God is Good, Beer is Great, People are Crazy

I love country music. Ever since I was little, I was convinced that I was born in the wrong part of the country and should have been raised a blond, cow girl. That I should have exchanged Massachusetts small suburbs for the wide open acreage in Texas. Since then, I have revised my dreams and revisited the notion that I hate nature and large farm animals.

But a little part of me still holds onto that Southern Belle by listening to 102.5, the country station. Initially I loved country music because I got to imagine the cowboy boot wearing, accent possessing cow girls of my young years. But as I listened to more and more music, I found that there is another reason to love a genre from the southern part of the country.

Country songs tell a story. They start at point A, most of the time a couple and/or two people who are meant to be together and come to a close at point B, the conclusion of the relationship between the afore said. As in most musical numbers, the verses tell the story. But in country, the chorus also tells the story and shows the change that has occurred. It's very simple most of the time and tends to be very subtle but it makes all the difference because it shows that even the foundation of the song is changing with the story.

Lemme explain this through an example: your name. The way a person says your name, a constant in your life, shows how that person is feeling and can show a change in a relationship. At one point a boyfriend might coo your name in a loving manner and then three months down the road post a messy break up, he might say your name in one short, emotionless breath.

Apparently this is just a plea for country music. And a plea for a story to be told, in its entirety, even with all subtleties included.