Many years ago I wrote for MCA Music under the wise and kind leadership of both Noel Fox and Jerry Crutchfield.
I was a transplant from Connecticut. I was having my share of hits but still trying to find the sweet spot of what I did.
I was in the studio on afternoon putting the finishing touches on a very Pop sounding song I had recently written by myself. (no one else to blame) I was standing behind my engineer. Greg Kane, listening to a playback, when Russell Smith came in and stood next to me.
Side note: Russell Smith passed away just a short while ago. He was the lead singer of The Amazing Rhythm Aces and wrote and sang their enormous hit “Third Rate Romance,” and was one of the truly great country songwriters. (Look Heart, No Hands, Old School)
We listened to the song blasting on the speakers. The song had more in common with Kenny Loggins than Dave Loggins… crazy pop groove.
Russell leaned over, put his head next to mine and, in his distinct drawl, said:
“It’s country cause we SAY it’s country.”
Jump ahead to this morning.
I was rummaging thru the “Intraweb” that the kids are so crazy about, when I saw an article about the state of the country music industry. The premise (as I understand it) is this:
The industry puts out things that are not “country,” but, because we want the attention and money that a younger demographic will bring, we say “It’s country because we SAY it’s country!!” Because of that… we have no right to complain that country is drifting from its roots and has now seemingly morphed into something more pop and rap than George Jones.
How do you all feel about this? Is it a question of intent? I was finding my way, learning how to write a country song. I didn’t really accomplish that until I wrote “A Thousand Times A Day,” and had both George Jones and Patty Loveless record it. Carrie Underwood is country. She won the game show and could have gone any direction she chose, but she is “country” even though her records are as pop sounding as anything Taylor Swift does. Is Taylor country? Carrie labels her songs as Country. Taylor just puts them out and doesn’t say they are anything other than a Taylor Swift song.
Yes, we claim pop sounding records are country so we can widen our audience. Does that take away our right to whine behind closed doors about the direction of Country music? Whining is a God given right… right up there with the right to give a Koala a semi automatic.
I have no conclusion to draw about all this. Hell, I’m not even sure it’s a decent question. I think it does, for me, come down to:
You don’t get to complain about the Poppification of Country music if you are part of the industry that pushed Old Dirt Road up the charts. Disclaimer: That is not a slam on that song. I may be a party of one here but I have NEVER heard that song. I listen to country radio but, probably by pure chance, I have never had it come on while driving. Was it played less on Country radio that I thought? Do I spend way too much time on the Beatles channel? (The answer is yes.)
If its Country cause we SAY it’s Country… should that change what we say is country?
I say we appoint a Country Purity Board to listen to each release and approve it as Country or not. They do it for milk. Why not Rascal Flatts CDs?