Well, Things Have Changed
In which Joe rambles on about Spotify playlists and forgotten 90s country ballads
As a matter of course, fiery arguments reign supreme among music fans about the best decade in music history. With rare exceptions, the argument tends to revolve around decades far in the past. There are numerous reasons why this is the case. Opinions range from decently compelling (the decline of record industry providing less investment opportunity for younger artists) to patently ridiculous (“well back in my day, before those computers ruined everything…”)
Ironically, the time periods most frequently espoused correlate quite nicely with the decade that most firmly overlapped with the teenaged years of the blustering keyboard warrior. Scientific studies over the years show that the soundtrack to those formational years of youth cause biochemical impacts that render far more emotional impact relative to the music of other life periods. To avoid this obviously biased and personal line of reasoning, people often strive to find “objective” metrics to grade music. The surprising and unforeseen conclusion inevitably coincides with the popular music trends during those nostalgic years of yore.
A common trope suggested as a means of solving this little bit of cognitive dissonance is the authenticity and proper creativity discussion. The argument as typically formulated accuses the disdained musical piece of the crime of inauthenticity and its existence as a mere formulation of the system and a mockery of the creative artistic process. As the argument continues, it transitions into a spirited defense of the author’s personal favorite tune and its perceived deep authenticity and fidelity to the esteemed artistic process.
The unfortunate truth is that the monetary incentives that drive the industry producing the music that we fans connect to so deeply have always had a disconnect with the more artistic endeavors that we snootily proclaim to be our deepest priority regarding the pretty noises we plug into our eardrums. This has always been the case. Trend chasing is the historical norm, not the exception. The music the purveyor of pretentious purity tests claim as the sine qua non of musical achievement was also influenced by the trends of the time. It frequently suffers the same flaws as the disdained music. The sole difference is that the popular trends of those sepia-toned years neurologically carve lines into the brain and trigger higher endorphin levels than the trends of other times.
This is not to take away from the objective components in music. Talent undeniably exists and some songs display far more talent than others. However, the correlation between the talent displayed in the song and the enjoyment derived from the song is typically minimal and far more ethereal factors weigh supreme.
All this leads to Neal McCoy. No, actually.
Let me paint a picture. A plaintive voice croons mournfully about the memories of a bygone lover. A soft midtempo ballad bolstered by supple licks of steel guitar gently probes at the tendrils of the heart. The makings of a potentially iconic violin lick attack beautifully as an intro into the emotionally laden melody. I look down at my phone. What is this song and precisely who is Neal McCoy?
Coming off the success of his 1994 album, Neal McCoy was already past his commercial peak. He was one of the many young “Hat acts” to emerge in the early 1990s scene. Experiencing mild chart success throughout the decade, 1994 was a high point for him as he charted 2 number-one singles on the country charts. As the decade waned and a new style of smoother pop-oriented acts started climbing the charts, McCoy’s career waned as well and by the dawn of the 2000s, he was no more than a legacy act.
The song that captivated my ears was entitled Going Going Gone. Originally cut by Bryan White on his self-titled debut, McCoy covered it the following year on his 1995 album. It was a moderate success, achieving decent airplay at the time as high as 35 on the charts.
The way the songs of yesteryear maintain relevance throughout the years is multifaceted. In the annals of human history before the turn of the 20th century, the only way for songs to avoid being relegated to the dustbins of history was for the songs to be played live and transmitted to the next generation. The modern equivalent of transmission is radio play on “classic” or “oldies” themed radio stations. The vast remainder melts away and are irrelevant to the modern musical experience. In some ways, nothing has changed. The medium of recorded music allowed for a greater number of songs to continually exist in the public conscience, but the concept remained the same. Continued play, live or via recordings is a necessity. In this reality, essentially two distinct types of popular music reigned supreme. Current trends aimed at young impressionable consumers and the hits of the generation previous. This existed across all genres.
Disruption came in the form of digital technologies. Streaming services allowed tens of millions of previously irrelevant songs that had been collecting dust in the back of music stores to re-enter the public sphere. No longer are the young impressionable youthful audiences exposed primarily to the current pop charts. With the entirety of decades worth of music available at one’s fingertips, a person could dive headlong into any era of music and learn and discover those as they were initially crafted. Find an artist you like? Start at the debut album and listen to every following release as well seemingly boundless amounts of concert video and live recordings. In no other decade did those consumers undergoing those youthful high impact years that largely dictate taste have the ability to personally craft their taste without being beholden to the popular fashions du jour.
The manner in which I came to find this wonderful semi-deep cut from McCoy, who other than the occasional political kerfuffle has disappeared fully from the Country music narrative, was found in a typical 21st-century manner. Themed playlists. Someone had compiled a list of songs that hadn’t achieved the proper level of success to be deemed worthy of a slot on the all-important nostalgia-driven oldies playlists and helpfully entitled it Forgotten Country songs. In the mood to expand my horizons that afternoon, I chanced upon the playlist whilst perusing Spotify. I am glad I did because it would’ve been a shame for such a wonderful song to disappear into the ether. My musical taste was forever altered in a way that would not have been possible if I were merely a few years older.
It is a strange new world, especially for the music business, but it certainly has upside. Perhaps the next generation of keyboard warriors will have less predictable taste. Who knows? I am certainly looking forward.
-Joe
PS: I know it has been a bit of a while but I wish to make this a bit of a consistent blog. These days summer break makes it easier but hopefully I can get in a groove and continue throughout the school year.