125 upvotes, 5 direct replies (showing 5)
View submission: Why are there no current political hits?
There's actually a bunch of political country music that's "mainstream"
Jason Isbell has a bunch of political songs. They tend not to be his most successful stuff, but he's a mainstream artist and they get a ton of plays.
Oliver Anthony had the rich men north of richmond that was like a #1 song for a while
you also have hsit like jason aldean and "try that in a small town"
and a bunch of other propaganda songs... but propaganda is politics too!
Comment by Stuffthatpig at 01/02/2025 at 16:29 UTC
51 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Shit is an accurate statement for Jason Aldean but even my liberal heart puffs up when I hear rural America referenced. Then I listen to the lyrics and get angry.
Comment by Laser_Fish at 01/02/2025 at 17:05 UTC
7 upvotes, 0 direct replies
Yeah Isbell's political stuff makes the political personal. Cast Iron Skillet, King Of Oklahoma, even going back to Flying Over Water, to an extent. It's also a bunch of subtle lines here and there. Like in Different Days when he sings "Even if you did, what you gonna run away to?/ Another drunk daddy with a white man's point of view." You can tell he has a particular mindset even if he's not always singing about it.
Comment by toddymac1 at 01/02/2025 at 18:22 UTC
9 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Jason Isbell has often praised James McMurtry as a songwriter he aspires to be. McMurtry had a song during the Bush years called "We can't make it here" that is a biting commentary of that era and is still relevant today. Even his latest album includes lines such as "Fox News Fiction" and "How you gonna build a wall with no Mexicans anyway?" Austin Texas americana songwriting at its finest!
Comment by GSilky at 01/02/2025 at 16:35 UTC
0 upvotes, 1 direct replies
If course, but were they bonafide hits, or elevated in our awareness because of the controversy? I don't argue that Aldean is mainstream, but there is, IMHO, a difference in play, for the sake of the discussion.
Comment by kittysrule18 at 02/02/2025 at 02:14 UTC
0 upvotes, 1 direct replies
Isbell isn't mainstream... I had never heard of him lol. Dude has 760k monthly listeners