Red Solo Cup, and the Fall of Country Music

[cdubbaya]

Just heard this song on the radio, and every time I hear it it makes me even more mad.

Let me first say, I'm a huge fan of music, I've played in many bands over the years and write for music blogs sometimes. I love all genres and often listen to everything from classical to indie, hip hop, jazz, rock, etc.

That said, country music has gotten lazier and lazier, with worthless lyrics and untalented musicians. Country music, for decades has been great for summer beer drinking while relaxing on your favorite lake or river. Songs about women, fishing, or just having fun were what country music was about. These days it's all the same, and it almost seems like the culture of college kids getting drunk on cheap beer have driven this music to an all time low.

Red Solo Cup was the last straw for me. Maybe I'm getting older, or maybe my music tastes have changed, but country music has lost touch with me. Give me Alan Jackson on a hot summer day, but leave the red solo cup at home.

Cheers!

 

[Hammy71]

Most songs on the radio are lazily done. They are all predicatable, rather rock, rap or country. Probably why I listen to more recorded books than anything else when I'm driving. When I'm at home, the radio is just background noise. But back to the cup song. I kinda got the immpression that it is supposed to be a tacky song. I think it's the whole point.

 

[kcbrewmeister]

I completely agree, it's pretty pathetic.

 

[Bobby_M]

Yeah, it took until Red Solo Cup to realize crap is generated in every genre? There's been crap country since there has been country.

 

[mpenn35]

Country music died with Waylon Jennings and Chris LeDoux. George Strait, Brad Paisley, and a few others are ok but I can't stand most of the garbage they call country these days.

 

[Dixon]

Check out the Texas country scene....so much better.

Pat Green (gone a little mainstream but his old stuff is awesome)
Cory Morrow
Chris Knight
Randy Rogers
Mark David Manders
Reckless Kelly
Cross Canadian Ragweed
Jerry Jeff Walker
Eleven Hundred Springs
Robert Earl keen
Charlie robison

To name a few.... have many more...

 

[Dixon]

Best country station of all time. 95.3 the range out of Dallas. No Nashville crap. You can stream it online, check it out....

 

[Tex]

Best country station of all time. 95.3 the range out of Dallas. No Nashville crap. You can stream it online, check it out....

Word. Them and 95.9 the ranch out of Ft Worth are two stations that really focus on red dirt music. I saw Hayes Carll last night in a little honkey tonk west of town, he's a great artist. And you can't forget Ray Wiley Hubbard

 

[passedpawn]

Just heard this song on the radio, and every time I hear it it makes me even more mad.

Let me first say, I'm a huge fan of music, I've played in many bands over the years and write for music blogs sometimes. I love all genres and often listen to everything from classical to indie, hip hop, jazz, rock, etc.

That said, country music has gotten lazier and lazier, with worthless lyrics and untalented musicians. Country music, for decades has been great for summer beer drinking while relaxing on your favorite lake or river. Songs about women, fishing, or just having fun were what country music was about. These days it's all the same, and it almost seems like the culture of college kids getting drunk on cheap beer have driven this music to an all time low.

Red Solo Cup was the last straw for me. Maybe I'm getting older, or maybe my music tastes have changed, but country music has lost touch with me. Give me Alan Jackson on a hot summer day, but leave the red solo cup at home.

Cheers!

If you're listening to the radio, then you will always be disappointed. Try Pandora.

 

[weirdboy]

Red Solo Cup was the last straw? Not Achy Breaky Heart?

 

[DosGatosBrewing]

The Range is awesome. You can also tune in an Outlaw country station on Pandora, but the Range is better. Nashville is only a money machine.

 

[cdubbaya]

If you're listening to the radio, then you will always be disappointed. Try Pandora.

Unfortunately pandora is not available in the car.

Let me say I mostly listen to indie stations on the radio, just because of the variety. This particular instance just reminded me how far gone country music is.

 

[wildwest450]

I'll take it over autotune every day.

 

[arturo7]

That said, country music has gotten lazier and lazier, with worthless lyrics and untalented musicians.

Just about all contemporary music is like this, not just country.

 

[bb239605]

Unfortunately pandora is not available in the car.

Let me say I mostly listen to indie stations on the radio, just because of the variety. This particular instance just reminded me how far gone country music is.

Ahh but pandora is available in the car. That is depending on the car you have, or if you have a smart phone

 

[EllisTX]

I'm only 29 and I can barely remember country music falling into the depths. I think it may have died with Keith Whitley.

 

[EllisTX]

check out the texas country scene....so much better.

Pat green (gone a little mainstream but his old stuff is awesome)
cory morrow
chris knight
randy rogers
mark david manders
reckless kelly
cross canadian ragweed
jerry jeff walker
eleven hundred springs
robert earl keen
charlie robison

to name a few.... Have many more...

x2

 

[E-Mursed]

I'll take it over autotune every day.

There is a special place in Hell for the person who invented autotune.

 

[EllisTX]

There is a special place in Hell for the person who invented autotune.

Yeah, It's called pop/rap music.

 

[passedpawn]

Ahh but pandora is available in the car.

I just ran for an hour, a grassy path along a canal. I listened to pandora the whole time.

 

[slomo]

I don't know, maybe I am just not very cultured, but I like the song. A good song has to be catchy, or at least be something I can relate to. For me its the best of both worlds I can relate to the song and I also find it catchy. Sometimes I will sing the the Chorus to the hound, he just looks up at me, and goes huh. Maybe the hound has better taste in music then I do.

 

[KayaBrew]

Check out the Texas country scene....so much better.

Pat Green (gone a little mainstream but his old stuff is awesome)
Cory Morrow
Chris Knight
Randy Rogers
Mark David Manders
Reckless Kelly
Cross Canadian Ragweed
Jerry Jeff Walker
Eleven Hundred Springs
Robert Earl keen
Charlie robison

To name a few.... have many more...

How about Ryan Bingham? Not quite full-on country (more rock n roll), but either way, I'm a huge fan.

 

[cdubbaya]

Ahh but pandora is available in the car. That is depending on the car you have, or if you have a smart phone

Listen, I'm 28, have a smart phone and consider myself technologically inclined. I actually prefer grooveshark over pandora but that's beside the point. There are some great alternatives to radio.

What I'm saying is that country music in general has gone to an all time low. I'm a big fan of folk and what I call mountain indie. Bands like that have real passion and talent. Not saying they are the only ones with talent but I used to think many country artists were great musicians, but now it's rare.

 

[cdubbaya]

I'll take it over autotune every day.

A young band I really appreciate called Twenty One Pilots did a cover of Christina Perri's Jar of Hearts, that was completely autotuned. It was brilliant.

 

[rokipynes]

Sometimes I will sing the the Chorus to the hound, he just looks up at me, and goes huh. Maybe the hound has better taste in music then I do.

+ 1 for the hound:rockin:

 

[onthekeg]

I like the cup song. It wasn't meant to be a giant hit, sort of like Bare Naked Ladies If I Had a Million Dollars.

When you are big, you can have fun. Toby is a cool singer, he has good hits too. Don't write him off just for one song.

 

[NineMilBill]

+1 for onthekeg.

I'm a huge fan of Waylon, Coe, Merle, Billy Joe, you name it. But I kind of like Red Solo Cup. It's fun, and almost reminds me "alcohol logic" when you've had a few.

I remember Johnny Cash's Cocaine Blues having a similiar feel to it...

 

[maffewl]

Red Solo Cup is my friend. Lifelong.

 

[NineMilBill]

By the way, there will NEVER be a "fall of country music". Country music has went through many changes of the past century. Even from the Outlaw movement bringing the cowboys and hippies together, to the Rhinestone Cowboy era, the Urban Cowboy...you name it - country music has seen it and ALWAYS circles its way back to its roots. Don't sweat it, brother.

 

[Airplanedoc]

I agree Red Solo Cup is pretty pathetic, but its not this bad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=kfVsfOSbJY0

 

[kevokie]

I agree Red Solo Cup is pretty pathetic, but its not this bad.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=kfVsfOSbJY0

Dood....I just wasted three minutes and 48 seconds of my life hoping that song would get better. wtf.

 

[Dixon]

Word. Them and 95.9 the ranch out of Ft Worth are two stations that really focus on red dirt music. I saw Hayes Carll last night in a little honkey tonk west of town, he's a great artist. And you can't forget Ray Wiley Hubbard

I think ray Wiley Hubbard's album "growl" is amazing!

 

[KNOTSANE]

when the song was pitched to Toby Keith it was reported that he told CMT that it was "the stupidest song that I have ever heard in my life" but also "freakin' awesome."

 

[thepartsmancometh]

I gave up on most country a long time ago because of crap like this song. The thing that reeeeeally gets my goat is that EVERY single person I work with likes it.


And the WORST part is, they all seem to think its exceptionally clever!!!! Aaaarrrrgghhh! Banality!

Sayeth the rednecks:
" huh huh huh....he's talkin' 'bout beer..."

 

[Wolfhound180]

Check out the Texas country scene....so much better.

Pat Green (gone a little mainstream but his old stuff is awesome)
Cory Morrow
Chris Knight
Randy Rogers
Mark David Manders
Reckless Kelly
Cross Canadian Ragweed
Jerry Jeff Walker
Eleven Hundred Springs
Robert Earl keen
Charlie robison

To name a few.... have many more...

This is my favorite music. Don't forget Jason Boland!

 

[wildwest450]

So, you hipsters are so elitist, you have to bash a country song? Music like beer is totally subjective, if you don't like a style, leave it be. I don't listen to much of it personally, but that song is what it is, a fun party song.

Go wax your mustaches....

 

[cdubbaya]

So, you hipsters are so elitist, you have to bash a country song? Music like beer is totally subjective, if you don't like a style, leave it be. I don't listen to much of it personally, but that song is what it is, a fun party song.

Go wax your mustaches....

You've missed the point completely. The thread was never about bashing a song, it was a declaration about the state of country music in general.
You admittedly don't listen to much country, so why the need to come here and call out a conservation you care little about as elitism?

 

[wildwest450]

I completely agree, it's pretty pathetic.

I agree Red Solo Cup is pretty pathetic

I gave up on most country a long time ago because of crap like this song.

You've missed the point completely. The thread was never about bashing a song, it was a declaration about the state of country music in general.
You admittedly don't listen to much country, so why the need to come here and call out a conservation you care little about as elitism?

Yet you chose to single me out?

 

[cdubbaya]

Yet you chose to single me out?

I didn't single you out for your opinion on the song, I singled you out for calling the people conversing in this thread "hipster elitests". I just didn't see the reason for name calling on a thread you admittedly have little interest in.

 

[NineMilBill]

There's been a good sized faction of country music that has bashed everything that has came out of Nashville for the last 50+ years. Why are you guys acting like this concept is something new? Why are you associating Nashville country as the end-all be-all definition of country...proclaiming it to be dead?

I would never listen to Rascall Flatts and say "Holy S, the fall of country music". I would chalk it up as another Nashville produced idiocracy and throw my Waylon CD back in the deck.

Get real - and welcome to the struggle.