Bestest Friend and I are doing a blog project. Each day we will write a blog post on a pre-determined theme chosen by a random noun generator. The theme for the twenty-ninth day of the month is "Song."
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This year, there has been a lot of discussion in my corner of the internet about the song of the summer and how there really isn't one. I mean, there IS one, but critics don't like it. The song is "Last Night" by Morgan Wallen. It was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for sixteen weeks. And critics are all up in arms saying there isn't one dominant song this summer? Please. I get it, I really do. I think Wallen should be cancelled, too, and I don't think I've actually heard this song, but I think we need to grapple with what what's going on in the charts right now.
Let me back up for a minute and explain who Morgan Wallen is in case you don't know. He's a country music artist who got his start on the television show The Voice. The first song of his I ever heard was a ditty called "More Than My Hometown" in which he breaks up with a girl he supposedly loves because she wants to leave their shared hometown and he "can't love you more than my hometown." This is the kind of guy we're dealing with here.
In 2021, a video of him casually using a racial slur came to light. He issued a non-apology apology and he has continued to see somewhat meteoric success.
But what else has been at the top of the Billboard Hot 100, you ask. Well, that horrid Jason Aldean "Try That in a Small Town" hate crime topped it and currently it's "Rich Men North of Richmond" by Oliver Anthony which has the subtle lyrics "I wish politicians would look out for miners/And not just minors on an island somewhere/Lord, we got folks in the street, ain't got nothin' to eat/And the obese milkin' welfare."
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The normalization of hatred in the music we listen to is terrifying. The fact that these are number one songs by people with a message of hate and oppression is worrying for our future. Sure, country music has historically been conservative and I might not be worrying over this if it weren't for the fact that these aren't just songs topping country charts, but they're topping the Hot 100, right next to Taylor Swift and Olivia Rodrigo.
For me, the song I'm hearing everywhere is "Flowers" by Miley Cyrus and I think I might be a stealth Miley fan.
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What's your song of the summer? Do you have a favorite Miley Cyrus song?
Flowers is definitely our song of the summer. Also listening to a lot of One Republic and Applause by Lady Gaga (A's fav) and Kings and Queens by Ava Max (L's fav).
ReplyDeleteI'm glad to hear that the radio waves of Canada aren't as dominated by trash as they are here in the States!
DeleteMy favourite Miley song is The Climb, but honestly, I don't know many of her songs. My son was playing "On the Boat Again" the other day and it really made me smile.
ReplyDeleteThe Climb and Party in the USA are real jams. I approve of that choice!
DeleteI don't follow pop music, but I have heard of some of these. What a pity!
ReplyDeleteThey are insidious if even people who don't pay much attention to music are hearing them.
DeleteWell, I'm a total nerd when it comes to music. Just to give you some context, on our car trip to Texas my son and I listened to Beethoven's 7th symphony and Mozart Requiem, and discussed the quality of the trumpet playing and interesting musical choices the conductor made. Ha ha... so you might not want to draw me into a discussion of current pop music. Every once in a while a song will work its way into my consciousness (like it's playing everywhere and everyone else in the country knows it) and then I feel proud of myself that I know a song! My running playlist IS all pop music, ranging from the 70s to... probably the 90s. Yes, I'm a total weirdo.
ReplyDeleteOh, I rarely actually listen to music and more likely to listen to a podcast about music, that's for sure. But I'm fascinated by the state of country music today and am following this story with more interest than you'd think I'd have.
DeleteMy FIL's wife is a retired music teacher. We sometimes will listen to something and the rest of us will be "la la la, that was pretty" and she's all "did you hear how flat that oboe was?" and I know she's so disappointed with us for not being aware. Maybe you should be friends with her!
I am unable to listen to any country music. It just grates on my last nerve. To me, all the male artists sound exactly the same, as do all the female artists. Obviously, I'm in the minority since it has great crossover appeal and is quite popular.
ReplyDeleteThis summer, I promised my son I'd be more open-minded and listen to some Taylor Swift. Heretofore, I pretty much dismissed her because she can't stop writing songs about men (usually bemoaning those she lost or wanted). So I used our music streaming service to listen to more Swift music when I was driving all over the place instead of my usual playlists. I would say that her song "Karma" has been my song of the summer. It's catchy and I like its metaphors.
Well, Swift hasn't produced a country album in years, so I think she's probably fair game for you to start enjoying how delightful she is! I'm a fan of her storytelling songs (like Betty or Last Great American Dynasty) that don't dwell on her relationships, too.
DeleteOMG. Those song lyrics! I am so out of the loop w/ pop culture! The only time I listen to music is when we have the boys in the car as they would not like to listen to my podcasts! So I pretty much only listen to Brandi Carlile and Taylor Swift since those are artists they like. So if they don't have a new album out, I'm listening to old albums. Will's favorite songs are Paris and The Great War from Swift's latest album; Paul's favorite lately is High Infidelity. So we listen to those songs over and over until Phil hits his breaking point and turns off the music. Ha. He likes TS but not on repeat and he doesn't like her recent albums.
ReplyDeleteIt's really terrible. I mean, it's just infiltrating society in sneaky ways and it's really upsetting. Fingers crossed that it's a short-lived trend of hate in popular songs.
DeleteI know about these things because I am a WaPo subscriber and there have been multiple articles about the rampant hate in country music this summer. I listen to Brandi Carlile and The Chicks. And occasionally others. But I haven't listened to "current" country music in years, primarily for this reason. It's like the genre has been hijacked by misogynistic, racist, white men who feel threatened by women/minorities/anyone who isn't exactly like them and OMG don't get me started on their "perspectives" on people who are LGBTQ+.
ReplyDeleteIt's crazy to listen to country from the 90s with so many women (Shania, Faith Hill, The Chicks, Jo Dee, Pam Tillis, Patty Loveless, the list is endless, really) and to turn on country radio now and it's terrible misogynistic crap. *sigh* It's been a real struggle for me to come to grips with the devolution of country music.
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