Moments of Permanence - Conversations and music - country and otherwise...

From: naraht Date: June 9th, 2009 06:11 pm (UTC) (Link)

Country songs that touch on either patriotism or religion are, in my experience, a fairly small minority, even if they do come up occasionally, but songs that touch both are *really quite rare* and not likely to occur on the lists of truly classic country songs.

I didn't mean both at once, just that both seem to factor into the value system that elspethdixon is discussing. Whether or not she's right in describing it as typical of country music, you'd know better than me.

You'll notice that I've never said that I hate all country music, because I don't. It's probably my least favorite genre of popular music but I suppose everyone has to have one. I haven't heard the Dolly Parton songs that you've listed, but I will try them out and get back to you. The two songs of hers that I know I do like are "Jolene" and her cover of "Stairway to Heaven."

I object to the idea that disliking country must imply classism, as there is a great deal of working-class music that *isn't* country. I'm a huge fan of Billy Bragg, for instance. Morrissey grew up working-class, come to that, as did three-quarters of the Beatles. Why should their music not be considered as authentically working-class as Dolly Parton's?

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