less to do with ‘saving country’ then ‘this clearly ain’t country’……. so why, and who are getting paid off to put it there. Seriously, someone should start getting to the root of how in the hell this music is being directed to country radio. It’s a freaking joke. But money talks and that is the answer we all know. I understand how the system works, just sayin’…..geez
Otherwise great read as usual on this review.
August 15, 2015 @ 8:16 am
The long-time country chart manager for Billboard was a man named Wade Jessen, and he died unexpectedly in March at the age of 53. He was a very well-respected guy, though like all of the chart managers, he was sort of in bed with the industry. I have not heard anything yet about who his replacement is or will be. I know Billboard was looking to hire someone.
I wrote about this very thing back in March.
https://savingcountrymusic.com/billboards-country-charts-at-a-critical-crossroads-as-a-power-vacuum-opens-up-in-the-genre
August 17, 2015 @ 10:30 am
Interesting. Wade Jessen certainly seemed to be a big supporter of classic country. In fact, he hosted “Rear View with Wade Jessen” on Willie’s Roadhouse on Sirius XM Radio up until the time of his untimely (and sad) passing. I had no idea he was affiliated with Billboard.
August 15, 2015 @ 3:59 am
You know what is sad about this shit? It makes Toby Keith look like a country traditionalist. Even Red Solo Cup is more country than this.
August 15, 2015 @ 4:17 am
Toby Keith is a total traditionalist by the standard of the last 4 years of mainstream country. Actually, notwithstanding his blustering persona and his political songs, he has probably made some of the best honky-tonk tracks of the last couple decades. Songs like “As Good As I Once Was” carry on the Bakersfield Sound sonic tradition and cleverly use humor to convey deep emotions (in this case, disappointment over aging):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldQrapQ4d0Y
August 16, 2015 @ 10:07 am
I will defend “I Like Girls That Drink Beer” to the death.
Great country song.
August 15, 2015 @ 4:28 am
What exactly do her two brothers do aside from dress horribly, have pre-teen haircuts, and pretend to play instruments?
August 15, 2015 @ 7:46 am
As I said earlier, I am from the same area and they have a reputation, at least locally, of acting like total diva douchebag…
August 15, 2015 @ 6:03 am
Why does music have to have a genre? Country fans suggested that country music has to sound a certain way. Let artist have the creative outlet to make music however they feel, look what Taylor did. But here’s a thing, i think The Band Perry did have good songs earlier, so i know they can do it better
August 15, 2015 @ 8:09 am
Taylor Swift sees the value of genre, that’s why she went out of her way to distinguish her music as pop as opposed to country. If genres didn’t matter, she would have never done that.
This idea that genres are somehow a creative limitation on artists is ridiculous, like we’re somehow stifling them by asking them to be honest about their music. Major label managers hate genres because they put a limitation on their commercial capabilities, and that’s what’s driving all of this. We lose genres, and we lose the diversity and strength that makes American music one of the most dominant forces of culture the world has ever seen.
August 15, 2015 @ 7:10 am
I could only take :45 of that horseshit!
August 15, 2015 @ 2:31 pm
That’s 25 seconds longer than I made it. This is dreadful regardless of whatever format they’re marketing this stuff.
August 15, 2015 @ 4:26 pm
Eh, I think that’s hard to judge to be honest. I mean, are the bread and butter of Alan Jackson’s fan base strolling the streets of New York on a weekday morning?
I think its tough to judge that stuff because the reality is far more Alan Jackson fans are probably based in the heartland/midwest and south, while The Band Perry fans are likely to be younger and more apt to be hanging out in New York or whatever.
I mean, my dad is a HUGE Alan Jackson fan, but the man wouldnt be caught dead in New York City. I suspect that sentiment is far more likely to be prevalent amongst Alan Jackson fans than Band Perry fans.
August 15, 2015 @ 8:02 am
Look at the size of the crowd, then compare it with the crowd Alan Jackson got on the Today show last month. Unfortunately, I think the traditionalists really are losing….
August 15, 2015 @ 8:56 am
7 people wrote this shit. SMH
August 15, 2015 @ 9:19 am
“7 people wrote this shit.”
And just think it only took a 24 pack of crayons!
August 15, 2015 @ 9:08 am
I liked this song better when it was “We Are Young” by .fun.
August 15, 2015 @ 1:14 pm
So as I terrorize country music, I will feed its listeners crap to poison their souls. I will make them believe their music can survive while they throw their hands up and shake their behinds.
You can watch me torture an entire art form…And when you have truly understood the depths of your failure, we will fulfill Scott Borschetta’s destiny. We will destroy country music. And when it is done, and country music is….ashes……..
……Then you have my permission to die!!!!!!!
August 15, 2015 @ 1:22 pm
A little (actually really fricken big) piece of me died after listening to a couple seconds of this.
It looks like an all girl band with the way the two “men” dress. But at least the article itself gave me plenty of laugh out loud moments.
August 15, 2015 @ 2:09 pm
My daughters dirty diaper has more substance and creativity than this song. True story.
August 15, 2015 @ 2:16 pm
Achy Breaky Heart sounds better than this crap.
August 15, 2015 @ 3:25 pm
So this is the Jonas Bros. but with a girl? Correct
August 15, 2015 @ 8:51 pm
LOL! that is a good one.
August 15, 2015 @ 3:41 pm
For me, I am tired of judging songs by “Is it Country?” If I like it, I’ll listen to it. However, this display of country music is horrifying. Are Borchetta and Friends actually trying to kill the genre?
These songs that are passing for country belong on the Top 40 stations. Many of them are not that bad as far as pop songs go. Listening to Dan + Shay’s Nothing Like You and Hunter Hayes’ 21 on Nash FM I was struck at just how huge the songs could be. I think Hayes is very talented as a musician and he loves to entertain so I can see him doing a Taylor Swift and jump to pop.
August 15, 2015 @ 7:45 pm
The song is more than awful, but Kimberly Perry looks good as usual.
August 15, 2015 @ 8:06 pm
Do you ever get the sense that nobody is listening to us?
August 15, 2015 @ 9:08 pm
The corporate brass managed to make the brothers In the band look douchier than before. They went from gypsy wannabes to some weird yoga instructors. It looks like the equivalent of pro wrestler changing character.
August 16, 2015 @ 6:43 am
Trigger, I just realized that this is, possibly, the most inaccurate title for a post that you have put up. This song has no nuts. No one in the Bland Perry does.
August 16, 2015 @ 1:15 pm
Cut them some slack, they are wearing that stuff because they came straight to the gig after the “Totally 80s Dance Party” at the local dive!
August 16, 2015 @ 10:56 pm
This is music for people who don’t like music, or couldn’t be bothered to listen to music. Sadly, there are more of them then there are of us…
August 17, 2015 @ 8:21 am
Gives me a Christmas present idea . . .
*Googles ‘Titty Diamond’*
August 17, 2015 @ 1:01 pm
Okay, I hadn’t watched the video, and figured that this article was just trending towards the hyperbolic.
I just clicked play.
What. The. Flying…f…
You know, TBP’s first album wasn’t bad, it had a few decent tracks on it. This thing in the video? I can’t even comprehend. It’s like Kidz bop dancers with a piped in banjo track. The horrible dance moves. The “dress like 1994 era Gwen Stefani despite the fact I wasn’t born yet” wardrobe choices. The horrible song.
I don’t get it. It’s not country, but that’s not even the issue. If it were a decent pop song I could understand, but it’s not. It’s just bad. How does this get release?
August 17, 2015 @ 2:49 pm
Holy Jesus H. Christ on a crutch!!! I never thought it was possible for someone to look that douchebaggy, but the Perry brothers pull it off. And the girl, holy shoot, she looks like a walking PT Belt with that jacket on. #safetyfirst
August 17, 2015 @ 10:09 pm
She’s got the PT belt, but would get chewed out over the lack of eyepro…what’s the douchiest-looking eyepro y’all can think of? We’ll make fobbits out of The Bland Perry yet.
August 18, 2015 @ 9:06 am
Forget eye pro….I need eye and ear BLEACH to unsee what little I saw of that utter dog crap!!!!
Anyone who likes this song and CD needs to just drop and do push ups until my ID card gets tired!!!
August 17, 2015 @ 10:07 pm
Well…I…er…
That album cover takes the cake for sheer awfulness and concentrated douchebaggery. It looks like the Minions got stuck in the 80s and decided to produce album art, because screw humanity. My eyes are burning, and it’s not just the five pounds of pine sawdust I breathed in this evening.
August 18, 2015 @ 11:03 am
This is the same band that did “Better Dig Too”, “DONE.”, heck, even “If I Die Young” and “You Lie”? Unbelievable.
August 18, 2015 @ 11:14 am
Now I really want those 2 guys’ AOR-style mullets back.
August 19, 2015 @ 10:39 am
What do you expect from a group named by Yoda?
August 19, 2015 @ 2:32 pm
Wow, The Band Perry’s Live Forever looks amazing. I think Live Forever works really well on pop because I think pop music would be perfect for this brilliant song. The music video looked promising too. I’m really mellow about this. This would be a perfect TBP single for pop. Come MTV, air this music video please. Live Forever fits nicely on MTV. 🙂
August 24, 2015 @ 7:57 pm
Very disappointed. I actually did like some of The Band Perry’s earlier stuff (e.g. If I Die Young, You Lie, etc.), even if it was a little pop-ish. I saw them open for Blake Shelton last year and they sounded great live. I don’t see why they needed a backing track on GMA. As a musician, it made me lose my respect for them.
However, I wouldn’t condemn these live morning show performances altogether. I saw Hunter Hayes live at The Today Show last year, and he rehearsed with his band for awhile before he went live on TV. He even played an extra song or two just for the crowd that showed up after the recorded performance. He was great.
This year, I saw Luke Bryan’s GMA performance live, and although I wasn’t as impressed with him as I was with Hunter, he too played with his band for awhile before taping. No backing tracks here, either. Full band, complete with banjo 🙂
If only The Band Perry wouldn’t sell out so much 🙁
August 26, 2015 @ 2:00 pm
You will all buy this CD because I order you too! I am Consumerism….Destroyer of culture, integrity, and all things real!!! KNEEL TO ME!!!!
August 26, 2015 @ 5:18 pm
If I weren’t reading the comments and too lazy to scroll back up to turn it off, there would be no way in hell my ears would ever hear the entirety of this “song.”
August 27, 2015 @ 5:22 pm
Scott Borchetta strikes again, this time with Danielle Bradbery’s new single. If you ever had the chance (and the stomach) to listen to that atrocious song, please tell me what you think, Trig.
Don’t know much about Dnielle, all I know is she won The Voice and that her vocals are good. But this song…..no. Just no.
September 5, 2015 @ 7:02 pm
What’s gets me when this song came out was there was a couple of places where this song actually got a good review. With one being in Rolling Stone. But, your review is by far the most honest. I do or did like The Band Perry. For the most part I like all of their older songs. But, this is by far the worst song and video that has came from them. An absolute zero on the artistic level. Then on top of everything else, they have backing tracks on GMA. Absolutely shameful!
September 25, 2015 @ 12:02 pm
Has any one else noticed the chorus has the same tune as an older maby 90’s song? I am racking my brain trying to place it!!
April 15, 2016 @ 10:51 am
Great article!
To be fair to them the Central Park performance posted with this article is live, not a pre-record. I’m not going to say 100% live because it obviously has backing tracks, but it isn’t a playback job.