When The Hunter Becomes The Hunted
What happens when you succeed beyond your wildest dreams?
The relationship between tradition and innovation has long defined the divergent paths of country and pop music in American culture. While pop music continually reinvents itself through technological advancement and shifting trends, country music has historically aimed at maintained its core identity while selectively adopting elements from the mainstream. This delicate balance between preservation and adaptation has served country music well throughout its history—but recent years have begun to challenge this established dynamic in ways that could fundamentally reshape the genre.
Contrastingly, the history of pop music cannot be defined by consistent genre conventions. Pop music from 1953 bears little resemblance to what dominated the charts in 1983, 2003, or today in 2023. This constant reinvention isn't coincidental—it's fundamental to the genre's identity. The highest praise that can be lavished on a pop song is that it pushes the boundaries in an innovative way.
The reason for this, obviously, is the genre is not defined by any particular musical convention. It is defined by popularity. Because of this, the story of pop music is one that can be thought about in terms of technology more so than music. As time goes on, advances in recording and production technology continue to shape the sound.
One of the most critical transitions in the entire world of music was when Bing Crosby utilized the microphone as an instrument instead of merely as a recording tool. Prior to Crosby, singers such as Al Jolson of "The Jazz Singer" fame projected their voices. They were opera trained, and even if they shifted towards jazz music, that classical training of projection was always with them and remained even inside their recordings. But as Crosby discovered, by leaning in close to the mic and using the recording technology to bring out the inherent intimacy and warmth in a more muted soft vocal, an astonishingly visceral connection could be created with audiences in a way that the old projected style was just incapable of delivering.
This technological evolution continued through the decades. Much of the Beatles' most popular music would not have been possible without the multi track recording technologies available to them. Phil Spector's wall of sound techniques, again, were a product of innovative recording techniques.
The advent of the synthesizer quickly defined the music of the late 1970s and early 1980s. Electronic music came to the forefront in the dance and club crazes starting in Europe in the 1990s and traveled over to the States. The story of hip-hop in the 2010s cannot be told without Auto-Tune. The pattern of technology driving trends and consumption patterns is one that holds true time and time again when looking to the top of the Hot 100. People always seek that new competitive edge, something fresh, something new, and that trend continues forward.
But that is the story of pop music, not necessarily the story of country music. In country music, technology moves significantly slower, trends shift very differently, and it is fair to say that the story of country is not one defined by technology. But that is not to say technology does not play a role.
There have been periods of time certainly where country music was on the cutting edge. Some of the earliest electric guitar effects were pioneered by Grady Martin, a session guitarist who played on Marty Robbins' 1961 hit "Don't Worry." When a faulty preamplifier distorted his six-string bass solo, it created what became known as the "fuzzbox" sound—later commercialized as the iconic effect pedal that would shape rock music for decades to come.
But country, even in its most progressive genre iterations, never attained the obsession with technology that pop music did. And there's good reason for this. The genre is more conservative. I don't mean that in a political sense, but in a cultural sense. Familiarity is valued significantly more heavily than innovation. An emphasis on tradition puts forth a steady hand. These cultural differences manifest overtly in the assimilationist mentality when it comes to new technologies.
This cultural approach is evident even in current day country. Take the cultural touchpoint of frequent references to older artists, and not simply in the "when I was young we listened to Johnny Cash" way that Katy Perry might use to draw the picture of a youthful summer. Instead, even in a non-nostalgic way, it's an attempt to inform the present. Consider Waylon Jennings in 1972 singing that "Bob Wills is still the king." That was 20 to 30 years after Wills had reigned in the western swing scene, and yet Waylon felt it necessary to demonstrate that cultural connection to the past. This tradition continues today with artists like Scotty McCreery, whose 2021 hit "Damn Strait" directly incorporates George Strait song titles throughout its lyrics to frame his own heartbreak, deliberately connecting his contemporary emotions to country music's storied past.
This reverence for tradition partly stems from country music's geographic and cultural origins. With its roots in rural communities traditionally removed from urban cultural hubs, instead of defining the trends the way pop music aims to, trends will trickle down and country will choose to incorporate them or not. This is the aforementioned assimilationist approach towards technologies.
As is evident throughout the decades, even with a fervent traditionalist streak, country music is not Amish. Pop trends eventually do filter down into the country world. The sounds you hear on country radio are often maligned as out of date by pop listeners. For good reason. It’s usually true. Kenny Chesney’s biggest hits directly pull from either Jimmy Buffett or John Mellencamp’s classics. A 2019 Dan and Shay song reminds you of early 00s boy band material, every Nate Smith song sounds like Chad Kroeger rejected it for Nickelback in 2006. Those are pushing the boundaries of what we’d call country but the cultural blend of the country plus the dated pop is significant evidence for this slow trickling cultural lag theory.
One of my favorite examples of this is when going through album covers from the 1960s and 1970s. Through the late fifties and early sixties, album covers featured the band in suits and ties with relatively trim haircuts, as one would expect from a late 1950s early 1960s artist. Think Buddy Holly or The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan show. But by the middle of the decade, big hair and more casual attire was in, but country music records did not budge. Suave tuxedos or besuited men with trim haircuts was the only model allowed. It was only in the 1970s that big hair became "allowed" on country music covers because at that point, the fashion aspect had been thoroughly saturated into the culture. And then eventually, in an enjoyable ironic twist, even though country in the 60s stood as the antithesis to hippie culture, eventually Jimmy Buffett became considered "one of us." And of course Willie Nelson is iconic in all country circles, progressive or conservative.
This is the formula that country music has always maintained; its traditional core and then a dabbling with and ultimate incorporation of specifically proven popular aspects of the dominant culture. It makes for an interesting proposition when country music hits an apex of popularity, as it did in the 90s, and it seems to be embarking on now. When country hits the cutting edge of pop culture, what happens to it? When its default status quo nature of core plus proven popular aspect no longer works because it is forced to operate on the cutting edge, when Nashville no longer follows New York and Los Angeles, but instead Los Angeles and New York follow Nashville, where does that leave it?
There are many directions things can go. Morgan Wallen seems to be embracing the pop star but just based on Nashville approach that late stage Shania hinted at. His 2023 album "One Thing at a Time" blended songs featuring traditional country instrumentation with plenty of songs and significant elements of hip-hop production and pop melodies, resulting in unprecedented crossover success. Wallen's 36-track behemoth dominated streaming platforms and topped charts across multiple genres. That along with the formerly foreign reality of pop and hip hop acts reaching out to him to do collaborations acts as a vivid demonstration how the locus of influence has shifted— effectively reversing the traditional flow of influence. By sufficiently embracing pop, he effectively became a player in the pop world.
It’s not just Wallen and this isn’t merely about the technological shift, even though that is an important part of the story. Sure, today's most innovative country artists find ways to incorporate newer technologies. Kacey Musgraves' "Golden Hour" record utilized vocoder effects and electronic textures while maintaining undeniably country songwriting. Randy Travis pushed the boundaries with his AI enhanced work. Thomas Rhett’s “Beautiful As You" was as pop forward as a Five Seconds To Summer song. But far more significant than technological innovation per se is the reason behind that shift; country music’s unparalleled popularity has inserted it into a place of cultural cutting edge relevance.
This was not anticipated. But the one-two punch of Zach Bryan and Luke Combs dominating the charts in 2023 signaled a major shift in pop culture's relationship with country music. Neither of these artists did the pop embracing of Wallen. Bryan's native social media acumen powered him to unparalleled mainstream success, while Combs maintained a deeply traditional sound on his way to stadium-filling success. This model, more unapologetically country (well, at least organic. Bryan is more roots rock and Combs covered a folk rock classic. Both of those firmly qualify as country in today's landscape however) This success paved the way for Shaboozey's 2024 record breaking number one hit, "A Bar Song (Tipsy)", which opted for a folk pop fusion approach, splitting the difference between Wallen pop and Bryan/Combs country. It placed rustic acoustic sounds within pop structures to create a crossover hit that sent shockwaves through both genres.
Now, we see the reversal of the traditional flow of influence. In the last year or two, pop artists have begun incorporating more organic, country-influenced elements into their own productions. Now, even Sabrina Carpenter feels the need to have a country-ish song featured on her next record.
So we leave off with a question going into 2025. When the old model has succeeded beyond its wildest belief, what will be next? When country artists are no longer following trends but setting them, how will they navigate? How will Nashville's industry infrastructure—built on carefully selecting which outside influences to incorporate—adapt if in fact, it becomes a cultural epicenter? Will the technology change? Will the culture change? Will things speed up? Slow down? It's difficult to know, but the answer will likely determine country music's trajectory for decades to come. Something very intriguing to watch, certainly.
Thank you for reading!
Two quick announcements as we approach month's end.
First, our letters to the editor deadline is fast approaching. I highly encourage everyone to please send in your questions by the first week of March. DM, leave a comment or reply, or email at today I heard blog at gmail dot come
Second, you may have noticed that this year thus far has featured fewer reviews and more industry musings. These ideas have been swirling in my head, and putting them on paper has helped crystallize my thoughts. Rest assured, as the year progresses and noteworthy releases pile up, review content will gradually return.
As mentioned earlier this month, reviews will cover both new and classic music. I've listened to roughly 10 new albums so far this year—a slower pace than late last year, though January and February typically offer fewer releases. Meanwhile, I've begun exploring music from the 1960s, going year by year and selecting albums I haven't yet heard but consider worthwhile. I started with 1963, coinciding with the launch of Billboard's album charts.
If you have suggestions for this 1960s exploration—or perhaps recommendations for a potential 1950s retrospective—please send them my way. And don't forget those letters to the editor by early March!
Thank you for reading.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​
-Joe
Photo credit: adobe stock
I read a review recently of a certain controversial country album that called it "innovative." And I thought, "innovative country is a total oxymoron."