Country Music Is The Best Music In The World…

I’ve definitely heard that line!! It drives me crazy. I don’t know how I would answer your question though. I suppose it depends on the person. Country music is so broad in its influences that I usually try to find the song that might appeal to the particular person that I’m trying to convince. If I know their general music tastes/leanings, I try to show them a song that might have that sort of influence in it. Sometimes, I find that I’m showing them a song that I don’t necessarily like, because I’d rather that they embrace a country song than hate it altogether, even if they’re not the same songs that I personally prefer. Does that make sense?

Leeann, it makes perfect sense and I thought of it while writing the question, but I figured it might be kind of hard to choose a song to appeal to any single person in a general setting. So, the song you choose would probably provide more insight to you and the reasons you chose to share it, rather than who you chose it for.

Mike W, good song. Any particular reason you chose that one to convert someone?

There are really only two kinds of music:
1) Music you like
2) Music you don’t like

Categories are great for consumer guidance but little else.

I like varying percentages of the music I hear. Roughly, By category:

Traditional Country: 90%
Modern country: 33%
Modern Bluegrass: 60%
Western Swing: 90%
Acoustic Country: 75% (think Jimmie Rodger,
Carter Family, Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper, Doc Williams, Bradley Kinkaid, Karl & Harty, Grandpa Jones)

Traditional Jazz and Big Band: 75%
Bebop and Post Bop: 25%
Smooth Jazz: 10%

Pop Standards: 75%
Adult Contemporary: 40%

Irish Folk: 80% (Clancy Brothers, Dubliners)
Celtic: 40% (Pogues, Chieftains, Clannad)
American Folk:60%

Rock ‘n Roll: 75%
Rock: 20%

Traditional R&B 75%
Motown: 50%
Disco: 20%
Funk/Hip Hop/Rap/Techno/Punk - almost Zero
Classical: 50%

Blues: 30%

Obviously most of my listening is in the areas I’ve marked with higher percentages. Country is my favorite music but I wouldn’t argue its superiority.

All I would say is listen to the lyrics and the stories they tell. This is the one area where I would argue that traditional country was better than today’s country music. The newer songs seem mostly written by committee - they lack soul and often tell vapid stories, if they tell any stories at all

Jazz greats like Lester Young and Charlie Parker liked country music for its storytelling as did Ray Charles

Brady, the problem is that you ask such a great question that I can’t get it out of my head. What song would I choose? I know that when my husband and I met, when we were simply friends, he said that he liked just about everything but country. Today, he’s still not exactly a huge country music fan, but there are certain songs that he absolutely loves now. Most importantly, he can stand listening to it, because I make him listen to it a lot.:) He tends toward the traditional though, particularly Johnny Cash.

I like to use the line “Do you like Billy Joel?” “Yes, I LOVE Billy Joel, he’s a legend!” “What do you think of this song by Billy Joel?” You then play Mr. Midnight by Garth Brooks “I LOVE that song! That’s the first time I’ve heard it!” “That’s because it’s Garth Brooks!”

Sunday Morning Coming Down is just brilliantly written. I think the problem that some people have with Country Music is that they think they cant relate to the lyrics. Which, to be fair, is true, the same way I cant relate to the latest Rap song, I doubt someone who grew up in the Bronx can relate to the smell, sounds and reality of Country life. Sunday Morning doesnt have that problem, anybody, from any walk of life can relate to the feeling and imagery of that song.

Paul, I’d argue that you do indeed consider country music to be better. Considering the amount of time you spend listening to country, there seems to be something you find more appealing about it in general. I went and saw Michael Bublé with my wife this past Wednesday and I thought he put on an excellent and entertaining performance. I’d highly recommend his show to anyone and enjoyed his rendition of “Always On My Mind” quite a bit, but I don’t consider it a disservice to him that I love country music more than any other genre. I think hypothetical questions require a certain amount of assumptions and the assumption here is that country music is the best.

Some people will automatically disregard the music you listen to most often based solely on the label. I know your argument is against the validity of labels, but if someone wouldn’t listen to country based on the label, what song would you play for them?

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Baron, which one song in particular would you play, though?

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Leeann, I gotta give credit to Matt for the question, I just added a little context. Think about it and see what you come up with.

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hairandtoenails (maybe I should shorten that to HAT), excellent choice and good job on the explanation. “Good Ol’ Boys Like Me” is one of my favorite songs and I think Don Williams–dare I say it–is underrated.

I’d slap ‘em up with “Choices” by George Jones.

Well I have a friend who’s into artists like Ozzy Osbourne and Marilyn Manson, so i had a very hard time finding something he liked. In the end the only song that he says he really liked was Kathleen Edwards “Independant Theif”

“Margie’s At the Lincoln Park Inn”

In my very humble opinion it is one of the greatest country songs ever written. It was banned by a lot of radio stations when it first came out, not because the lyrics included offensive laguage, but because it painted such a amazingly graphic visual image of one of country’s seminal themes: cheating. To me country music always has been and always will be about a great lyric. Yes, melody, vocals, instrumentation and production are important, but only serve to enhance the lyric. “Sunday Morning Comin’ Down” and “Good Ol Boys Like Me” have great lyrics and imagery, too.

You know, I think I’m going to go listen to all three songs right now.

Make that Angel FLYING To Close To The Ground since I can’t type

Baron, you haven’t converted anyone; at most, one (Dale Watson) of the songs that you listed is a country song.

I’ve heard the duet between Yates and Jones, but never the original. As much as I like songwriters’ takes on their own songs it’d be hard to top the resigned acceptance that Jones’ vocals add.

Good choice with The Derailers, too. It’s hard to go wrong with them.

“Pancho and Lefty.” If anyone says that’s not a great song, they’re not worth knowing.

Dave S, good choice.

Brody, some of The Derailers stuff ain’t so good, but then again, some of their stuff is superb.

Chris N, another one of my favorites. Every single line seems to overflow with meaning and isn’t content with merely advancing the story.

“”Paul, I’d argue that you do indeed consider country music to be better. Considering the amount of time you spend listening to country, there seems to be something you find more appealing about it in general.”"

Brady, I don’t think that’s necessarily a valid assumption. My favorite singers are Webb Pierce and Ernest Tubb, but I would argue that Merle Haggard is the greatest all around artist the genre has ever seen, followed by Hank Williams and Johnny Cash

I don’t have one choice of songs - if somebody really forcefully says they don’t care for country music , I’d probably play “El Paso” by Marty Robbins” which until about 1990 was usually regarded as the greatest country song ever by fan polls and critic polls alike. Next in line would probably be “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry” by Hank Williams (although the BJ Thomas recording is excellent) for its imagery. After that “The Old Man and His Horn” by Gene Watson. Beyond that there are many worthy choices although fairly few from after 1986 that I’d consider

My listening goes in cycles - there can go months in which most of my listening is jazz and I revisit Basie, Goodman and Ellington with great frequency. My big three favorite female singers are Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and COnnie Smith. Draw from that whatever conclusion you wish

Y’know, I think that I could throw on any of Billy Yates’ records. Then I could throw in a bit of Garth, Cash, Merle, etc. The idea would be to show them there’s more than “I lost my dog, my wife and kids left me and I lost my job” type of songs. I think that the idea would be to show these peaple the RANGE of country rather than just one song. Still, “Choices” is a damn good choice, as is “Flowers” by Billy Yates. Also agree that “El Paso” would make for a good choice.

“Indian Outlaw” and “Stays In Mexico” also do the trick. The instrumentals are catchy.

if i had to convert somebody i wouldnt showem anything other than the legends hank, waylon, merle and george cause todays country is really starting to be gay rascal flatts are just about gay as they come sugarland if i hear her one more time im gonna go on a baby punching spree little big town the boondocks makes me want to push them off a dock im just saying i love country i was raised up on it but i can see why some people dont like it cause most of them are stupid there are some good ones that are newer like jamey johnson, brad paisley, brooks and dunn, and of course mcgraw and strait and even thow shes hot if i hear taylor swift again ill put a 12 gauge slug into somebodys radio

Bread & Water - Ryan Bingham

It’s been my goto over the past 6 months and actually even converted a indie punkrock British friend of mine.

Matt, I think your wrong. If you give people that don’t like country music something that sounds like typical country music you’ve not convinced them. They’ll say “Yep, don’t like that.”

But if they hear country influences in music that they DO like…well I look at it as a gateway drug.

When I first started dating my husband, he was pure heavy metal - Pantera, and the likes - and now while he is not a true country fan, he likes Trent Tomlinson, and Taylor Swift (hey, if he likes it, I will go with it) and Allison Krauss and he can even pick out singers on the radio — sometimes it drives me crazy because he only likes the women because they are good looking, but at least he is listening and not complaining about the music that I listen to. But I am not sure that I could pick one song, as others have said it would have to depend on the person I was trying to get to listen.

A really easy way is to get them buddy-buddy with a country singer, then as they’re pretending they like country because their new found friend is a country singer, they start getting hooked. Haha, I’ve done that my share of times.

I agree, go with rock-influenced songs. Easier to convert people.

I’ve heard it said that there’s two types of people: those who admit they like Country music; and those who don’t admit it.

Just whip out something like “Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound” and dare those “non-Country” fans not to tap a foot or mouth the words.

“Back When” - Tim McGraw

“The More I Drink” - Blake Shelton

“It Ain’t Easy Being Me” - Blake Shelton

“We Tell Ourselves” - Clint Black

“Findin’ A Good Man” - Danielle Peck

“Friends in Low Places” - Garth Brooks

“Give It Away” - George Strait

“Lonesome, On’ry and Mean” - Waylon Jennings (from Waylon Live)

Depends on the convert. Rock and southern rock fans get Van Zant, pop fans get Taylor Swift, rap fans, well, they don’t get my time unless they are listening to Ice-t or Ice Cube.

I agree with Don Williams being a good example for fans of soft rock or adult contemporary. My wife likes Don Williams and he is completely underrated.

Usually though, when someone tells me they listen to everything but country, a little conversation reveals theat they haven’t listened to any.