A cowboy strums a guitar in a field, and when he opens his mouth to sing… you’ve probably guessed the music genre his song will fall into: country music.
Click start to play today’s Crossword, where you can identify famous musicians and songs from this genre.
The idyllic image of a singer in the countryside is actually pretty close to the origins of country music, which started in the United States. The English, Scottish and Irish people who settled in the southeast US brought folk songs with them, many of which were adapted in the 1800s to suit the rugged new land they called home. Initially, this kind of music was called ‘hillbilly’ music, for the hilly lands the new immigrants occupied. The songs were often passed from family to family and friend to friend, and was a source of entertainment, with lyrics that told stories of joy, love, hardship and trust in a higher power.
Cut to today, where country music is facing a hard time competing with the likes of pop, hip-hop, rock, and electronic dance music (EDM). A 2015 study published in the Netherlands-based journal Poetics, surveyed 2,250 Americans about 15 musical genres, and asked them which of the genres they liked, disliked or had mixed feelings about. Researchers then compared the results with a similar study done in 1993.
The study revealed that the appeal for most genres had increased, with only blues, reggae, show tunes, and rhythm and blues (R&B) showing no change. But country, bluegrass and folk music all saw a decline in appeal during the study’s 20-year window.
One of the reasons for the lack of appeal could be that country music has become too narrow, lyrically. According to music news website Save Country Music, past generations of country musicians, like Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, or Dolly Parton, wrote moving songs on subject matters that had universal appeal. Heartbreak, love, devotion and hope are some of the themes that were common.
But new country music styles, like bro-country, which is influenced by hip hop, hard rock and electronica, may have limited the genre’s experience to affirmations of rural living, lists of country-isms, and a vehemence for country life – something only people living in the rural southern areas of the US can relate to.
Do you listen to country music? Play today’s Crossword and let us know at games@gulfnews.com.