Why I love country music.

I recently started to play the guitar. My fingers are learning how to become callused and thus hurt less when they press the strings, and as I type this now I can feel them becoming more resilient. I have been around acoustic guitars my whole life. My dad used to play to me when I was younger, my cousins were learning to play all through my teen years. My favorite memories of hanging out with my family consist of everyone in a small room, two or three people with guitars, singing along to the simple music. I like nothing more than laying on a couch, feet up on the arm rest, just listening to the sounds that come out of that beautiful instrument.

I'm actually surprised that it took me so long to want to learn how to play myself. But I can tell you that my obsession with Taylor Swift songs, and just country music in general, led me to the decision to pick up the instrument. I would hear a song on the radio, listen only to the guitar, and think "I want to learn to play this". The song in particular that I often credit as the reason I wanted to learn to play is "Breathe" by Taylor Swift. I think its absolutely beautiful, and I want to make that music myself and sing it in my own voice, which at 24 I think I am just now growing into.

Now, I am not entirely picky when it comes to music. If there aren't screaming vocals (which I refer to often as "I hate my life" music) or anything too dissonant, I usually like it. I decide if I like a song within 15 seconds of tuning in. (If only I could make all decisions that fast...) I like hip hop, rap, bubble gum pop, classic rock...but country is the genre that really touches me, reaches into my soul and finds deeper meaning. Country equals comfort to me - its relatable, beautifully worded (usually) and just so much more genuine than most other types of music out there. And it is for that reason I get so frustrated at so many people's apparent disdain of country music.

The common joke is "What happens when you play a country song backward?" Answer, "You get your dog back, you get your wife back, you get your truck back..." Rascal Flatts even did a song about that joke. But really, if that is the reason people don't like it, I have a bone to pick with them. For one thing, those kinds of songs are only a part of a whole. And they usually aren't meant to be taken seriously, despite what people may choose to think. Additionally, and more importantly, if it really is the "dumb lyrics" people don't like, why are rap and pop and classic rock so much more popular? Is it better to sing about mistreating women, empty sex, outward appearance and drugs? Not that there haven't been great songs that have stemmed from these topics, but if its good lyrics you are looking for, I don't know why you wouldn't love country.

Most country songs are about someone. And usually you can think of a time in your life when you were that someone, good or bad. They are about love and relationships and friendships and loyalty and becoming better people. They are encouraging and relatable and the kinds of songs that fit one or two moods so perfectly that you know the reason iTunes has a "repeat" button was created for moments like these.

I just saw the movie Country Strong tonight, and of a few very quotable moments, this was the one that really struck me:

"Don't be afraid to fall in love. It's the only thing in life that matters. The ONLY thing. Fall in love with as many things as possible."

I really don't think anything could sum up the way I feel about country music better than that. When it comes down to it, they are all songs about love. Loving someone else, loving a place, loving a feeling, or even loving yourself.

I hope that as these fingers of mine grow harder and my skills on the guitar grow broader and more refined, that I will be able to share some of these songs with the people I love, or just play them for myself when the moment feels right. And who knows, maybe I will create a few of my own.


♥mb.