Rednecks & Bluenecks: The Politics of Country Music
By Chris Willman
The New Press, 256 pp., $25.95
Since 9/11, the most politically charged genre in American music has been country. While most major rock, pop, and hip-hop artists chose to stay outside the fray, country-produced singles like “Where Were You (When the World Stopped Turning),” “Courtesy of the Red, White, & Blue (The Angry American),” “Travelin’ Soldier,” “Have You Forgotten?,” and “Bumper of My SUV.” Though mainstream country listeners remain by and large the loyal red-state citizens who voted values over pocketbooks in the last election, things are much more complicated within the genre itself. Political content is welcome in country, contends Willman, because listeners see artists as friends and neighbors, and are less apt to feel like they’re being lectured; moreover, patriotism and support for the military have been cornerstones of the genre since before Vietnam. Then again, several of Nashville’s top GOP boosters, like Sara Evans, keep their songs politics-free. They may not be afraid of a Dixie Chicks-style backlash, but they realize their fans may not always (or ever) appreciate their political advice. If Clint Black’s “Iraq and Roll” and Steve Earle’s “The Revolution Starts Now” don’t quite cancel each other out, Rednecks & Bluenecks at least explains how each can exist within country’s big tent – on far, far opposite sides.
This article appears in October 7 • 2005.