One of the advantages to living in Omaha is the fairly eclectic musical tastes. I have seen this first hand this summer as we travel about to take in my son’s Legion baseball games.
During these games the home teams try to create a bit of atmosphere. As you can imagine music is a big part of things. With the various tastes in various locations, we get a grab-bag of music. Sometimes it’s classic rock, other times it’s hip-hop, still others country. It’s all over the map.
Through this I was surprised to find out something else that is all over the map: low-brow, lame, sex songs.
I am not surprised at what I hear with hip-hop music. I grew up listening to it. I get it. While I cringe, I know what they are doing.
However, what I am surprised at is what these country music cats sing about. Growing up in New England I thought that country music meant Johnny Cash and Kenny Rogers. When I moved to Texas I found out that there was a bit more to it than that. The industry is obviously huge.
Now I sit in the stands at a baseball game and hear the unabashed talk about sex, guns, fighting, demoralization of women, and corny lines. There really is not a huge difference (content wise) to widely impugned hip-hop music. It really is the same stuff.
So why does country music enjoy a better reputation in America than hip-hop? Do we feel better about listening to white country guys with mullets in pick-ups talking about these things than urban, African-American guys in tats and tricked out rides?
And why does this music get the fans excited and ball-players motivated?
An obvious note in this is that these themes sell. There is a fan base. Whether they are sung with a twang or over intense bass they are being related to and received by multitudes. There are diverse receptors for the themes listed above. In short, it’s popular.
This is a helpful commentary on the hunger pains and satisfying medicine of our society. A society that is not stuffed from getting too much but getting too little. Too little of substance. And herein the work of the gospel is cut-out for us.
