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Song: "Cruise (Remix)" feat. Nelly
Artist: Florida Georgia Line
Album: Here's To The Good Times ... This Is How We Roll (Deluxe)


When I first saw this week's theme posted, I knew I had to do a country song. I know country is an immensely popular music genre in large portions of the United States, but as a native Californian this genre just isn't in my DNA. Sure we'll have the occasional crossover artists like Taylor Swift of Shania Twain that manage to infuse just enough "pop" influence to trick us into listening to songs with country roots, but country music in California is, at least in major urban areas, a definite guilty pleasure. And Lord knows I not only own my fair share of country music, but also a good cross-section of embarrassing choices spanning several decades. I almost went with "Save A Horse (Ride A Cowboy)" by Big & Rich, but I opted for this one because it allows me to also talk about a very important issue (at least according to Wikipedia) for genre at large: the "bro-country" movement.

According to Wikipedia, "bro-country" is a subgenre of country music that "tak(es) influence from 21st-century hip hop, hard rock and electronic music. Many 'bro-country' songs are about attractive young women, the consumption of alcohol, partying, and pickup trucks." It goes on to say, "The popularity of [bro-country] opened up a wide divide between the older generation of country singers and the bro country singers which has been described as a 'civil war' by musicians, journalists, and critics."

First of all... let's not throw the term "civil war" around lightly, okay? Yes, it's absolutely true that songs like Luke Bryan's "Rain Is A Good Thing" ( hover for lyrics excerpt

Rain makes corn, corn makes whiskey Whiskey makes my baby, feel a little frisky Back roads are boggin' up, my buddies pile up in my truck We hunt our hunnies down, we take 'em into town Start washin' all our worries down the drain Rain is a good thing

) objectify women and fetishize drinking and trucks. And yes, more traditional artists like Alan Jackson, Travis Tritt1, and Kacey Musgraves have been outspoken about the culture these songs are creating. But can we all agree that a dispute over conflicting ideals is not necessarily a "civil war?" Let's try not to overuse that term and leave it for truly monumental struggles like the Union versus the Confederacy, the Roman Republic versus the Roman Empire... or Captain America versus Iron Man.

Second... while I don't exactly approve of the lifestyle depicted in these songs, I can still appreciate a catchy beat and/or lyrics. It's the same way I can watch rap music videos and enjoy the artistry involved in someone's ability to rhyme without buying into the lifestyle excess and oftentimes misogynistic treatment of women. Just like when I watch a movie or read a book, I don't have to go, "That's a representative example of the values I live my life by!" in order to appreciate the creative or technical accomplishments of the work.

Third... we all know I love mashups. Whether it's combining genres in a short story or mixing different musical styles into the same song, I love seeing people take two distinct art forms and finding a way to combine them and create something new and interesting. "Cruise (Remix)" hits all those points for me; it's got the catchy country twang, the rap verse with smooth, flowing rhymes... for someone like me who loves nothing more than a skillfully-executed mashup, this song really works well.

So while this song is definitely a guilty pleasure, it's pretty clear I'm not alone in enjoying it. The song is 9x certified platinum and made Billboard's year-end Hot Country Songs list two years in a row, even finishing at No. 9 on their overall year-end Hot 100 across all musical genres in 2013. All that said, yeah, I'd have to agree that singing about big trucks, drinking on a Friday night, and picking up girls to party with is probably not the most elevated or enduring musical movement. But it's fun to listen to while it's here!

Footnotes
1  In the interest of full disclosure, Travis Tritt did record and release a song called "Girls Gone Wild" which is a not-exactly-flattering-or-respectful depiction of women and partying, so maybe it's subjective?