There's Moore Under The Surface
In which Joe either analyzes or invents deep meaning in a number one radio hit.
There is something about a depressed (usually white) dude slowly strumming a guitar whilst ripping open his soul that appeals to the critic. Think of 2000’s indie rock which critically superseded the much more popular pop-punk of the time. Now this post is not intended to somehow redeem pop-punk. There’s plenty of overdramatic YouTube videos doing that and my own opinions probably align more with the critics. The key idea to glean from this comparison is simply the obsession with the slow moody singer-songwriter sound that many music fans and critics have. Furthermore, the obsession doesn’t manifest merely as personal taste. Rather it attains this magical status of “Real Music” to the exclusion of other sorts of rhythmic pretty sounds. This is a not uncommon perspective. None other then George Jones aligned with this. He was not a fan of upbeat music. He significantly preferred to record slower paced songs riddled with dark angst and forlorn tales of love lost. In his view, the fast paced party songs were needed sacrifices to the almighty alter of radio which granted him the allowance to record “Real Music”.
This conception has validity. Often high energy party songs are simply shallow imbecilic escapism. A quick perusal of top 40 charts in any popular genre will confirm that the empty sonic calories of escapism sell. Philosophizing critics pontificate on how the commercialization of escapism reflects on a lackadaisical generation with a pessimistic eye towards the future. With the depressing future prospects of the post-modern age, they solemnly proclaim, it is no wonder the millennial generation aims to escape to a world of artificial stimulants. Video games, marijuana, etc. anything to fill the gaping hole in the modern soul. Of course, the fatal flaw with this take is that escapism is by no means a new art form. Mind altering substances have artificially shaped the human experience since time immemorial. Escapism is part of the deeply human feeling for something more and different. How many of the great individuals of history wished to escape from the circumstances of youth and create for themselves a new future? Even if at times the pop culture driven escapism of music and film act as the modern opiate of the masses, the core idea behind wishing for a better situation is not a new conception in the slightest and has roots in the most normal of human activities.
Despite that, it is accurate to describe most escapist themed music as formulaic drivel. It really doesn’t take much to craft a basic fantasy for specific demographics. Cold beer for some and Hennessy for others. Cadillacs for some and sturdy American-made pickup trucks for others. Tomato tomahto.
There are a few ways to properly elevate a song like this. Some merely create a vibe without telling a story. Sometimes this can lead to well crafted imagery despite the lack of narrative. Usually it ends up being radio targeted fluff. Other attempts, in the parlance, own it. Think of the most excessively hedonistic of hip hop anthems or the extreme hyper-masculine fantasies of bro country. The perceived authenticity of going all in on ridiculousness helps sell the narrative. Billy Currington’s utterly bizarre redneck love story Good Directions is a great example of this.
The other way is to have a realistic take within the narrative being contrived. This route asks questions about the protagonist. Is the partying merely a fun way to enjoy spring break? Or is something in the soul aching that needs loud distraction? Why is the subject in this situation? What does it tell us about his life and the world more broadly?
The 2019 Justin Moore song Why We Drink immediately comes to mind as a picture perfect properly formed party anthem. It has a rollicking, neotraditional honky tonk rhythm bolstered with muscular guitar riffs. Moore’s signature Arkansas twang pierces through the mix and his powerful tone enthusiastically celebrates the alcohol soaked culture of the modern country experience. It is no surprise that it shot up the charts all the way to number one on Country Aircheck. Modern country music has an unhealthy but fascinating relationship with alcohol.
At first, the song seems no more different then any other fast paced alcohol glorifying radio hit of the late 2010s. Granted, there’s 1990s influence in the more traditional rhythms instead of the commonplace RnB patterns but otherwise it fits excellently. Take the first verse and its cookie cutter bland writing.
“Cause its Friday/ Cause its Monday/ Cause it’s a charcoal-burnin Sunday/ Cause we ain’t gonna get to some day/ that’s why we drink”
Innocuous but vacuous. If this turned on the radio, the discerning listener probably perked up at the introductory guitar licks. After the first few lyrical bars, the dial was probably already flipped in search of a better dopamine hit. The song continues however, and small lyrical nuggets point to the underlying themes of the song. Take this.
“Cause my wound up needs a little unwound/ Cause we've been workin' all day but we're done now”
Occurring midway through the second verse, this starts to touch on deeper ideas of dependency on alcohol. Embraced in a culture of hard work and long hours, it is often difficult for people to naturally unwind. Alcohol is frequently used as a tool to those who can’t naturally unwind. For many, a nightcap is the only way for the body to fall asleep. This lyric directly addresses the common usage of alcohol to ease the body into unwinding after a long hard day at work.
Now within the chorus, spliced between lines about purposeless alcohol consumption comes a powerful admission.
“Cause we're a little messed up, but it's cheaper than a dang old shrink”
This one hits hard. Poverty and addiction are old friends. For many of the less affluent, drowning out sorrows and emotional difficulties in alcohol is the cheapest solution. Country music has a long history of reckoning with the intersection of tears and beers. This is homage to that for sure, but it also poignantly describes the unfortunate nature of basic day to day reality for many of our brothers and sisters.
“Cause we're grown up/ 'Cause we're still kids”
It is here that themes of the inherent absurdities of humanity vis alcohol become openly revealed. Granted the id doesn’t need much in the way of rationalization to deal with contradiction. A little cognitive dissonance goes a long way. The recognition of the two-faced rationalizations the protagonist crafts to excuse his alcohol abuse, somehow both “Well you see being an adult is tough” and “What’s the big deal? I’m just a young guy blowing a little steam”, that coexist within the same mind could easily be a pivotal moment, but end up getting relegated to just another in a laundry list of weak excuses papering over the tragic reality of addiction.
What initially seems a shallow drinking anthem ends up a telling conversation. Confronted with a questioning of his relationship to alcohol, the protagonist tries every possible answer to pass over the obvious but too scary to confront answer to the question. Dipping deep into his reserve of excuses, he even goes as far to blame it on the existence of other people- in this case the troops in the US military. Mere scraps of the conversation reveal the genuine issues bubbling beneath the surface. The clear picture revealed behind the happy go lucky melody is a sad sketch of a man who is broken but desperately clinging to illusions of normalcy. Despite the quick tempo, I daresay even George Jones would be proud with this subtle portrayal of human nature.
Well at least it would be if it was intentional. In a Spotify commentary (the streaming era version of what us old cd buyers mourn the most, liner notes) Justin Moore recounts a story that inspired the song. He was drinking a beer by lunchtime (maybe the beer swilling Nashville stereotype is actually true?) and his parents asked him “Justin, why do you drink?”This song was the result. Moore recounts the writing session as being a goofy, fun filled atmosphere where him and the co-writers tossed around various excuses for drinking one might give and packaged it into a fun song. The stark depths I see within are not even hinted to. It begs the question, did the above essay just make up the meaning that I see so present? If I did, is it an invalid interpretation because it wasn't present in the writers room? Or maybe it remains valid. Sometimes other minds reveal truths that the creators didn't consciously input but nonetheless are genuinely there. These underlying and unspoken ideas can be a revelation into the subconscious of the creators. Or perhaps I'm making it all up as a fun thought exercise. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Joe
Postscript:
Happy New Years! It was about a year ago that I made the resolution to pick back up writing. I always enjoyed writing when I was younger, but rarely had the chance to do so in adulthood. Within a month or 2, things fizzled out. So is the case with most New Years resolutions. About 6 months ago, I was inspired to jump back into it. I decided on a once per month posting schedule. Over the year, some friends joined along for the ride and it’s been a blast doing it with them. Every view, and there aren’t many compared to a YouTube or podcast channel, adds more motivation to think deeply and create more content about music. I hope you’ve discovered songs you never heard and enjoyed the accompanying philosophical thoughts. Thanks for joining us at Today I Heard and have a wonderful 2022! Big things are coming and we are excited to share them with you.
To contact us for info or to suggest blog post ideas or potential collabs or really anything, you can either leave a comment or send an email to TodayIHeardBlog@gmail.com
For those following along our monthly artists listen, in January we are discovering music from Merle Haggard and Ronnie Millsap!
Week 1- Mama Tried
Week 2- Swinging Doors
Week 3- Night Time
Week 4- Lost in the 50s Tonight
View the spreadsheet link below for the specific albums and playlists.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1EgqwFPPKAhKO9rOfG2RezlWAiTglvSp85c2Xsj-T2M4