The Farr Side: Country music identity has come a long way

The country music genre today is not the same as it was for your parents' generation because your parents' country music was not the same as their parents' country music.

Like all forms of music, it has evolved over time. But, has the genre found itself in the midst of an identity crisis? I’m inclined to believe so.

Singer Morgan Wallen has controlled the Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 spot for 16 non-consecutive weeks with “Last Night.” That’s an amazing feat for any song to do, but for a country artist, it’s a first. Of course, that excludes collaborative efforts like “Old Town Road” from Lil Nas X which featured Billy Ray Cyrus. “Old Town Road” held the top spot for 18 weeks.

Wallen faced some serious implications for a racial slur a couple of years back, but he toed the line afterward and made appropriate apologies. He was all but canceled, but his fans kept him afloat and reassured him they would be there for the singer. It was a learning experience for everyone, especially for a rising star with a huge career possibly ahead of him.

Wallen’s crossover success is evident, but there was a time not so long ago that country didn’t embrace its artists who steered away from the genre. Taylor Swift was one of those artists. Country music didn’t agree with her pop flavor when she chose to move in a new direction. But, her popularity grew to massive global appeal regardless.

In many ways, she helped the genre to broaden its presence both here in America and around the world. Now we see artists like Tim McGraw and Faith Hill claiming they knew she was going to be big.

I love watching the music charts. This summer we’ve seen some firsts on the Hot 100 for country music. Aside from Wallen, singer Luke Combs has a smash with “Fast Car.," a cover of Tracy Chapman’s 1988 Grammy award-winning hit song. Combs has managed to take the song to No. 2 on the Hot 100 so far. I do feel he has achance to take it all the way. His song also is making history, but in another way and I think it's very cool.

Combs’ “Fast Car” has already been to No. 1 on the country singles charts, which makes it the first time ever that a song written by a Black woman has ever topped the chart. I love that he didn’t change up the lyrics to speak from a male’s perspective, too. He still sings the song in the female sense as best described in the lyric, “… I’ll find work as a check-out girl.” This keeps Chapman’s song "hers" and no other writing credits need to be added. Kudos to Luke!

For one week, we saw one other bit of history as Jason Aldean’s “Try That In A Small Town” debuted at No. 1. The song saw a surge as its controversial message rocked social media and news outlets after the video was pulled from CMT. I get the message in the song, but some of the images used in the video were in poor taste. I’ll just leave it at that.

When Aldean hit No. 1, Morgan’s “Last Night” fell to No. 2 and Comb’s “Fast Car” was at No. 3. For history buffs, like me, it marked the first time in chart history that three country songs monopolized the top of the charts. This is only me talking, but none of these songs sound country. Wallen has some remixed versions of his hit on all radio formats, giving him an edge. Combs’ song just sounds amazing regardless. And, Aldean’s hit — well, it made history again as being the biggest dropper from No. 1 ever as the song fell 20 spots the following week. I’m not so sure that’s anything to be proud of.

However, that girl who used to be country is back up at No. 3 this week with “Cruel Summer.” Swift’s current big hit is a song from four albums ago. “Cruel Summer” was on the singer’s 2019 album, “Lover.”

Be on the lookout soon for another country track to cause a big stir as Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton release their duet of “Love Is Alive,” a cover of The Judds' 1984 hit.

— David T. Farr is a Journal correspondent. Email him at farrboy@hotmail.com.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: The Farr Side: Country music identity has come a long way