Embrace the unexpected: Country music unveils the human experience
The depth and relatability of country music are revealed through a song, challenges the negative opinions and showcases its ability to capture meaningful emotions and aspects of life. Graphic by Paige Tighe ’24
The worst genre of music is country music. Every song is about whiskey, pick-up trucks, life in the South or national pride. The only type of person that listens to country music is the stereotypical mullet-sporting, flannel-wearing, whiskey-drinking, truck-driving Southerner. As a liberal white girl growing up in Westport, Connecticut, I could never enjoy listening to or relating to this kind of music. Or so I thought.
The summer before my junior year I went on a teen tour in Hawaii for 18 days where I camped every night and explored the island with 12 other teens, with no access to my phone. On an almost two-hour drive from Kona to Hilo, the song “7 Summers” by Morgan Wallen played on the radio and forever changed my view of country music.
Like one might expect from southern music, this song included mentions of “Southern comfort”, “sippin’ on a sixer” and a “boy from East Tennessee.”. However, until this point in my 16 years of hating country music, I never truly listened to a country song the way I would listen to other music. When I more actively listened to “7 Summers” I realized that this country song was actually telling a story about a boy’s nostalgia regarding the simplicity of his past summer romance, but ultimately recognizing that time had slipped away.
Country music has the power to evoke strong emotions and offer insights into the human experience. In my case, however, I found it to reflect aspects of my life as a junior in highschool.
— Paige Tighe ’24
At this moment, I realized that this genre of music has a lot of great meaning behind it, making it very relatable and enjoyable to listen to. Country music has the power to evoke strong emotions and offer insights into the human experience. In my case, however, I found it to reflect aspects of my life as a junior in highschool.
Country music is known for its strong storytelling abilities. Many of the greatest country songs are like mini-movies, complete with compelling characters, dramatic plot twists and emotional resolutions.
The song “Cruise” by Florida Georgia Line celebrates the carefree nature of summer and good times with friends like feelings of driving around the beach. Another great song is “The House That Built Me” by Miranda Lambert, which reflects on the impact of childhood homes and the memories associated with them taps into the nostalgic aspects of growing up.
I have found that no other genre of music has reflected the realities of life the same way that country music does. My experience with “7 Summers” opened my eyes to the depth and relatability of country music, challenging my previous negative opinion. It made me realize that this genre has the ability to capture meaningful stories and emotions, resonating with listeners regardless of their background. Country music is pretty great, once you give it a chance.
Editor-in-Chief Paige Tighe ’24 loves connecting with her community – even if that community is made up of elementary schoolers. As a summer camp counselor,...
