美国社会文化生活的反射镜-乡村音乐

1. IntroductionIf one tries to figure out the current icon and the leader of American music , one of the answers will definitely be Taylor Swift. Taylor, an adorable and beautiful girl, is the most popular country music singer in America. Country music s a native born and bred American music, used to be the favorite of ordinary, working-class Americans. On account of its fresh and genuine content, harmonic and restful tune, unique regional and patriotic complex, it became an immediate attraction for the public, succeeded in entering the mainstream of the American society, and has got established as a US national musical style. However, traditionally country music is mainly confined to the area as musicology. Actually music can be investigated to reflect peo ple’s social and cultural life greatly. This paper aims at looking into American social cultural life by studying country music. Specifically speaking, the thesis will mainly focus on economy, politics, and culture of American social cultural life by analyzing the lyrics and the motifs of American country music. It is of great significance to know the origin and the development of country music in the process of studying. The organization of this paper will mainly be three parts:Firstly, it will embody the origin and the development of country music.Secondly, it will concentrate on American economy, politics, and culture through the motifs and lyrics expressed in country music. Instances will be illustrated to further prove that American country music can indeed be a component to reflect American social cultural life.Lastly, It will be the summary of the whole paper and the implications of the paper.2. BackgroundGrasping the background information is indispensable for us to go deeper into the essence of everything. Therefore, the origin of country music and the development of country music should be included in the background part.2.1 Origin of country musicIt is well-known that popular culture has extremely close association with people’s daily life. Among its various forms, music has permeated into every part of society, occupying a lot in people’s spiritual and cultural life. One of the most popular forms in the United States is country music, which originated from the southern USA in the 1920s when folk song took its step further. It is a blend of traditional and popular musical form. The term country music gained popularity in the 1940s when the earlier term hillbilly music came to be seen as denigrating. Country music was widely embraced in the 1970s .It is of great indispensability to look back upon the early history of country music. Immigrants to the Maritimes Provinces and Southern Appalachian Mountains of North America brought the original form of country music and instruments of the Old World along with them for nearly 300 years. They brought some of their most important valuables with them, and to most of them this was an instrument: Early Scottish settlers enjoyed the fiddle ，the German derived dulcimer, the Italian mandolin; the Spanish guitar and the west African banjo were the most common musical instruments .The interactions among musicians from different ethnic groups produced music unique to this region of North American .Appalachian string bands of the early 20th century primarily consisted of the fiddle, guitar, and banjo. This early country music along with early recorded country music is often referred to as old-time music.According to Bill Malone (1968) in Country Music USA, country music was introduced to the world as a southern phenomenon (Malone, 1968, p. 1 ). In the south, folk music was a combination of cultural strains, combining musical traditions of a variety of ethnic groups in the region. For example, some instrumental pieces from Anglo-British and Irish immigrants were the basis of folk songs and ballads that form what is now known as old time music, from which country music descended. It is commonly thought that British and Irish folk music influenced the development of old time music. British and Irish arrivals to the southern US included the development of old time music. British and Irish arrivals to the southern USA included immigrants from Scotland, Wales, Ireland, and England. The banjo, a major instrument in mostearly American folk songs—came from African Americans. One of the reasons country music was created by African-Americans, as well as European-Americans, is because blacks and whites in rural communities in the south often worked and played together, just as recollected by DeFord Bailey in the PBS documentary, DeFord Bailey: A Legend Lost.2.2 Development of country music2.2.1 Country music in the 1920sAmerican country music went commercial since it traveled out of the southern States in the 1920s, when radio stations picked it up and began to broadcast such recordings to wider areas and the first records were distributed. Radio WSM in Nashville, Tennessee, launched a regular Saturday night country show, the Grand Ole Opry, and this became a springboard for future country stars as well as anticipating Nashville’s development as a centre of US pop. Now, country music has developed into a major force in the record industry, it is given the respect and attention long lavished upon Jazz, Blues and Rock, and it became established as a US national musical style. Country music the traditional hillbilly music, originated from the folk music in the rural south. English ballads and Irish reels in particular had a major early influence. It first appealed mainly to people in the rural southeast, and its audience expanded quickly with the spread of small-town radio stations during the 1920s. Important early country music artists included the Carter Family, a trio from rural Virginia, and the blues-oriented singer and songwriter Jimmie Rodgers, from Mississippi. Many credits were given to them as the creators of commercial country music.2.1.2 Country Music in the 1930sDuring that period, motion pictures about cowboys and the American West popularized the style known as western music. It grew out of a 19th-century tradition of cowboy songs and string bands that was particularly strong in Texas and Oklahoma. This subcategory was influenced by the folk-country music of Tennessee and other southeastern states, the jazz and blues music of Louisiana, and big-band dance music.It frequently features improvisation and a broad range of instruments, including wind instruments.2.1.3 Honky-tonk and Bluegrass in the 1940sHonky-tonk is the first truly urban form of country music, originated in the roadside bars of Texas and Oklahoma. It combined the often-sad ballads of folk music and older forms of country music with driving, up-tempo rhythms and the improvisational freedom of jazz music. Drums and steel and electric guitars were prominent. The new style developed as a result of several factors, including the urbanization of the rural south, the introduction of electric guitars, and a more relaxed public attitude toward drinking following the repeal of prohibition in1933.Bluegrass music developed in rural Kentucky, sharply different from honky-tonk in musical concepts. It represented, primarily through its instrumentation, a return to the prerecording days of folk music. Characterized by the acoustic string-band sound of the southeast, the bluegrass style usually features a banjo, fiddle, and mandolin in lead parts while a guitar and string bass provide accompaniment. Bluegrass vocals are often harmonized and emphasize a high-pitched tenor voice. Instrumental solos and improvisations may be featured between stanzas in a bluegrass song.2.1.4 The Nashville Sound during the 1950s and 1960sDuring that period, Nashville, Tennessee, became the recognized center for the production of country music, and the Country Music Association (CMA) was chartered in Nashville in 1958.Executives and music producers Owen Bradley and Chet Atkins created the Nashville sound, an attempt to attract a broader audience by combining elements of pop, rock, and country music. Although it featured country songs performed by country stars, the Nashville sound was produced with the technology and sophistication of popular music of the period. For example, full orchestral string sections often replaced traditional guitar, mandolin, and fiddle ensembles to create a lush accompaniment. The use of synthesizers, overdubbing, reverb effects, and other studio techniques h the mid-1970s in reaction against theNashville sound and the record companies that had streamlined and institutionalized the Nashville style. Some artists sought to break away from the recording formulas and generic productions that by the 1970s dominated the industry. These artists wanted more control of the recording process, and many of them called for a return to the acoustic instruments, small bands, and natural-sounding vocals of country music’s past. Under those circumstances, a new musical style came to rise quickly with its emphasis on individuality, sincerity, simplicity and rudeness. The so-called country-rock developed parallel to outlaw. During the late 1960sand 1970s, Gram Parsons, the Byrd’s, Buffalo Springfield, the Eagles, and other bands led a movement to merge country and rock styles. The resulting style, known as country-rock, characteristically took country melody, harmony, and lyric themes and added the percussive beat, rhythms, and electric instrumentation of rock.2.1.5 Outlaw and Country-rock in the 1970sThe outlaw movement emerged in the mid-1970s in reaction against the Nashville sound and the record companies that had streamlined and institutionalized the Nashville style. Some artists sought to breakaway from the recording formulas and generic productions that by the 1970s dominated the industry. These artists wanted more control of the recording process, and many of them called for a return to the acoustic instruments, small bands, and natural-sounding vocals of country music’s past. Under those circumstances, a new musical style came to rise quickly with its emphasis on individuality, sincerity, simplicity and rudeness. The so-called country-rock developed parallel to outlaw. The late 1960's and 1970's saw the resurgence of a new brand of Honky Tonk -- Southern Rock and Outlaw Country. A new generation of musicians who grew up on Hank Williams, Sr., Lefty Frizzell and others brought southern rock to country. No one embodied the blue-collar sound of outlaw country more than Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, and Merle Haggard.2.1.6 Country music since the 1980sCountry music assumed a complex phenomenon of developmental diversification and multiplication since the 1980s. It became quite universal for various styles fusing with and penetrating each other, with their boundaries getting more and more blurred. Generally speaking, there are two main trends of country music: the pop-oriented and the tradition-oriented. On the one hand, possessing multitudinous listeners all over the world, popularized country music has setup extraordinarily excellent commercial records and made successful a number of widely known super stars such as John Denver, Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, etc. On the other hand, the call for a return to the sounds of traditional country music is becoming louder and louder, hence the occurrence of New Traditional Country and New Country, with the former being the predecessor of the latter. This return of country music to its rural roots was primarily a return to such instruments as steel guitars and single or twin fiddles, as opposed to full orchestral string sections.Bluegrass music developed in rural Kentucky, sharply different from honky-tonk in musical concepts. It represented, primarily through its instrumentation, a return to the prerecording days of folk music. Characterized by the acoustic string-band sound of the southeast, the bluegrass style usually features a banjo, fiddle, and mandolin in lead parts while a guitar and string bass provide accompaniment. Bluegrass vocals are often harmonized and emphasize a high-pitched tenor voice. Instrumental solos and improvisations may be featured between stanzas in a bluegrass song.3. Representatives and hits1920s: Rodgers, Carter, Vernon Dalhart, Reba McIntyre, Brooks Dunn.Hits: ―I’m thinking tonight of my blue eyes‖, "Blue Yodel, "SleepBaby Sleep,1930s: Kenny Rodgers, Roy Acuff, Jonny Mercer," Gene Autry, Bob Wills, Blue Sky Boys, Gene Autry, Jimmy Long.Hits: "Wabash Cannonball", Steel Guitar Rag", ―Yellow Rose ofTexas"1940s: Hank Williams, Eddy Arnold, Bluegrass Boys,Hits: "Lovesick Blues.", "Bouqu et of Roses", ―New Spanish TwoSteps", ―Shame on You‖.1950s-1960s: Buck Owens, Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Everly Brothers and Ricky Nelson, Johnny Horton, Johnny Cash, GeorgeJones, Hank Snow.Hits: "The Battle of New Orleans‖,‖ Love Love Love‖,‖I Don'tCare‖,‖ It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels".1970s: Eddy Arnold, Dolly Parton, Ray Charles, Patsy Cline.Hits: "Coward of the County", ―the Gambler", "American CountryCountdown".1980s: Ronnie Millsap, Merle Haggard, the Oak Ridge Boys, Eddie Rabbitt.Hits: "A Woman in Love", "Always on My Mind", "I Love a RainyNight", "Step By Step".1990s: Lodestar, Shania Twain, Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Hee Haw,Hits: "Amazed", ―you’re still the One", "It's Your Love‖,‖ LoveWithout End, Amen".2000s: Taylor Swift, Hank Locklin; Carrie Underwood, the Dixie Chicks, Toby Keith, Lady Antebellum.Hits: "Need you now", ―you belong with me‖,―I told you so‖ ().4. Country music reflected American social cultural lifeIn this part, the focus will be on the changes of country music . By looking into what have changed over the years in country music , accordingly we can be clear about the social cultural life of Americans. Thus country music provides us with a way to comprehend American economy, politics, and culture.4.1 EconomyFrom the evolution of the instruments, we can apparently see the tremendous development of technology. The first generation of country or "hillbilly" musicians tended to play a style one of them described as "threshing machine," with loud, percussive strokes designed to provide little but rhythm. But soon key players, like blind Riley Puckett, a north Georgia native who made hundreds of records as a singer and band guitarist, showed the guitar was capable of adding melody lines as well as rhythm. And in 1927, at the famous Bristol sessions in northeast Tennessee, MaybelleCarter (of the Original Carter Family) introduced what would become known as "the Carter Scratch," playing a melody on the bass strings and brushing the higher strings for rhythm. It would become the quintessential "lick" for country music. Down in Tennessee, a brash young man named Sam McGee, the traveling partner of Uncle Dave Macon, watched with fascination as black section hands near his farm in middle Tennessee played a blues finger picking style. He would soon combine this with ragtime he had learned from a parlor guitar teacher in nearby Franklin to create some of the first solo records featuring the guitar: "Buck Dancer's Choice," "Railroad Blues," and "Knoxville Blues." Therefore from the changing instruments, we can apparently generalized that technology has also had a major impact on music, on one hand, it has made it much easier and cheaper to produce , but it has also made it exponentially more disposable and "same" sounding. The "anyone" can do it mentality is not without consequence, as it has resulted in a flood of bad to decent songs, with the seldom great song more likely buried in the mix.The next major innovation was to amplify the guitar. The earliest attempts at this involved the electric Hawaiian guitar of the 1930s by Rickenbacker, but by the late 30s jazz guitars like Eddie Durham and Charley Christian were using the amplified standard guitar as a solo instrument. By 1946 California engineer Paul Bigsby built the first solid-body electric guitar for Merle Travis, and by 1948 the Fender "Broadcaster" went on sale to the general public. Among the early bluesmen to use this and its successor the "Telecaster," were T-Bone Walker, Muddy Waters and B.B. King. It was Waters who brought the delta blues to Chicago in the late 1940s and transformed it with the solid body electric guitar - and made the next step toward rock and roll.Radio stations in the 1920s were hungry for live performances of country singers and string bands, because their popularity grew. Popularity of West-related themes in general increased, for example in movies, where a new genre, the "Western" attracted more and more people. Radio stations arranged so called "barn dance" shows. The most famous of these shows was the "Grand Ole Opry", which nowadays is still celebrated and has become one of the most important country musicconcerts. Thanks to the radio, country music became one of the most listened music during the following years and "people came literally out of the hills to audition" concerts of country musicians. The said to be most important recordings of this era were made in Bristol during the so called "Bristol Sessions". Some of the most famous figures of country music, for example Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family started their career there. The 1930s was a difficult decade for the recording industry: hard economic times and competition from radio and cinema meant that few could afford to buy the new electric phonographs and recordings. A revival of the coin-operated phonograph as an inexpensive, public form of entertainment helped rebuild the industry during this period. A Canadian, David C. Rockola , played an important role in designing the modern 'juke box' when he introduced the Rock-Ola Multi-Selector phonograph in 1934. In the decades that followed, the Rock-Ola Manufacturing Corporation (originally founded in Chicago) became one of the four largest juke box companies in North America.Apart from the development of instruments, the motifs of country music related to the great depression meanwhile provide us American economy in the 1920s and the 1930.―Will the Circle Be Unbroken‖released by the carter family was the best reflection of that gloomy period. Their music solaced a nation during the darkest days of the depression. The words to their songs captured the painful and moving stories of poor America's history and proved that simple songs about ordinary people are as timeless, moving and relevant as the most studied classics in history. The Carter Family's songs and style remain the most copied in American folk and country music, influencing artists across all genres including Bob Dylan, Willie Nelson, Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Ray Charles, Linda Ronstadt and Sheryl Crow. The Carter Family: Will the Circle Be Unbroken explores the lives of A. P., Sara and Maybelle Carter, following their story through 1943, when they stopped playing and recording together. The film includes rarely-seen photographs, memorabilia, and archival footage that chronicle the life and music of the famous and influential trio. The Carters lived the poverty and heartbreak of the poor rural America they sang of, and, through music,brought a dignity and understanding to an often-misunderstood culture. Carter Family songs like "Wildwood Flower," "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" and "Worried Man Blues" laid the foundations for country, folk and bluegrass music."Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?", also sung as "Buddy, Can You Spare a Dime?‖ is one of the best-known American songs of the Great Depression. Written in 1931 by lyricist E. Y. "Yip" Harburg and composer Jay Gorney "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" was part of the 1932 musical New Americana; the melody is based on a Russian lullaby Gorney heard as a child. It became best known, however, through recordings by Bing Crosby and Rudy Vallee. Both versions were released right before Franklin elano Roosevelt's election to the presidency and both became number one hits on the charts. The BrunswickCrosby recording became the best-selling record of its period, and came to be viewed as an anthem of the shattered dreams of the era."Detroit Moan" sung by Victoria Spivey fully exemplified the depressed economic crash. Detroit factories had begun advertising in Southern cities for black workers as early as 1917. Paid less than their white counterparts, they were offered the hardest, hottest work in the auto foundries, called "the lack department." Michigan's black population of 17,000 in1910 soared to over 117,000 in the 1920s. Borrowing from the practices of Southern plantation patriarchs, Henry Ford paid black workers $1 a day in 1931 and invested the other $3 owed them into 'communal enterprises' in the subdivision called Inkster. Blues songwriter and performer Victoria Spivey vented some of the angst of black Detroit in her "Detroit Moan‖.4.2 PoliticsWars became a dominant and heated topic which pervading the whole society. A great deal of instances can be listed to support it. ―If you reading this‖, sung by Tim McGraw, tells us a story that soldier that has passed on, and his wishes on how he'd like to be remembered, and where he'd like to be buried. The tempo is slower, the instrumentation is sparse and Tim's vocals are very emotional. With our country involved in war, it's something too many families have experienced."Arlington", this song instantly touched me as we see war from a soldier'sperspective after he dies in battle. The tempo is slow, and the music acoustic, with Trace Adkins’ rumbling baritone telling the story. The part that always makes me cry is where he meets his grandfather, who is also buried at Arlington, and the lyrics say, "And it gave me a chill, when he clicked his heels, and saluted me."―8th of November" ,sung by Big & Rich, is a true story of Vietnam veteran Niles Harris, who survived a battle that took place on Hill 65 in War Zone D on Nov. 8, 1965. He was part of the Army's 173rd Airborne, and lost forty-eight of his fellow comrades. The song has a slow dirge-like quality to it, fitting for the subject, and the video is amazing.Fighting Side of Me‖, is from the Vietnam era. Merle Haggard talks about how everyone has the right to stand up for what they believe, but don't run down the country. The tempo of the song is mid-range, with a strumming guitar along with the powerful lyrics.Everyone has the right to their own opinion in this country, but this song talks frankly about how one's outspoken opinion might make someone else feel about it. It's possible to be against the war while still favoring the fighting forces involved in.―God Bless the USA‖ sung by Lee Greenwood, is sometimes referred to as the unofficial National Anthem. With guitar-driven verses and choruses that really showcase Greenwood's vocals, it's a song that can really bring out the patriotic spirit just by listening. Even though this came out 25 years ago, everything still rings true. How can you hear this song and not feel "proud to be an American. There is a long history of the connection between music and politics, particularly political expression in music. This expression can use anti-establishment or protest themes, including anti-war songs, although pro-establishment ideas are also used, for example in national anthems, patriotic songs, and political campaigns. Many of these types of songs could be described as topical songs. Unlike many other types of music, political music is not usually ambiguous, and is used to portray a specific political message. While the political message in political music is apparent, it is usually in the political context of the time it was made—which makes understanding the historical events and time that inspired the music essential to fully understanding the message in themusic. Since political music is meant to be heard by the people, it is often meant to be popular.Country music singers are known not only for their country-radio hits and popular country videos, but increasingly, for their personal political views and outspoken patriotism. Although some entertainers choose not to share their personal views with the public, country singers remain among the most visible when it comes to mixing music and politics. John Rich, for instance, one-half of the Big & Rich duos, performed a song he wrote for the Republican Party, Raisin' McCain, on the CBS Early Show on Oct. 6. The singer previously campaigned for McCain and was willing to show his support on national TV. Her October debate also had at least one country star, Josh Turner, among its handpicked audience, which was largely chosen by the Republican and Democratic parties. Moreover, the night prior to the big event, perennial country-favorite Dolly Parton sang for the candidates at a pre-debate party at the Tennessee Governor's Mansion.The song "We Shall Overcome" is perhaps the best-known example of political folk music, in this case a rallying-cry for the Civil Rights Movement. Pete Seeger was involved in the popularization of the song, as was Joan Baez. During the early part of 20th century, poor working conditions and class struggles lead to the growth of the Labor movement and numerous songs advocating social and political reform. The most famous songwriter of the early 20th century "Wobblies" was Joe Hill. In the 1940s through the 1960s, The Weavers as well as Woody Guthrie were influential in this type of social and political music. Pete Seeger's "Where have all the flowers gone?‖was a popular anti-war protest song. Many of these types of songs became popular during the Vietnam War era. ―Blowing in the Wind‖, by Bob Dylan, was a hit for Peter, Paul and Mary, and suggested that a younger generation was becoming more aware of global problems than many of the older generation. In 1964, Joan Baez had a top-ten hit in the UK with "There but for Fortune" (by Phil Ochs). It was a plea for the innocent victim of prejudice or inhumane policies. Many topical songwriters with social and political messages emerged out of the folk music revival of the 1960s, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Phil Ochs, Tom Paxton, Buffy Sainte-Marie, JudyCollins, Arlo Guthrie, and many others.With the advancement of society, modern media provides a platform for country singers to find their own voice. For these folk protest traditions are still being carried on today by many old and new topical songwriters and musicians of all types and varieties. Today's socially conscious musicians not only sing at rallies, demonstrations and on picket lines, but typically have professional web sites and post videos on YouTube and other popular internet sites. Examples of such activist musicians include Ray Korona(environmental, labor, peace, social justice), Charlie King (labor, social justice) and Anne Feeney(labor, protest), among many others. Although these musicians each have their own followings and performance circuits, good sources for finding many of them include the Peoples Music Network for Songs of Freedom and Struggle and the Labor Heritage Foundation.4.3 CultureRace in country music. Country is a style most readily associated with a demographic that is white, rural, southern, and male—precisely the demographic that figures as the most intransigent in histories of America's troubled race relations, but while certain country records were undeniably racist, we need to be careful where and how we point fingers. From the days of black face minstrelsy through (at least) the tremendously popular "Amos 'n' Andy" radio show that ran into the 1940s, racism was a significant part of American popular culture, a culture of which country music was a relatively minor part. Attitudes, fortunately, have progressed. But while understanding the broader context may in some ways explain a decidedly un-PC song like Cowboy Copas's 1946 hit "Filipino Baby" ("she's my treasure / she's my pet"), it doesn't begin to account for the popularity of Johnny Rebel, whose string of records embodied everything the Civil Rights revolution was trying to combat. Throughout the highly politicized 1960s, the Red Rebel label stood on the extreme, reactionary right of country music's political spectrum, and Johnny Rebel—also known as Cliff Trajan—was their best-selling artist. With "Move Them Niggers North" and "Looking for a Handout," Johnny Rebel staked out some of popular music's ugliest territory.。