Comments on: Discussion: Need to Relate?

By: Linda

Linda — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 18:39:11 +0000

Great topic.

I don’t need to relate to the song to enjoy it. If that were true, I wouldn’t be listening to most country music out there (or a lot of music in general). I don’t cheat, I don’t drink, I’m not lonely.

When I watch YouTube, sometimes I’ll see comments in which the person says “I’m going through this song right now” or “I’m feeling this way right now.” I don’t. When I hear a song, as long as it has a good melody followed by decent lyrics (not silly), I’m good with that.

I like a song for its melody. A song can have awesome lyrics but without a good melody, I’m not going to listen to the song. That’s why I can enjoy a song no matter what the lyrics are, provided it has a good melody.

By: Craig R.

Craig R. — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 16:06:43 +0000

As a black, gay man in a major city there are not a great many country singers I can relate to every day. But what I do relate to in country music, what I love about it, is that if it is good( a good story, a real, raw feeling, a great sense of the world)I am connected to it heart and soul. That is why I am married to country music above all others because it can hit at a real place inside of me that goes beyond my color, my background or my politics.

By: Chelsea

Chelsea — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 21:39:17 +0000

I apologize. Palin is a member of Feminists For life, and while some sources say this group opposes the pill, other sources do not confirm this. So I spoke out of place.

By: Helen

Helen — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 10:15:19 +0000

I’ve tried writing a response to this post about five times at this stage but I can’t seem to put my point across properly!

So i’ll just say I agree with all of those who said the don’t necessarily have to relate to the song to enjoy it.

Like others, one of the things about country music that appeals to me is the story telling aspect.

By: Eleven

Eleven — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:51:28 +0000

Palin IS NOT part of a group that “opposes birth control even for married couples”.

Apologies for the off-topic comment.

By: Chelsea

Chelsea — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:18:00 +0000

I don’t feel like I need to have lived a song word for word in order to appreciate it. What draws me to country music is the stories it tells. Sometimes I like a story because I can relate to the characters and feel like I know where they are coming from. Other times, a story draws its power from showing us how people we know nothing about act and live.

And this is bit off topic, butwhere did the quote used to kick off this discussion come from? I must say, it’s killing me to see Loretta Lynn’s music as a segue into a discussion of how Palin is “jest folks.” Loretta sang about “The Pill” and what it could do (positively) in a woman’s life – Palin is part of group that opposes birth control even for married couples.

By: Lanibug

Lanibug — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:14:21 +0000

Ok – so I am now really scared that you all know where Windsor is, but yes, Chicago and rest of Illinois are two different things — I went to Carbondale — but I am sure that I was long gone to Ohio before you all even went to college – I graduated from SIUC in 1995 -

But back on subject I agree with Kent I have to like the sound, a good reference is two artists that I like have recorded the same song, but I only like one of them, just has to do with the way it was done – but I still relate to the words, just not the way it was sung – relating to music is all about how you feel at any given moment in time.

By: Kent

Kent — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:29:31 +0000

My experience with music is if it doesn’t sound good to my ears, I don’t like it. I don’t care how the great the lyrics are, if it doesn’t entice my musical taste buds, I don’t wanna hear it. It also works on the flipside. Even if the lyrics are atrocious, if it sounds good to my ears, I’m going to listen to it again.

That being said, I can still recognize good lyrics, and lately, I have gravitated towards song that I can relate to about love a little more.

By: Matt B

Matt B — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:04:39 +0000

Blake That’s what the fine people of Washington State say about Washington State and the Seattle area. Take out the Seattle area and that state’s quite ‘country.’

As for this topic, One Flew South’s Eddie Bush talked about getting a story about his song “She’s A Gift” and how it helped a child grieve for the loss of their father and how they placed that song after he died. The lyrics are about a woman, not a man but the impact was still the same.

By: Blake Boldt

Blake Boldt — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 21:33:15 +0000

Chicago and Illinois. Two different states. ;)

I feel at home with all the Illinois folk around. Love it.