New Video Explains Perfectly Why Pretty Much Every Country Hit Sounds The Same

Wonder why pretty much every mainstream country single sounds ostensibly the same? It’s probably because they all pretty much do. A couple of years ago a country songwriter named Sir Mashalot sparked a massive viral event (with the help of SCM) when he exposed just how similar many of the mainstream country hits are from a technical standpoint. Now another songwriter and musician named Jim L., who regularly posts videos on YouTube breaking down modern country music and offering instructional guidance to novice players and songwriters, has done something similar.
His latest video posted on March 13th is titled “Why All Country Music Sounds The Same.” Unlike the Sir Mashalot video that tweaked some pitches and tempos to get its point across, Jim L. keeps the tempo and pitches the same, and still the incredible sameness of the tracks highlighted is patently obvious to even the most novice listeners.
L. illustrates how nine songs on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart all employ the same exact drum beat, and within the same 15 or so beats per minute. A few of the chart positions appear to be different than in the video, but it features a good cross section of today’s popular country singles, includes more songs than previous tests, and also includes a female artist in Kelsea Ballerini, proving this isn’t just a boys club issue.
The songs are:
- “Think A Little Less” – Michael Ray
- “Any Ol’ Barstool” – Jason Aldean
- “Fast” – Luke Bryan
- “Small Town Boy” – Dustin Lynch
- “In Case You Didn’t Know” – Brett Young
- “Hurricane” – Luke Combs
- “Hometown Girl” – Josh Turner
- “Guy With a Girl” – Blake Shelton
- “Yeah Boy” Kelsea Ballerini
Jim L. goes out of his way to explain that he’s a fan of today’s country, and is not slagging the industry as much as pointing out the sameness that’s permeating it at the moment, especially in beats, tempo, and chord structures. We already know how similar many mainstream country songs are in the lyrical writing.
More importantly, near the end of the video Jim L. attempts to explain why this is occurring by showing how a country mainstream song goes from idea, to demo, to studio, to hit.
“An educated public full of informed consumers will improve things,” Jim L. says in the description of the video. “Country listeners are passive listeners for the most part (this isn’t a negative thing at all). They work 40 hours a week welding car parts and making doorknobs and when they drive home from a long, hard day of work they want noises to come out of their car speakers that make them feel happy. Country listeners are not art critics … Music is just a thing that’s on in the background while they hang out with their friends, because it would be weird to stand around in silence. Country music makes these people feel good … That’s why every time some new country sound comes along and kills it on radio, there are a thousand clones of it trying to hitch a ride on the trend. Country listeners aren’t gonna notice, capitalism forces them to slave their lives away doing labor until they’re 60, why the hell would they question something that actually gives their brain joy?”
Of course the assertion of critics is that if the public was educated for what to listen for in music, they could find even more enjoyment, and even fulfillment in music by discovering a more long-term emotional response to songs, and even a more involved understanding of the messages of songwriters. This is the deeper joy in music many active listeners find, and what many passive listeners are missing, regardless of the music they listen to.
Jim L. goes on to say, “The disappointing thing (to me) is that a formula has been figured out to get the most dollars out of the most peoples’ pockets and into the music industry. It changes slowly over time, but the formula is there and has always been there and that’s part of the reason there is so much similarity between songs in an era of music … So it’s up to you to make the music industry up its game … If there’s a band that you think is killing it and puts their heart into it, say that they’re cool! If enough people are saying something is cool, the music industry will reward that thing. Drown out the mediocrity. Love cool things, proudly. And if you’re a creator, create things you love proudly. Be intentional. Make decisions. Express yourself. Go make some music.”
March 15, 2017 @ 8:20 am
Somewhere Down in Texas.
March 15, 2017 @ 8:30 am
Interesting….he is pretty on spot with his comments…I say this all the time; most people don’t want to delve deep into a song and breakdown the song-writing – they want to hear something enjoyable that makes them feel good. Most of us are tired, working too hard, and making too little. That is why generic mainstream songs still do well. They sound pleasing enough and don’t require too much effort from the listener; just sit back and forget about your problems for a bit. I think I have said plenty of times that I am not a “mainstream country music hater.” I hate some of it….but not all. There’s nothing wrong with listening to music just for fun…why is it so awful to love a Luke Bryan song? His lyrics aren’t deep? He has nothing profound to say? So what. Sometimes you just need to relax and dance to a stupid song….now, I do wish we had a bit more variety in the spotlight because I like a little of both, I don’t hate all Bryan/Aldean songs, but I also don’t want everything to sound exactly like them. Mainstream music is this way though…and probably always will be. Which is why I’m glad there are ways to find other options in addition to what’s on the radio. And for websites like this, where I can learn about alternatives to mainstream to enjoy as well.
March 15, 2017 @ 9:01 am
I agree and understand most of this, but I also feel like there needs to be an understanding in society that people could get more out of music if they just took a bit more time to understand it. It doesn’t have to be hard to listen to good music. It used to be that art appreciation and music classes in public schools helped foster a deeper appreciation. Now due to budget cuts and such, music has become background noise to many. Nonetheless, the reason I think we continue to see the market share for independent music increasing is because more people are waking up to the mediocrity and want something more. There is nothing wrong with a feel good song on the way home from work. But great music can inspire great things and great people in a way simple entertainment can’t.
March 15, 2017 @ 9:12 am
Yes, but there’s no shortage of budget for football. Worse, most people that scream at their favorite teams through the TV and paint their bodies with said team’s colors would think most is us around here “take music too seriously.” Same with movies, etc. Oh, but the game where people smack into each other for ten seconds every few minutes is worthy of brain cells.
March 15, 2017 @ 9:56 am
There’s a reason there is always a budget for sports, and that’s because sports bring in revenue. Whether you like sports or not, school music performances rarely bring in more revenue for a performance than what is spent, whereas sports games and merchandising often pay for the other activities at a school.
March 15, 2017 @ 10:42 am
Actually, numerous studies have shown that most schools lose money on sports. And even if you dispute that, the only sports that anyone would argue make money, are football and basketball in college. In high school, no sports produce money. Regardless, both sports and the arts are important and should be included in school programming.
March 15, 2017 @ 4:18 pm
In my experience, it’s the sports programs that suck the money out of other activities at the school. At my high school, the band continuously had its budget cut while the football team’s went unaffected. They also used to have a three week ACT prep program. It was entirely free, and even ended with a free official ACT test if you didn’t miss more than two days of the prep. The year after I graduated, they cut that program so they could replace the already new turf of the football field, so my then-girlfriend (now wife) was unable to benefit from that program. Fuck football. Music may not bring in any money, but studies have shown that it helps students to learn and fosters cognitive development. Meanwhile sports only help the players and coaches to think they’re hot shit, while giving a disproportionate entertainment value to those that watch. This guy is comparing pop country to brainless entertainment that makes people feel good? That’s sports in a nutshell. And RELIGION is the opium of the people? SUUUURE.
March 15, 2017 @ 11:18 am
I understand your point. And I do wish we could get away from this musical model where all the big mainstream hits have to sound so much alike. We can still have fun songs AND have them be good. It’s when it all starts to sound too alike that it gets boring and watered down….lyrics don’t have to be Hemingway status for the song to be valid. I, personally, wish we had more variety. This is why I love streaming services like Pandora; where I can have Turnpike Troubadours, George Strait, Eric Church, Carrie Underwood, and Reckless Kelly all play together – perfect blend. Wish radio would do some of this.
March 16, 2017 @ 4:05 pm
Oddly enough, the only faulty part of this article is actually the answer to all the collective angst I’m sensing in the comments. Namely, it’s the part where he says ‘capitalism forces…’ There’s a saying that politics is downstream from culture. Similarly, I think music is more of a thermometer than a thermostat in it’s relation to culture. Capitalism (real capitalism) doesn’t force anyone to do anything. The rise of bro country wasn’t the fault of underfunded school music programs, the NFL or some conspiracy to keep talented singer-songwriters out of the limelight. Bro country came about because culture is increasingly becoming a mob of hyper-sexualized, party-crazed idiots (for which the schools are partly to blame). And I don’t mean idiots in a derogatory fashion…I mean actual idiots…people that can’t reason or do basic math. It should make us all feel better (or worse depending on how you look at it) that music isn’t the only area affected by this trend. By in large TV and film reflect the exact same thing.
We’ve all seen those college entrance exams from 50 years ago and marveled at how much smarter the average 18 year old was in those times. Should it really come as a shock that that same person had a better taste in music?
March 16, 2017 @ 11:29 pm
I think part of the reason people o not pay attention or use it as background noise is PRECISELY because it all sounds the same. There is reason to put any effort into listening to something you just heard ten times in a row.
Music education would help like having students listen to the great albums the way they are forced to read the great books.
But what puzzles me is the total lack of musical curiosity in most young people. When I was in HS I would record off the oldies station because record stores were not selling that stuff.
And when the internet really broke open on the late 90s that helped me find even more stuff. But with all the internet can expose one to people see to hold rigid toe whatever box they shoved themselves in and rarely move outside it.
I often tell young people, “New music is what you have not yet heard. So go backwards and forwards when you explore.”
March 15, 2017 @ 7:48 pm
Couldn’t agree more CCRR. I get so fucking tired of this debate for those reasons as well. You know why there’s 9 songs written in the same groove on the top twenty chart? Because people continue to buy it. To your point,?mainstream music always has and always will be dominated by fun, lazy listening music.
My personal view is to not be judgmental and listen to music I want to listen to. Ignore the herd. If Luke Bryan can make $30M a year selling pop music I say good for him. He might be smarter than anyone on this website in that regard.
March 15, 2017 @ 8:06 pm
I think y’all should go and read Jim Lill’s full description attached to the video. The only reason I didn’t post it in full here is because I didn’t write it, and it wouldn’t be fair to him to quote the whole thing. I think you will find him to be a lot more pragmatic and wise about this issue. As he says, this isn’t just about slagging all popular music, it is about thinking purposefully about the art of songcraft, and being responsible with what you serve the public.
March 15, 2017 @ 8:36 pm
I did and I enjoyed it. Dude seems smart and articulate in music. I too appreciate his promotion of songcraft. My reply was intended to be macro and not specific to the video. I know this topic drives a large premise of this site and I respect that. I personally am just worn out on the subject. Maybe I’m too old but for decades and decades I can’t ever remember this not being the case in mainstream music. Regardless if the fab as been disco, pop metal, rap, country pop or bro country. That doesn’t mean good music never finds the radio; it does. But as you and I have talked about, show me musical difference in say Jason Aldean songs and many hair metal riffs of the 80’s-90’s. Thirty years later not much as changed. Just swap the theme and people keep on buying. My feeling is just let it be. I listen to what I like and thanks to guys like you I’m finding a lot more good stuff every day.
March 15, 2017 @ 9:59 pm
I could have written this – exactly how I feel.
March 16, 2017 @ 11:41 pm
It didn’t used to be that way. From about 65 to 77 we saw the greatest musical diversity in the 40 in history. I think Trigger evem may have posted about this. But to paraphrase from the great pop history book, “Love For Sale, a song is on the charts because it is a hit and it is a hit because it is on the charts.
Also from the same book; by the 1920s the leading newspapers were decrying that the era of great songs was over.
And the masses did not always settle for the medicore shoveled at them. Remember when a musician’s career could be killed if they sold out. Now nobody bats an eye if your song is in an ad for bottled water or jeans. Most consumers have gotten lazier IMO
March 15, 2017 @ 8:43 am
Cool Trig, glad you like Lill and his video. One of the things that I’ve heard from colleagues in the arts is that young audiences are really intrigued by the *process* of making art. They like to watch it being built, and ideally be part of it. Lill’s videos are genius for the way they communicate craft to a (sorry for this:) attention-addled generation. He never dumbs anything down and communicates with genial precision. Old-timers like and learn from him, too.
And he’s absolutely right about the consumer side of the equation.
BTW, Marty Stuart’s latest came in the mail, and it’s a masterpiece.
March 15, 2017 @ 8:57 am
Was really impressed with Lill’s ability to articulate, illustrate, take a pragmatic perspective, and talk about solutions, not just the problem. This is the kind of stuff that gets things done instead of just bellyaching about how bad everything is.
March 15, 2017 @ 9:12 am
Yeah, but the problem isn’t sameness, the problem is sameness of crappy music that isn’t country.
March 15, 2017 @ 9:50 am
Sure, but that’s a topic for another time. The way Jim Lill presented his argument, it could actually reach some folks who may identify some of this sameness, and inspire them to look for something different. Sreaming at people about how the music they listen to is shit is not always the best way to get your point across.
March 15, 2017 @ 10:01 am
I don’t scream at people. That would be rude.
I silently loathe them and their opinions.
March 15, 2017 @ 4:50 pm
Man will you stop assuming every twenty something is the same. I’m tired of hearing this fucking bullshit about us not having attention spans and the like which implies were shallow people. We have opinions and hobbies just like the rest of you and not all of us express them 80 characters at a time.
March 15, 2017 @ 8:52 am
“They work 40 hours a week welding car parts and making doorknobs and when they drive home from a long, hard day of work they want noises to come out of their car speakers that make them feel happy.”
This has always been true of country listeners, but somehow the music was higher quality and less homogeneous in sound 10+ years ago. Why has everything been all bro’d out and sounding similar the last several years? Maybe it’s just a fad.
March 15, 2017 @ 2:56 pm
A question I’ve been pondering is when does the time come that we stop blaming the artists, the writers, label reps, and mainstream Nashville in general? At what point do we acknowledge that listeners allowed things to devolve so much?
At what point do we hold people accountable for shitty taste? “They can’t help it” is such bullshit.
March 15, 2017 @ 3:00 pm
But like Jim Lill points out, these are passive listeners. They are going to listen to whatever the radio serves them. If the radio serves them more quality music, they will very likely listen to it. And if they were educated about what good music was, they would demand it.
March 17, 2017 @ 3:21 pm
I think the problem is that everyone in the system is afraid to step out. Creativity is second to business survival. The artist is afraid to do something outside the box and get rejected. The agent is afraid to do something outside the box. The engineers and producers are afraid to go outside the box. The station managers are afraid to go outside the box. The awards industry is afraid to go outside the box. Maybe even the listeners are afraid to go outside the box. So we’re stuck.
March 15, 2017 @ 8:57 am
Or if it’s not a fad, maybe there’s something about the younger millennial generation where they actually *want* this bro sound where the songs sound very similar. That would be a more pessimistic prospectic.
March 15, 2017 @ 9:03 am
I’m not sure I would title most of these songs as “bro” country radio (at least at the moment) seems to have somewhat shifted from “bro” to mid-tempo ballads.
March 15, 2017 @ 9:14 am
Yeah, but the similar sound as he illustrated in the video is the main thing I’m referring to.
March 15, 2017 @ 9:37 am
Believe it or not, where I live, most of the millennials like the old stuff, along with Hank 3, Wayne Hancock, and the like….so there is hope. It’s actually the people in their 40’s and 50’s that are the big Luke Bryan and Jason Aldean fans.
March 15, 2017 @ 10:07 am
That’s interesting. Trading on arena rock nostalgia. Business smart, peak earning years, it was probably inevitable. Let’s face it, arena rock wasn’t about lyrical genius. If we wait, Aldean will release a hillbilly hip hop album when he turns fifty. Oh joy.
March 15, 2017 @ 10:13 am
Out of curiosity, Mark, whereabouts do you live?
Almost all young country fans I’ve met in the past decade are only into the new stuff.
March 15, 2017 @ 3:07 pm
Right on the Ohio/West Virginia border….on the Ohio side. Don’t get me wrong, there are a lot of younger people into the new crap, but most of the ones I know in their 20’s and 30’s like the old stuff, or at least traditional country.
I’m in a country band that plays “Mississippi Mud” by Hank 3, and a lot of old Waylon, and the 20’s/30’s crowd goes ape sh*t, every time. Not because of our fantastic playing, necessarily…lol…but they love the old stuff.
March 15, 2017 @ 11:09 pm
I don’t know anyone over the age of 35 listening to Americana, alt country, or anything from the TX & red dirt scenes. On the other hand, just about every middle aged person I know listens to either shitty radio country or shitty hair metal.
This isn’t an age thing by any measure.
March 15, 2017 @ 9:01 am
Active music listening is great, but not everyone *wants* to be an active listener, and that’s ok too. And most people (or at least me) want to be an active listener sometimes, and a passive listener other times. I love Rhiannon Giddens new album, but it’s not, nor is it meant to be, background music while I am hanging with friends, or trying to do work. As CCRR noted, the problem isn’t actually that we have some passive music, it’s that their is a lack of variety.
March 15, 2017 @ 9:56 am
I totally agree with this, but again, I fear characterizing more substantive music as somehow harder to listen to, or that it takes additional energy and brain power. Perhaps that’s a barrier at the very beginning, but once you learn what to listen for in music, better music isn’t just entertaining, it is inspiring and uplifting. It stimulates the brain, it excites all the senses, not just some, and makes you more productive, more engaged with life. Yes, we all love a catchy tune as well, and there’s nothing wrong with that. But let’s not act like it’s somehow burdensome to listen to better music.
March 15, 2017 @ 10:48 am
Agree, I wouldn’t say harder, maybe more intentioned? If someone writes meaningful lyrics, I actually want to hear them….
March 15, 2017 @ 11:41 am
I’d settle for something “different.” With all that’s going on in the world and our lives, we’re subjected to yet another mewling song about beer, trucks, and fawning over women? Merle must be rolling over in his grave. And be honest, for Chrissakes! Tell us the truth, and sing it!
March 15, 2017 @ 9:04 am
Not surprising.
When people are struck in a hard place; they would rather hear something upbeat. I cannot blame them. I am of the same mindset.
March 15, 2017 @ 9:10 am
Then why can’t they listen to “Lovebug”, or “Guitars, Cadillac, etc.”?
March 15, 2017 @ 9:41 am
Because those songs aren’t being played on the radio. As data has shown, the radio remains the primary outlet for country music.
March 15, 2017 @ 9:45 am
Not sure if you’re missing my point, or ignoring it.
In case it’s the former, I’m saying fast and upbeat isn’t the problem with current “Country”. It’s that it sucks.
March 15, 2017 @ 9:47 am
I am not missing or ignoring it. You just didn’t present it well.
I agree that (most of) current country stinks. I was explaining why people listen to it. They should listen to good, upbeat songs.
March 25, 2017 @ 9:41 am
I’m in a bit of a hard place… not explaining, but I’d rather listen to a less than upbeat song. You don’t run from your problems, you face them head on. If you don’t you don’t learn or fix anything. Slow Haggard, Jones, Johnson, Passenger, etc for me! Upbeat when I’m happy.
March 15, 2017 @ 9:08 am
I’m really impressed with this guy’s musical prowess from a technical standpoint, but he’s only adding a visual reference to what I already know and have been saying for years.
I don’t have a problem with songs sounding the same, unless it’s a crappy sound, which is the current problem.
March 15, 2017 @ 9:10 am
The discourse above by Jim Lill points out something far more interesting and important than the similarities in country songs and how the industry gets away with feeding us the same sonic diet week after week after week . It illustrates how completely vulnerable ( gullable ?) and easily targeted we’ve become to nearly any source of information/infotainment /political rhetoric /product advertising we encounter .
We are , as a society , simply consumers …. a revenue stream to be brainwashed , tapped and “hooked” by a business , a politician , a TV series , a fast food chain ,or a tech company ( iPhone ) .We can’t plead ignorant or argue ” I’m a working class slave to the system and too tired to try to improve my life ” when we have intelligence and a power of reasoning that we have just become too lazy to employ . Its simple law of supply and demand ….economics 101 . If we take the time to educate ourselves to the options and CARE about better options , we’ll create a demand for those better options . The supply for the crap we are currently settling for will dry up in a hurry as more and more of us become aware , educated and pro-active about those better options .
Yes , the powers that be should be contributing to this education….. but they won’t if there is an easier way to make money and THAT is their only mandate in a capitalist society. make shiity clothes for cheap labor, make shitty lowest-common -denominator music , make comic book movies , make blowhard politicians that bark louder and APPEAR to have solutions …etc. etc.. Jim Lill makes a great point above . But it doesn’t JUST apply to our lackadaisical attitude towards country song grooves . It’s a wake-up call to anyone who really CARES about how we are targeted for our dollars .
March 15, 2017 @ 9:14 am
+1 Good read!
March 15, 2017 @ 9:16 am
I haven’t watched yet, but I trust he understands music better than he understands capitalism.
March 15, 2017 @ 9:20 am
Yes, you haven’t watched it. This guy is more genius than gadfly.
March 15, 2017 @ 9:29 am
Trust me I will – links from you are always interesting. I just dislike hackneyed rationalizations blaming all things evil on capitalism. Remember all the music the kids in the Soviet Union made and listened to back in the post war years? Yeah, me neither.
March 15, 2017 @ 10:42 am
Ironic that one of the songs is called “Think A Little Less.”
March 15, 2017 @ 6:20 pm
YEs with the rapey, I mean touching, lyric: “get you out of that bar and out of that dress…” <>
March 15, 2017 @ 1:15 pm
I think if songwriters cared about writing good, meaningful songs, then the active vs passive listening could be decided by the listener. I love Willie Nelson, and when I got the feels, I listen intently and actively, but I can also put “Red Headed Stranger” on repeat while I do stuff around the house and barely notice a word. This is because I went through my “Oh my god, every part of this is gold” moments with it and don’t need that every time anymore. I don’t think there needs to be a “background listening” sub-genre of music. That just makes it possible for this these types of songs to keep existing. It’s only the people making excuses for it that are saying that it’s just something to listen to and not have to think. This can easily be done once you’ve heard an actual good song a few times on the radio. There are also many great honky tonk songs out there whose sole purpose is to do exactly this. The problem with the excuses for the new crap is that there are real fans of this music who think it’s actually deep and life-altering (I don’t blame them, they don’t know any better), and they are the ones that keep it going. If songwriters wrote from their hearts and not with their wallets, then we could all listen to good music in whatever way we felt like at the moment.
A song doesn’t have to be serious and “songwriter-ey” to be from the heart, It doesn’t even have to be that original. It just needs to be good and, ideally, country (“Gotta get Drunk”, anyone?)
Keep in mind that anyone who doesn’t like a certain type of music usually says “It all sounds the same”. With mainstream country, it used to be young, non-country fans. Now it’s us. Not because it sounds the same (which it does, get off my lawn), but because it’s not country. Three chords and the truth over and over again is much better than 16 chords and “whatever that last guy said”.
March 15, 2017 @ 1:30 pm
^This
March 15, 2017 @ 1:35 pm
You make a good point. I don’t think there needs to be a “background listening” sub-genre either. I think a good portion of people decide whether a song is good or bad based solely on how it sounds…I can’t tell you how many times I’ve said “I love that verse” or “the lyrics are awesome in this song” and had people tell me they didn’t even know the lyrics, or consider the context of them. But hey, “that Luke Bryan song is fun and those lyrics I do know because they are simple and catchy and get stuck in my head!” Look, the point is, that the average listener here on SCM is vastly different from most average music listeners, in my experience, anyways. My thought is, it’s not all bad in mainstream and not all good outside of mainstream; and liking non-mainstream music doesn’t somehow make you superior to everyone else. I guess that is where this argument can irk me a bit.
March 15, 2017 @ 2:04 pm
I can understand that. I think we have similar views on the subject, but I just may be a little more jaded than you are. I used to feel exactly the same about mainstream vs indie. I used to notice people who only listened to unknown artists and felt superior. Then when their favourite artist hit it big, they now hated them even though they were still the same songs. I know there is still some of that going on, but with myself, it’s got to the point where I can only stomach the non-mainstream because it’s the only good music I can find. Trust me, I actually turn on the radio every day in hopes of hearing something good. Every once in a while, I get surprised, and it gives me hope. But usually I just throw up in my mouth a little bit. I can’t speak for everyone but I don’t feel superior by not listening to mainstream. I feel sad for the people who don’t know anything better, and I feel sad for those of us that do. I want the more traditional artists to get big. I don’t hate mainstream because it’s mainstream. I hate it because it’s not country.
March 15, 2017 @ 6:37 pm
I don’t believe with that statement about writers you have ever been to Nashville or writers rounds. It’s a completely different world when you hear the song that they’re capable of. 90% of what they write doesn’t get cut. For the most part they are writing the songs you just never hear them.
I did an interview a few years ago with Jason Matthews. Explained a lot of stuff better than I ever could. We spoke for about an hour and a half. His advice was not to follow trends and write for varying time periods. YOU Have to have a catalogue that covers a major variety to be successful.
It’s much easier as well to have more writers on a song to a point like 2-3. Then you have more people who are plugging your songs or teams working it to get it heard.
March 15, 2017 @ 7:01 pm
You are a 100% correct. I have never been. Would love to though, as a songwriter myself. I would never claim to know the ins and outs of the Nashville process, apologies if I tried to put forth that I did. All I can see and hear is what most average listeners can. I do realize that if radio picked the better songs, then this would all be moot. I have noticed, however, that it seems to be mostly the same names popping up on these songs and that they obviously now have their feet in the doors that the better writers are still knocking at. I suppose its these already established and current writers that I’m talking about. If they all got together and refused to write any more drivel, then there would be nowhere for these songs to come from and radio might start picking from a little higher up the tree. Pipe dream, I know, but that’s what I meant.
March 15, 2017 @ 7:04 pm
And yes, I also realize that they would have to be accepted by publishers/artists before even thinking about radio. I should have said that instead.
March 15, 2017 @ 1:47 pm
almost all pop music is in 4/4 timing. this guy wants you to believe it sounds the same just because of the ‘drumbeat’. Its the same songwriters, same chords, same computerized banjo and drum machine, same laundry list lyrics. This guy obviously wants to keep working with these crap songwriters because he has like 10 disclaimers about how good it is despite it sounding the same.
March 15, 2017 @ 2:58 pm
A big culprit in the “sameness” issue is that the STRUCTURE of the songs rarely changes.
Intro/verse/chorus in lower gear, 2nd verse/chorus in higher gear, turbo charge kick into a brief guitar solo, down to low gear for half the chorus, turbo charge kick into second half of chorus, repeat turbo chorus until fade or end.
March 15, 2017 @ 3:53 pm
A marvellous (and yet still reverent) exposé by Jim Lill! He articulates, very well, what I (and I suspect many others) have tried to put into words for so long now. Having said that, I would have to admit that other genres of music that I enjoy (mainly heavy metal, prog-rock, indie rock and emo/punk styles) can often fall victim to clichés and cookie cutter methods too. Therein lies the art of the best musical practitioners – giving a song a little “something” that changes a song from merely “passable” or “good” to memorable. One thing interests me about Jim’s video – he plays nine out of the Top 10 to prove his point. So what is/was the tenth song that did not fit this template? Just curious.
March 15, 2017 @ 5:29 pm
Would it be overkill to say that this is a marvelous explanation of the music biz, especially Country. I am not a musician or singer or sound engineer or anything in that realm so I cannot break stuff down like he does here.
Now I understand why the genre is like it is.
March 15, 2017 @ 6:03 pm
What ever happened to good old Boom chicka boom strum pattern ? No wonder country music sound like soft rock.
March 15, 2017 @ 6:23 pm
Thanks for letting me know about Jim Lill! A great resource. I went from your site to his youtube site… and there went the afternoon’s productivity! Once again down the Internet rabbit hole!
March 15, 2017 @ 8:28 pm
Watching this video is a lot like watching the movie “They Live”. In that film, Roddy Piper (RIP) puts on special sunglasses that allow him to see the world as it really is, where the corporate elite are really aliens who used subliminal messages to promote products and keep humans in line. Jim Lill’s video was like putting on a pair of special “They Live” sunglasses.
March 16, 2017 @ 6:27 am
HAHAHAHAHA
March 15, 2017 @ 11:55 pm
Country hits sounding the same is hardly anything new. Heck, they used to use the same melody over and over–literally. Witness “The Great Speckled Bird,” “I’m Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes,” “Wild Side of Life”/”It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels.” Or “Mind Your Own Business” / “Move it On Over.” Or “Who Shot Sam?”/ “White Lightning.” Merle Haggard said he couldn’t sing “If We’re Not Back In Love By Monday” in concert because the melody was so similar to–yet slightly different from–“If We Make it Through December (which he did sing) that it threw him off.
March 16, 2017 @ 7:42 am
Modern Country tempos can all be the same because the listeners are dumb as they come
March 16, 2017 @ 2:09 pm
This reminds me of a discussion my local country station had last fall on air, but it was about the high number of “new” country artists that have the same sound. They pointed out how most artists voices in recent years sound very similar and that telling them apart is almost impossible at times, both males and females. The on air DJ’s were fairly young, and pointed out that when you look back to the early 90’s, when Travis Tritt, Garth Brooks, Alan Jackson,Tanya Tucker, George Strait, Reba, Patty Loveless, Diamond Rio, Dwight Yoakam, Lori Morgan, Clint Black, Sammy Kershaw and long long list of other artists, they all had there own distinct voice, when they came on the air you knew quickly who it was, you needed no one to tell you who it was. Fast forward to now, you can play 5 songs in a row from male artists and it would be tough for anyone to guess them all. If you could name 2 or 3 of the 5 then you’ve done pretty well.
At the end of the discussion, the main DJ admitted that he can’t understand how it’s come to this, the artists and the songs have became very boring.
I’ve even heard a time or two on the Bob & Sherry show, they would talk about Randy Travis and what he did for country music and it’s sad to see what it has become now.
March 16, 2017 @ 5:44 pm
I remember when the CMA’s did the “Forever Country” single and someone on here mentioned how you could really tell which voices stood out on that track…just In a way where you could instantly recognize some of them without a doubt, and others not so much. I thought it was a great point and made me think more about the uniqueness of certain artists (from both now and the past) and then I really started to notice how so many of the newer country singers out there really do sound quite alike. There are fewer really distinguishable voices/styles now days. It’s interesting.
March 16, 2017 @ 3:34 pm
To tell the truth, I blame a lot of this “sameness” on all the TV talent shows (The Voice, Idol, etc.). In my opinion they’re all looking for the same (limited) template of what artistic expression and singing ability are.
Because these programs generally deliver acts that don’t deviate much from the template (not wanting to grate with their majority audience), they have delivered a big dose of mediocrity to the music industry as a whole. It’s a great pity that music execs have tended to go in the same direction as the so-called talent shows. It is through my disaffection with all of this blandness that I arrive at sites like SCM.
March 16, 2017 @ 5:39 pm
I was just thinking this! Totally agree. It’s the “American Idol” effect.
March 16, 2017 @ 11:17 pm
It ain’t country. Mainstream music period all sounds the same more less, has more or less the same lyrics. You get what you pay for and the prized 13-25 demo does not want to pay at all. Nor do many of them have the means to do so.
So why would big name labels and acts put any real time and effort in when the payback is almost nil.
OT. But WTH happened to the pop queen that was Taylor Swift?
March 17, 2017 @ 3:20 pm
Darrell Scott – Title of the Song
Explains it all.
March 25, 2017 @ 9:37 am
Hmm… interesting, though the thing is, I work(hard labor) well over 40…50….60 hours a week and I notice it. I find no enjoyment from modern country and that goes for many of the older artists songs. Was a lot of crap back then to. Either I’m not a lazy dude like these people are, or they are just too blind and numb minded. The comments about the working man not caring is what I don’t understand is all I’m saying.
Maybe the issue is I’m working on being an artist myself, and music is pretty much my life blood. So perhaps I care more than the average person.