Kane Brown’s “Good As You” Speaks To Deepening Lyrical Trend
No, the problem with women finding traction on country radio these days is not just old white male radio programmers who refuse to play women because they hate them and simply want to subjugate members of the opposite sex under their oppressive thumb. Country radio is a for-profit business, very for-profit in fact, and if they felt the most lucrative avenue forward was playing vintage Klezmer music, they wouldn’t blink. The problem also can’t be boiled down simply to old white male label executives who refuse to support the singles of women artists, though this is one important portion of the problem. In truth the problem is much more convoluted, arising from a host of issues conspiring together to make it difficult to impossible for a woman to be played on mainstream country radio these days, including a problem that many don’t want to admit to, because it puts part of the blame on women themselves.
It was the rise of Bro-Country in 2013 that really put representation for women on corporate country radio on the run because the music appealed mostly to men. This paralleled Taylor Swift’s exit from country music in 2014, and with it a gaping hole where a woman who had previously been supported by radio, awards, and tour slots left country music with little or nothing to show for it. But during a time when even speaking about Taylor Swift as a country artist feels like old hat, and Bro-Country has been well on the wane for a few years, it’s another more subtle, but possibly even more pernicious trend that is alienating artists who happen to be women from the attention of the mainstream.
The truth is that a healthy segment of women that comprise the mainstream country radio demographic are overwhelmingly favoring the men over women in their listening habits these days, robbing many women artists of the important attention they need to find support for radio singles and their careers in general. And the male performers, in accordance with this trend, are overwhelmingly courting this female audience with the songs they record and release, deepening this trend even further.
A perfect example of this is Kane Brown’s latest single, “Good As You.” Full of fawning lyrics for his better half, it drips with gushy sentimentality, almost to the point of being obsequious.
See the way you’re taking care of your Mama
The way you’re taking care of me
The way you light up any room, girl
You’re what this world should be
Tomorrow, tonight, the rest of my life
I wanna be the man you want me to be
So startin’ right now, girl, tell me everything you need
And of course, the big chorus hook…
…I just wanna be good as you.
As Saving Country Music said in the review of Kane Brown’s new album Experiment, fawning lyrics that put the man in this almost subservient role is the predominant theme of the album. “‘Experiment’ is one maudlin love song after another,” the review states. “It’s just a shade away from Luther Vandross screw music. And if you wonder why Kane Brown concerts are 70% women, and 100% women in the front row, it’s because that’s who he’s singing to, as are many of ‘country’ music’s newest male stars. If you want to know why there’s a dearth of support behind young female stars, look at the crowds and comments sections for anything having to do with Kane Brown … It’s Beatlemania.”
Arguably this style trend is at its most pronounced on “Good As You,” and it’s the likely reason the song was chosen as Kane Brown’s next single. But exactly how much does Kane Brown’s audience veer towards women? It was spelled out in detail in this week’s issue of Country Aircheck in a live review submitted by Assistant Program Director Scott Gaines of Cumulus Media’s WKHX in Atlanta. After attending Kane Brown’s first concert on his current sold-out arena tour, Scott Gaines observed:
“The Kane Brown crowd was predominately female, but ages ranged from young girls and teens and twenties, all the way up to women my age and older. There were guys there, too, but you could tell that there weren’t a lot of single dudes in the crowd. These guys were there with their ladies, and they were enjoying a night out together.”
Appreciate that this is the observance and perspective of an assistant program director at a major country radio station who could be making playlist decisions. When choosing which artists to add to a playlist or to boost in the rotation to appeal to the female demographic, they’re not always looking towards the latest single from Kelsea Ballerini or some other up-and-coming mainstream country woman under the idea that women likely want to listen to other women. They’re looking towards performers such as Kane Brown, Jimmie Allen, Dan + Shay, or a large handful of other hunky male stars with songs that similarly flatter women listeners with lyrics that put women on a pedestal, just like “Good As You.”
The #1 single on country radio at the moment is Dustin Lynch’s “Good Girl.” In a similar fashion to Kane Brown’s “Good As You,” the lyrics are filled with excessive praise for Lynch’s romantic counterpart.
You’re an angel, you’re a keeper, the kinda thing that you gotta lock down
I’m lovin’ just livin’ every minute since you came around
I was lost in the neon lights ’til the day that you called me yours
Yeah, they say when you know you know, and I know one thing’s for sure
Sure, some of this is standard copy for a sappy love song, but where in previous eras such lack of subtlety would perhaps hinder a radio single, in today’s country radio landscape, this is exactly what they’re looking for, and the men are more than happy to serve it up. They’re singing these mawkish love songs directly to women, and the women are listening, while women performers are getting tuned out.
Another example is Jimmie Allen’s recent record-breaking single “Best Shot,” which spent three weeks at #1 on radio—the best performance by a debut single from a country artist aside from Florida Georgia Line’s “Cruise,” and the best in history from an African American performer.
Because of you, I’m not the man I was before you
I’m not saying that I’m perfect
Oh ’cause girl you know I’m not
But I’ll love you with everything I’ve got
Girl I’ll give you my best shot
In many cases these lyrics aren’t just sharing romantic notions, they specifically go out of their way to say that the man is inferior to the woman, and even that the man needs to be taught how to be better in life by the woman. Whether it’s Jimmie Allen’s “I’m not the man I was before you,” or Kane Brown’s “The way you’re taking care of me … I want to be the man you want me to be … I just wanna be good as you,” these ideas begin to veer into the territory of men expecting their partners to be more like mothers than lovers amid the ever-extending maturation period of the American male. Where some women might find this trend burdensome and off-putting, many female country radio consumers find it appealing as men play to women’s motherly instincts and romantic notions of commitment. Songs from women just can’t compete with all of these songs telling women how perfect they are from gorgeous men.
Another example is Dan + Shay’s “Speechless,” which has currently spent the last 8 weeks on top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, and counting.
You say you’ll be down in five
The smell of your perfume is floating down the stairs
You’re fixing up your hair like you do
I know that I’ll be a mess
The second that I see you
You won’t be surprised
It happens every time
It’s nothing new
When looking at the top of charts in country music—whether based on radio play or consumption—it’s these songs and other similar ones that are dominating, especially recently, and paralleling the trend of women not just being placed on perilous footing, but falling off the precipice of country music’s major indexes. This sensual, sappy “Metro-Bro” style of country is the prevailing trend right now, just as Bro-Country was a few years ago. But unlike Bro-Country which mostly appealed to men, Metro-Bro crosses the gender divide to court women. Very few men are listening to these songs and artists because they’re too sappy to be appealing to typical male sensibilities. It is women comprising the primary appeal.
However when the subject is brought up about how women listeners may be playing some role in the exclusion of women on country radio, it is rebuked as a sexist notion by some. “How can someone blame women for the lack of women?” they ask. But sticking your head into concerts by Kane Brown, Thomas Rhett, Jimmie Allen, Dan + Shay, and other new male stars who specialize in this very popular Metro-Bro style verifies this. Men are involved too, but per capita they are more likely to stream their music as opposed to switch on the radio, which may be one of the underlying reasons radio is leaning so heavily on feminine appeal at the moment.
There is a cart before the horse argument to be had here as well. Are women supporting these men simply because the women of country aren’t finding similar support via play on radio, placement on streaming playlists, and opportunities on festival and tour slots, resulting in an uneven playing field and lack of name recognition? It most certain could be, just as there are most certainly many other factors leading to the result of so few women on country radio. Women preferring to listen to men is just one of them.
But as opposed to simply dispelling the idea that women would rather listen to men as a misogynistic notion, careful observance should be taken of who is listening to these major “country” hits dominating the charts and radio, what demographic these songs are being catered to, the road map their lyrical content is clearly tracing, and who is showing up to the concerts of these artists. Otherwise the issue will never be addressed properly. If some semblance of representation of women is ever going to return to the country airwaves and song charts, an honest and holistic assessment of what is underpinning the issue is necessary.
And the concern for this deepening lyrical trend and general R&B styling of new country songs goes well beyond the “women in country” issue. Once again the mainstream is caught in a trend-chasing spin cycle like a dog chasing its own tail, with artists, producers, and labels simply copying whatever is working at radio at the moment, resulting in virtually every song sounding the same, bleeding variety out of the format, and leaving the roots of the genre even farther behind as country fails to present what makes itself unique in popular music, and instead feels the need to make itself more similar to everything else. This new lyrical trend is an issue affecting the entire genre adversely, with one of its many symptoms being the diminished attention flowing to female performers.
This isn’t about blaming women for the lack of women on country radio. It’s about understanding the full breadth of the issue in order to properly address it, while being honest about the multiple factors driving women off of country radio, including simple consumer choice and appeal. It’s also about the next emerging trend in country music we must be on guard for. Move over Bro-Country, the R&B-inspired Metro-Bro has arrived, and is dominating.
January 17, 2019 @ 9:56 am
he looks like Oscar the Shark-Slayer and sings like Oscar the Grouch
January 17, 2019 @ 11:48 am
Very accurate/hilarious
January 19, 2019 @ 9:15 am
(* Snap, track insert)
Working at the car wash????????????
January 17, 2019 @ 9:58 am
that said, Kane Brown’s career rise helped remove Sam Hunt from my ear-holes
Sort of like the story of the woman who got a cat to get rid of a mouse, then a dog to get rid of the cat or whatever
bye Sam Hunt I don’t miss you at all
January 17, 2019 @ 10:09 am
Trigger, I imagine you’ve braced yourself for the screaming that will result after some people read this article? 😉
January 17, 2019 @ 10:25 am
A very astute write-up and examination into this trend. I’m female, and I get the appeal, especially to younger women. There isn’t anything wrong with a good love song, but I don’t need my man to emasculate himself in order to express his feelings towards me. With more options on the radio, women would enjoy songs that sing their praises and also provide a feminine perspective.
January 17, 2019 @ 10:26 am
Good As You
Good Girl
Take Back Home Girl
-are these country artists talking about their women or their good dogs?
Every country music video is now of the wedding of the artist.
Speechless Dan and Shay.
This Kane Brown song.
This is It.. Scotty M.
I’m assuming Luke Combs will have a wedding music video in the future.
Thank god Thomas Rhett got married before his career started..
January 17, 2019 @ 10:53 am
The wedding/wife this is a whole other topic. But yes, Kane Brown making the video for “Good As You” basically his wedding video is yet another very direct way he’s trying to specifically appeal to women. Thomas Rhett is another in the way his wife gets just as much face time as he does in videos and on award shows. This is all about trying to get women to buy into these artists as a lifestyle brand beyond the music itself, and it’s been very effective marketing.
January 17, 2019 @ 11:22 am
Indeed! At the end of the day, I don’t care how they market a song, as long as it’s country and good. But when they market bad pop country songs with the wife/wedding scheme.. it just seems desperate.. however, I’m not ashamed to say that I do like This is It by Scotty M.. borderline country pop, but a decent direction for radio. It is currently in the top 10 now.
January 18, 2019 @ 11:22 pm
Scotty’s This Is It is a story song. The video is from the wedding but it is very tasteful. KB’s is a laundry list – again.
January 17, 2019 @ 11:34 am
Also, have you noticed that Brett Eldredge (who is single.. ladies) recently put out a music video for his song “Love Someone ” but then weeks later he made a new music video for the same song but this time had his dog, Edgar, be the star of the video. A good form of marketing. It hooked me since I checked out the video.
January 17, 2019 @ 10:30 am
A very fair-minded assessment of the issue. Well done, Trig.
January 17, 2019 @ 10:47 am
Ur all just a bunch of h8rz kane brown is more important for cuntry than willie waylon or any other old guys ur all just mad he gets so many gurlz he’s more talented than that lame Tayler chiders or cody finks have fun being lame haterz
January 17, 2019 @ 11:37 am
?
January 17, 2019 @ 11:43 am
Not sure if you are really iliterate or just intentionally typing this way… but either way you don’t know shit about real country music!
January 17, 2019 @ 12:41 pm
I think that post is meant to be satire. Pretty damn good satire, too.
January 17, 2019 @ 1:13 pm
Somebody gets it ???? Figured people will start commenting like that when his stans find the article
January 18, 2019 @ 12:22 pm
I knew that this was satire because you know who Tyler Childers and Cody Jinks are.
January 18, 2019 @ 8:23 am
Imagine being this dumb
January 17, 2019 @ 1:06 pm
Is that you again L’il Dale ?………
January 17, 2019 @ 1:23 pm
Nope, not Lil Dale. Daily reader but rarely comment. Just in a satirical mood, I suppose
January 17, 2019 @ 1:40 pm
This made my day!
January 17, 2019 @ 11:00 am
I always get a chuckle when his photo or a story is posted here.
Thanks for that.
Going to see some radio friendly bro country tonight.
Wayne ( the MF train ) Hancock at the VFW.
I’m sure Kane would disapprove ????
January 17, 2019 @ 11:05 am
One thing I’ve always wondered about being a potential contributor to the lack of high-exposure women in country, especially in the independent realm, is the style of country that many of them choose to pursue. I personally am a huge fan of Sunny Sweeney and the twangier honky tonk style of country she plays; she was my most listened-to artist of 2018 according to my Spotify recap, but I feel like you only have so many Sunnys and Miranda Lamberts and Ashley Monroes. Artists like Brandi Carlile and Jamie Lin Wilson that go for the more ethereal, Americana sound I just cannot get into as much and it seems a greater percentage of women go this direction relative to men. No knock against any of their music because I think it’s written great, more of a matter of personal preference. However in an era where live performing is more critical than ever, I also can’t help but think that opting for a more stripped-back style puts these women at an additional disadvantage.
January 17, 2019 @ 12:08 pm
Another reason there is less women on country radio and on country festival bills is because there’s simply less women making country music than men, especially when it comes to full time touring acts. In music overall the percentage of women is near 20% to 25%. When you consider women are more likely to pursue pop, the population for women making country is probably somewhere near 15% to 18%. Still, there representation on radio and many festivals is even less than that, speaking to the concern that women are not being dealt with equitably, especially when you have people like radio consultant Keith Hill saying plainly to radio, “Take women out.”
But expecting 50/50 representation of women in country music is unreasonable, at least with the current population of artists. Perhaps part of that is due to women being discouraged from making country music because they read about how hard it is, or they’re just less inclined compared to males because women tend to be more risk averse, and making music is a risky business that often involves great personal sacrifice starting out. That’s the reason we should champion young artists who are showing talent and potential, especially women, because it often involves a bigger leap for them.
But you’re right, someone like Jamie Lin Wilson is not looking to sell out stadiums. She’s about the songcraft, and writing fulfilling compositions that will bolster a legacy as an artist. She doesn’t carer about gaudy sales numbers. It’s the Guy Clark approach. Of course she would like more sales, opportunities, and attention like anyone. But unlike Kane Brown or Dan + Shay, she’s not going to do whatever she has to in order to get it. She’s going to be grateful for the opportunities she receives, and be herself.
Jamie Lin and other artists spoke about this very topic last year after the trolling of some country festivals.
https://savingcountrymusic.com/women-performers-speak-out-against-50-50-trolling-of-festivals/
January 17, 2019 @ 1:30 pm
I meant to pose this as an additional layer to the more obvious reasons. The notion of pressing for 50/50 representation is ridiculous given just the simple demographic makeup of the artists. But even acknowledging a 15% market representation of women in country, people that would consider themselves more enlightened listeners might still seek female music less than 15% of the time for the reasons I specified in the previous comment. Just wanted to clarify.
August 8, 2019 @ 3:29 pm
What happened to Gretchen Wilson? Women loved her and her ” Hell yeah”.
January 17, 2019 @ 12:50 pm
Unpopular confession here but when I listen to country (apart from all the other genres I follow for completely different reasons – rock, metal, electronic etc.) the primary draw for me is the stories and, as a male, I sometimes find it difficult to identify with some of the stories and topics female artists sing about.
It’s important that I (and I’m sure a lot of other fans) be able to identify with the stories, and in many cases (especially with the more “outlaw” stuff) there’s a bit of escapism and wish fulfillment going on. It happens in any form of entertainment.
As an example, objectively, Lori McKenna’s album last year is an absolute lyrical and artistic powerhouse. It’s an undeniably amazing, heartbreaking album. One of my favorites last year, but, it’s not an album I’m gonna reach for a lot, since the lyrical perspective is that of a woman, and a mother at that.
There’s no “good” or “bad” value judgement there, and it’s not like I can’t understand or empathize with the lyrical content of a female artist. I’m also not saying any male artist is inherently better or worse than somebody like Lori McKenna (most are far worse, frankly) but she’s not the sort of artist I, or most country fans, are going to reach for when they just want some escapism while driving the truck to and from Home Depot on a Saturday morning, or whatever.
January 17, 2019 @ 1:15 pm
I think a lot of people don’t get that. I respect these women and their talents, but except for a few cases, I’m not gonna listen to their music all the time, it’s not as relatable as a guy. I want that honky tonk and outlaw escapism. And then the girls wanna listen to the guys sing to them, so it’s not wonder women aren’t played on country radio as much, it’s just bad business to do so.
January 17, 2019 @ 2:19 pm
Both of you make good points as far as they go. But isn’t art, country music included, *also* supposed to lead us to the unfamiliar and the unexplored? I, for one, as a male, can say that I don’t find Reba’s “Fancy” relatable per se, but gosh it is one of the songs I’d always go to. Just great story telling.
January 17, 2019 @ 2:53 pm
Sure, but depends on your definition of art and your criteria for what “art” is supposed to do. At it’s basis, I think art is meant to provoke an emotional or intellectual response (ideally, both) – but popular art and music, country music included, tends to provoke an emotional response above all else (triggering a pleasurable dopamine response in the brain, if we want to get technical).
I mean, I’ll admit it, when I hear Shania Twain’s “Man, I Feel Like a Woman!” I can’t not tap my toes and groove a bit. It’s a fun catchy song, despite the obvious feminine subject-matter, but it’s not a song I own on record or would reach for. Similarly, Lori McKenna’s “A Mother Never Rests” is a well crafted, genuine, insightful song about motherhood. That is self evident, and I have all the appreciation in the world for it. But, since I’m neither a woman, nor a mother, I’ll likely never feel fully connected with the song in the way a woman or a mother would.
Honestly, most people don’t follow music to explore the unfamiliar. Most stick to what they know, and what they identify with immediately. We can scoff at those people all day long, but who cares? People are into what they’re into. “Preferences” aren’t a bad thing. I’m not going to make any kind of scathing value judgement on that, which is why I’m not terribly concerned about Kane Brown or any other popular country artist.
January 18, 2019 @ 6:05 am
I’ll agree with that somewhat, and “Fancy” is one of those where it doesn’t matter your gender, just like “Hands on You” by Ashley Monroe for me. It takes a certain great song or voice for me to listen to women usually though. It comes down to a preference thing. Most of it isn’t for me but that doesn’t mean it can’t be for you. That’s the good thing about music.
January 18, 2019 @ 7:39 am
Rob ” I respect these women and their talents, but except for a few cases, I’m not gonna listen to their music all the time, it’s not as relatable as a guy. I want that honky tonk and outlaw escapism.”
I’m sometimes like you Rob on many of those “Folky” women everyone on here touts but because of this site I found Sunny Sweeney, Ashley McBryde, and of course Sarah Shook and the Disarmers whose albums all made my playlist not because they’re women and I have some Male artist to female artist ratio to uphold it’s because these albums are incredible and better than many males on the radio or anywhere as we speak but they are largely ignored because Mom/Daughter combos might not like them. Sarah is here in town for 2 sold out shows tonight and tomorrow and I can’t wait until tonight. I’m sure it will be a mixed crowd but very few combos…..lol It’s gonna be a Disarmer weekend for me!!! 🙂
January 18, 2019 @ 1:03 pm
I haven’t listened to Sunny Sweeney or Sarah Shook and the Disarmers, but Sunny Sweeney will be opening for Cody Jinks on Feb 14 at his concert I’ll be st so I’ll give her a chance. Enjoy your concert!
January 19, 2019 @ 9:35 am
I saw Sarah Shook and The Disarmers last night and they absolutely blew me away. The first thing I noticed that has to do with this thread was when the doors opened there were 7-10 MEN that went and stood at the front of the stage. This is 3 hours before Sarah takes the stage!!! Not ONE woman down there. I was relaxing up in the balcony with about 20-30 older folks chatting about how they knew of Sarah etc….(40+ age people mostly couples but a few older single dudes too)
The younger crowd started to fill in later with probably a 60 – 40 ratio men to women mostly millennials and older couples. Just a smattering of 2 girls here and there. Let’s face it very few if any women that listen to Kane Brown and that radio bunch even know Sarah exists to support her.
I’m going again tonight to a smaller more intimate venue.
Oh and by the way Rob I’d cut off my left nut for Cody and Sunny to come here!!…..LOL You’re lucky!
January 17, 2019 @ 11:26 am
Over on the Texas charts, the latest Josh Abbott Band single “I’m Your Only Flaw” is a great example of this, too..
January 17, 2019 @ 11:51 am
Oh no doubt all the Texas country songs about how the women are more beautiful in Texas make the women hold their Lone Star Beers high, while their husbands roll their eyes and head for the piss trough.
January 17, 2019 @ 12:17 pm
I find the texas stereotype is more like bragging to your mates that you hang out with the hottest girls. Very different than telling some girl you can’t live without her just so you’ll get lucky.
But I definitely agree with metro pandering to females. Ive been to a few parties where girls control the tunes and the dance floor and the guys stand around the fire and talk about how good Alan Jackson was/is.
January 17, 2019 @ 1:04 pm
I will still say there is better writing in I’m your only Flaw then some of these others on this list. No mention of the word girl referring to a woman in the chorus. It comes of more sincere when Josh Says dear in the chorus. But I also understand the point that was trying to be made here but I just want to say there are levels to this stuff. I think I’m your only flaw is better than the other songs brought up in the article not to mention is easier to listen to with real instrumentation
January 17, 2019 @ 7:39 pm
I was thinking the same thing of Cody Johnson’s “With You I Am”
January 17, 2019 @ 11:32 am
I find that I usually outgrow many of the radio female artists as the years pass by. I’m 30 now and my childhood was filled with the blockbuster albums by LeAnn Rimes, Faith Hill, Shania, etc. In my teens, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood were in heavy rotation, but I find that if I try to listen to “Fearless” or “Some Hearts” that they just don’t resonate with me anymore. Miranda Lambert is a perfect example of an artist that I can listen to their entire catalog and as a now 30-year-old, still feel something when listening to it. The 2000s have been full of vapid material, men and women both guilty of that.
There are a lot of females in the business that try to play the radio game, giving in to trendy production tricks, etc. and they are just trying to fit in. The few women that they play may be the same age as me…but often the songs are weak. That’s why I revert to Mary Chapin Carpenter, Pam Tillis, Patty Loveless, etc. to hear those songs of substance. It’s great to hear albums from Lee Ann Womack and Roseanne Cash, among others who are now releasing the best music of their career.
January 17, 2019 @ 11:37 am
If you guys want to hear good new music, check out “Kiss that girl Goodbye” by Aaron Watson.
Trig, you should review that single.
So good & weird at the same time!! Great instruments!!
January 17, 2019 @ 1:00 pm
Great song. I am a huge Aaron Watson fan. I feel like his music is what modern country should sound like. Kiss that Girl Goodbye is a very catchy fun song.
January 17, 2019 @ 5:56 pm
I just discovered him.
If “Kiss that girl goodbye” doesn’t become a big hit on radio… then I will have zero hope for the future of country music …
It’s traditional yet very fun & modern.
January 17, 2019 @ 12:25 pm
Don’t quote me on this, but I thought I read somewhere ages ago that both men and women follow entertainment (television, movies, music) with similar subconscious mindsets, meaning both sexes personally identify with male performers more than female, so both sexes simply prefer male performers over female.
This is why most genres of entertainment, outside of porn, tend to be dominated (with some exceptions to the rule) by male performers. Most men follow male performers, and most females also follow male performers. That puts female performers at a disadvantage, obviously, because most of the population would rather follow a male performer – but it seems no amount of shaming and social engineering is ever going to change that, because females audiences are complicit (even if they’re not conscious of it).
Also, side note, it seems many popular music trends over the decades are set in motion by female audiences. As an example, rock music wouldn’t have had the commercial success it had for so long without the fanaticism of teenage girls swooning over Elvis and, later, the Beatles (all of whom shamelessly pandered to their female audience early on). That seems to be the same formula at play in popular country music these days.
January 17, 2019 @ 12:28 pm
The good news: every trend will come to an end.
The bad news: the current trend is as bad as the last one.
The (young) female audience will move on to listen to the next big thing. The oh-so hot Kane Brown will not be so hot from one album to another. It happened in the past (1989-1991) when half Nashville went from hero (#1 hit) to zero (#49 hit & never came back like Dan Seals in 1990).
The current songs have a (modern) soap opera feeling. All the sugar-coating, too sweet lyrics & “country” singers who look like cut out of a soap/body building/gay (oops i wrote it) magazine will be a footnote in the history of country music. People will remember artists like Chris Stapleton or living legends like Willie or Dolly.
January 17, 2019 @ 12:33 pm
You can’t blame a child for picking a sugary sweet over a healthy vegetable when sugar is so readily available .
You can’t blame an impressionable young person for ‘liking’ what her peers like at an age when her confidence and sense of self-worth hinge on the perception of ‘friends’ .
You can’t blame the tides for behavior caused by the moon .
As long as that child has access to sugar there will be someone willing to give ( sell ) it to her .
Lowest common denominators are created by factors inherent in all of us…but they are also targeted ,nurtured and exploited by people who’s job is to MAKE MONEY .
I think that the ‘ as long as it ain’t broke ” mantra drives Nashville , no one is going to fix it and yes …..the targeted market perpetuates the ‘brokenness’ ….but I don’t agree that better music , substance driven music that doesn’t pander or pacify ( …as do ALL of the above lyrics ) couldn’t and doesn’t find a market hungry for it . It takes a few people in the right positions to A: acknowledge this fact and B: act on it . Sure the current targeted female demographic is responsible for the dearth of female artists in the mainstream …..but THAT ISN’T THE ONLY DEMOGRPAHIC that likes and appreciates REAL music …country or other .
If the focus was on MUSIC and not the marketable dollar-driven demographic it is obsessed with right now , I honestly believe MORE female artists and writers would be acknowledged for their incredible talents and insights and a profitable market would step up .
The lyrics in the excerpts above are among the worst I’ve seen or heard …the WORST. They’d be laughed at by ANY songwriting group and ANY serious , caring publisher or artist . There is absolutely NO attempt to be creative , fresh , interesting or sincere . These words are trite fluff designed to appeal to an extremely impressionable and lazy casual female listener interested in the singer not the song …….. An easy sell and a sad thing for writers and artists to whom music means SO MUCH MORE !
While the marketers are as lazy as the market they chase , nothing will ever change .
January 17, 2019 @ 12:59 pm
I think we have to be very careful when using the word “blame” when it comes to the music preferences of young women and girls. They’re just doing what they’ve always done, which is find appeal in music that makes them stand in front of their full length mirrors and lip sync into their hair brushes, and gush over cute boys. That’s their job. The “blame” is really due to the gatekeepers at country music who’ve allowed this demographic to spill over from pop, which has created a culture war, and unfortunately, degraded the attention women performers in country are receiving.
January 17, 2019 @ 1:18 pm
I think we’re saying the same thing Trigger ……My point being that you CAN’T BLAME the young females being targeted by the industry . If the industry targeted a different market I’m sure they’d find it ( Stapleton , Isbell , Brandi Carlile , Kacey all have ) but they don’t perceive the ‘ business’ as being broken in any way .
January 17, 2019 @ 12:36 pm
Why are “white males” always the target with hipster music critics? I’d wager they’re the group most likely to believe in progressive politics. I’ve been an active socialist for years and I can tell you, in general, women and minorities care about politics far less than white men.
January 17, 2019 @ 2:23 pm
Not sure where this comment is coming from or what issue it aims to address, but I’d refrain from making blanket statements like these that aim to capture how “white men”, “women”, and “minorities” are politically inclined. They’re not helpful, and are likely false if taken literally.
January 17, 2019 @ 12:52 pm
This song is lyrically simplistic & the production is what turns me off. All of mainstream country radio sounds like they’re chasing what comes out of Hollywood. It’s a disturbing trend. What happened to being a leader and not a follower?
January 17, 2019 @ 2:11 pm
Yes Trigger, I was literally thinking about this exact thing the other day! The issue facing mainstream country radio (and the charts) is that pretty much all the hit songs, whether they’re ballads or up-tempo pop fare, is that they’re sung by males FOR females. That’s not only the trend, but as you pointed out, that’s what the female consumers want. They like being sung to, same as they’ve always been. However, the problem is that there’s a lack of diversity in song topics. For every “The Chair” or “I Cross my Heart” George Strait recorded, there was another “Amarillo by Morning” or “Fool Hearted Memory” that was a male-voiced song about a MALE struggle (and I don’t mean to imply that he was merely a guy making country music exclusively for other guys; GS makes music that could apply to anyone.) That demographic of song subjects has quickly vanished. Regardless of what the mood of the song is, whether happy or sad, it seems that 90% of the hit country singles in the Sam Hunt and post-Sam Hunt era have been dudes singing about how much they love a girl, or how much they miss a girl. That’s why the only guys you see at modern country concerts are there just to try and pick up said female audience.
January 18, 2019 @ 9:36 am
GrantH – “That’s why the only guys you see at modern country concerts are there just to try and pick up said female audience.”
Actually most of the guys I see at those shows are part of couples. They go because their girlfriend/wives say “take me to see ______________(Kane Brown, Dan Does Shay, Brett Young………the list is endless) I saw my friend and his girl at the Smokeout the day I went to see Ashley McBryde and Aaron Lewis and he said to me “SHE wanted to see Brett Eldredge”. I’m sure they wouldn’t of come if he wasn’t headlining that day. SHE didn’t care about seeing Ashley sadly.
January 18, 2019 @ 5:19 pm
You’re correct about the amount of couples at country music shows, I should’ve amended my comment. Your story does still show how the trend works, though. Everyone wants to blame “white males” for the lack of popular female country singers at the moment, but if anyone should be blamed, it should be the female consumers who only seem to want to hear their romance novels in song form! I can count on one hand the amount of female country fans I’ve talked to recently who actually seem to be aware of what’s going on on the female side of the market.
January 17, 2019 @ 4:19 pm
Since the “Bro Country” era is waning I think it’s time to coin a new term for this new type of music that is being played on mainstream radio if a term hasn’t already been coined. I’m thinking maybe “Girl Country” or “Gal Country” or maybe “She Country”
January 18, 2019 @ 12:34 pm
I like “She Country.” Or, perhaps to be sympathetic to everyone, the music could be called “It Country” to encompass all the possible gender complexities of the 21st Century. If “It” is a bit vague or before its time, maybe just keep “she” and “it” for the time being, hyphenate the two and call it “She-it” country.
January 17, 2019 @ 4:28 pm
My God, this R&B-metro country is actually making me miss Bro-country.
Thank the heavens for Spotify! Now I just need to get my kids off this bandwagon of so-called country. Any ideas how to get pre-teen girls to ditch Kane Brown and the rest of the mess? They’re into Jinks & Whitey somewhat just from road trips with dad but it’s hard to fight peer pressure and the onslaught of country radio on everywhere.
January 18, 2019 @ 9:48 am
Don’t give in! I play Whitey, Tyler, etc., plus all the classics when I’m driving. Driver Picks the Music. All requests for garbage are ignored. They don’t even complain about it anymore. Heck, they know the words to every song! They may not realize it yet, but the music is in their blood. Plant the seed. Feed it regularly. Give it time. They’ll come around.
January 20, 2019 @ 10:14 am
Great advice Benny, I promise to keep fightin the good fight!
Cheers pal, Andy
January 17, 2019 @ 7:51 pm
Funny but in my lifetime I’ve met maybe TWO men both queer (that admitted to helping put Nysnc and BSB on the charts). It is no surprise they are catering to women because being a “real man” ALA Merle, Willie, Hank, George… IS OUT. Men don’t want to become a metoo # so they are pandering to the female demographic in the most inauthentic and pandering ways while still managing to be a poor man’s version of 80s Glam Metal hedonism.
Funny parallel is that the floor fillers of hip-hop tend to be very sexist and yet females FILL up the floor and the men join them because the men go where the women lead.
The other big issue as I see it is, it has become more a popularity contest that is initially based on how cute somebody is. Period! It is looks first talent 2ndor maybe even 3rd when it comes to mainstream action. Artists seem to be more prized for their social media content then the content of their music.
In these times “ugly people” can’t have hits or earn Awards in the mainstream unless they are outlandish do and and say wild things and even then that is rare. And the people who dictate who is an ugly dude in music are largely females. That the only reason boy bands are ever successful they make females scream.
January 17, 2019 @ 8:17 pm
In most pre-bro songs I’m familiar with, somebody had a problem. Whether you’re male or female, you can relate to someone with a problem. The current crop of mainstream songs is cloyingly upbeat, even George Strait’s tequila commercial. No drunks, no cheats, no rounders.
Female singers like Lori McKenna and Jamie Lin Wilson do deal with real problems, and that’s why they’re not popular with today’s radio audience.
I’m pulling out the Porter Wagoner. At least he knew how to pretend to have a problem.
January 17, 2019 @ 8:26 pm
”In these times “ugly people” can’t have hits or earn Awards in the mainstream unless they are outlandish do and and say wild things and even then that is rare. And the people who dictate who is an ugly dude in music are largely females. That the only reason boy bands are ever successful they make females scream.”
nailed it Bear
January 17, 2019 @ 8:27 pm
I had sunk as low as a man could go
The world had turned me down
Then you picked me up and you kissed me sweet
You changed a beggar into a king.
Yes, you took the rags from off of my back
And you gave me your love to keep me warm
Yes, you picked me up and you kissed me sweet
And changed a beggar into a king.
I had walked the streets with my head bowed low
The sun for me would never shine
Then you came along into my life
And changed a beggar into a king.
Yes, you took the rags from off of my back
And you placed a crown on my head
Yes, you picked me up and kissed me sweet
You changed a beggar into a king.
January 17, 2019 @ 9:02 pm
Cool. Copy and paste, bro…
Wow, a Hank Snow fan. Nice.
Yes, men singing about their mother Teresa of a wife has been a songwriting form for years. Does it make single guys want to barf?…Perhaps.
Is is a song than men in relationships can connect to?… Hopefully yes.
Am I oh so blue since my baby left me? You betcha… #SadArnold
January 19, 2019 @ 1:12 pm
Aren’t you just a sad excuse for a human being. Jealous spirit and all, no one cares what you think, you sound so pathetic and uncomfortable in your own skin. You dumb fuck complaining when you most likely have no job and live in the trailer park with your mama.
January 17, 2019 @ 10:31 pm
Yes. A traditional song about a problem. Sometimes the problem gets resolved, but there was one. In “As Good as You” or “Codigo,” the universe is perfect the way it is. “I’m not as good as you, but you’re hot, so let’s screw anyway.”
January 18, 2019 @ 5:19 am
We like the music, lyrics and singing but we also enjoy looking at Kane. In addition he is a kind person.
January 18, 2019 @ 5:46 am
Something not mentioned directly, but alluded to in the ‘sugar comments’ above, the dollars that drive mainstream country are arrived at by spins. As long as the latest trend is getting the lion’s share of the spins anything decent gets squeezed out. Including well-deserving women acts–both new and established.
I’m hoping that artists that are seeing some success outside of/in spite of Nashville (Isbell, Simpson, Jinks, Morgan, Childers) in the future will be translating some of the dollars and recognition that come with that into setting up a New Nashville, a New Music Row. Putting their weight behind labels and production facilities and awards shows and television and (especially) streaming / on-demand channels that will leave Nashville high and dry, like a Lake Baikal coastal town.
That’s the way this gets beat.
January 18, 2019 @ 7:22 am
Maybe Gillette can step up and be a major sponsor of female country artists. Call it the “TOXIC MASCULINITY YOU TOO” tour.
January 18, 2019 @ 7:37 am
Dan + Shay…Air Supply for the this generation.
January 18, 2019 @ 7:29 pm
That’s an insult to Air Supply.
January 19, 2019 @ 7:34 am
True….my apologies to Air Supply and their fans.
January 18, 2019 @ 7:37 am
Their really is no playing you sorry group of people is there? Kane brown is singing about his life and what he knows as is Thomas Rhett. They are true to who they are unlike a lot of the classic country singers who song about a hard Day’s work when they never ever known what it meant to work. I’d bet most of you work in an office in the city driving brand-new vehicles.
January 18, 2019 @ 10:29 am
That’s great
But his generic suburban community college life isn’t something worth singing about
We’ve all been there, MOST of us don’t need reminding of it via shallow songs.
As for the rest of your ridiculous comment
Tell me again how hard your life is when you have a 1000 dollar phone, 1.98 gas, can pay your bills online
I drive a 1994 Safari custom van, greatest van ever, V6 engine
the radio doesn’t work but there’s no Country music on the radio anymore so I still have my old cassette tapes in there
I don’t care to hear Kane Brown singing about his life because his life isn’t very interesting
I could throw a stick and hit another suburban dude with a high school diploma and a bachelor’s degree in something who lived with his friends for a while and drinks Monster and cashiered for a while in college
in fact I have a friend JUST like that
That’s the underlying problem, what’s unique about that? that’s so commonplace it hardly bears repeating much less singing about
January 18, 2019 @ 3:47 pm
dead on F2S …..I submitted some similar comments but they were somehow lost in the ether . these guys have NOTHING interesting to sing about whatsoever. Just trite , generic, mundane , boring songs about their VERY uninteresting lives . WHY IN GOD’S NAME would anyone be interested in this lyric having already heard 50 exactly like it ?
January 18, 2019 @ 3:53 pm
Hey Albert,
Sorry about that, just found your comment stuck in the spam filter. Not sure how that happened, but I got it posted.
January 18, 2019 @ 12:47 pm
If you are being ‘ true to who you are it doesn’t let you off the hook in the ‘interesting ‘ department . If you are NOT an interesting person and you want to write about that …knock yourself out . If people don’t care that your life/song lyric is uninteresting and generic and don’t mind paying for or supporting that kind of lyric in spite of that fact ….fine . But it doesn’t change the fact that we are still left with boring , generic , mundane lyrics about a boring , generic , mundane experiences and lives by a parade of faceless ‘ singers’ .
I know no more about KB listening to this song than I did before .Or Rhett or most of the other interchangeable male ‘singers’ on mainstream radio . Any or ALL of these songs could have been recorded by ANY or ALL of those guys .
They are simply , boring , uninspiring ,cliche lyrics .
At least the classic country singers who , perhaps, didn’t work in a coal mine or on an oil rig KNEW what they didn’t know and found songs written by writers who DID …and made US FEEL those experiences . THIS is what makes a lyric stick …makes it move listeners emotionally and makes it unique . UNIQUE ……hmmmm…..now there’s a concept we almost NEVER hear about in mainstream country music .
Sorry but KB and these cookie -cutter cliche -spouting wannabes NEED folks who do not care about the lack of substance in their songs to buy into their commercial shtick …..and that ain’t me ..!
January 19, 2019 @ 5:27 am
“At least the classic country singers who , perhaps, didn’t work in a coal mine or on an oil rig KNEW what they didn’t know and found songs written by writers who DID …and made US FEEL those experiences . THIS is what makes a lyric stick…”
Great point…. and although Jimmy Webb was not one himself, Glen Campbell’s rendition of “Wichita Lineman” is a perfect example of this.
January 18, 2019 @ 11:15 am
Is earth still turning? If so, the question is: what do I have to do to make some money? I’m getting tired of this. Trig, you making any money with this whine fest of a forum? Surely, there must be a trickle down effect that I can plug into. No? Well, carry on buddy and have at it I imagine. Somebody’s gotta be you, right? It might as well be you. As far as that Kane Brown song, it would have been a perfect fit to be sung by Dewey Cox in his post bro country turn as a trucker hat wearing misplaced hip hop artist bobbing up and down from one side of the stage to the other holding his hand funny. Hilarious! Earth still turning? Just checking.
January 18, 2019 @ 11:51 am
Hello? Is anybody in there?
January 18, 2019 @ 2:41 pm
Haha. Trigger, that was a trickily worded title. I think it helped the comment section.
January 18, 2019 @ 7:43 pm
While I’m not a fan of Metro-Bro sonically I can’t help feeling like “I just wanna be as good as you” is a big step up from “stick the pink umbrella in your drink” or “what if I just shut you up with my lips on your lips.” Lyrically if nothing else. More songs about celebrating the woman in your life rather than objectifying her is a step in the right direction in my opinion. Nowhere near where we should be, of course, but still a step in the right direction.
January 21, 2019 @ 10:40 am
Well, here we go again. Radio does not exist to sell music. It does not exist to promote music. Radio exists to sell advertising. The choices of programming are driven by data and radio programmers have access to mountains of data. Most people listen to radio in their cars, driving to and from work, a very limited window. Sounds coming from the speakers have to grab the listener’s attention and hold it into the next commercial. If female voices cannot do that, then why would those songs get played? There are dozens, maybe hundreds, of really talented female country artists playing across this country of ours. Your are just not gonna hear them on the radio.
January 29, 2019 @ 8:43 pm
I may be in the minority here….but I find him to be way more authentic than 3/4 of the people I hear on radio.
April 26, 2021 @ 12:31 pm
Beta Country
March 16, 2022 @ 7:58 am
Yeah ,but Kane Brown doesn’t weigh 340 pounds like the late Mr. Vandross .