Country pop

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Country pop (also known as urban cowboy) is a fusion genre of

adult contemporary
. In the 2010s, country pop metamorphosized again with the addition of hip-hop beats and rap-style phrasing.

History

Beginnings: Nashville sound/50s-60s

Patsy Cline was one of the earliest influential artists of the genre.

The joining of country and pop began in the 1950s when studio executives

Bakersfield Sound and later the outlaw movement; on the pop side, the format was overshadowed by the British Invasion
, which was taking place during the same time that Cline and Reeves died by airplane accident.

1970s country pop

Charley Pride, one of the biggest pop country acts of the 1970s in concert

The Nashville sound eventually evolved into

" 1977) all charted pop-influenced country hits during the 1970s.

Country pop started when pop music singers like

Poems, Prayers, and Promises reached the top 10 on the Billboard Country Album chart and was certified Platinum.[5][6] Denver's career flourished from then on, and he had a series of hits over the next four years. In 1972, Denver scored his first Top Ten pop album with Rocky Mountain High, with its title track reaching the pop Top Ten in 1973.[7] At the peak of his popularity in 1974 and 1975, Denver's albums Back Home Again and Windsong reached number one on both the pop and country album charts. His singles were also successful on both charts: "Sunshine on My Shoulders" No. 1 pop, No. 42 country; "Annie's Song" No. 1 pop, No. 9 country; "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" No. 1 pop and country; "Back Home Again" No. 5 pop, No. 1 country; and "I'm Sorry
" No. 1 pop and country.

Another 1970s crossover artist was

Best Female Country Vocal Performance" for the song and also won the Country Music Association's most coveted award for females, "Female Vocalist of the Year" (beating out established Nashville artists Dolly Parton, Loretta Lynn, and Tanya Tucker, as well as Canadian transplant Anne Murray). Her win sparked a backlash, with several traditional country artists forming the Association of Country Entertainers (ACE) to promote what they considered to be "real country music."[8] Newton-John scored a string of pop-country hits in 1974 and 1975 including "I Honestly Love You", "Have You Never Been Mellow", and "Please Mr. Please", before moving away from country in the late 1970s after starring in Grease
and focusing mostly on pop music from then onward.

The debate raged into 1975 and reached its apex at that year's Country Music Association Awards when reigning Entertainer of the Year Charlie Rich (who himself had a series of crossover hits) presented the award to his successor, John Denver. As he read Denver's name, Rich set fire to the envelope with a cigarette lighter. The ACE would only last two years; its two biggest backers, firm traditionalists George Jones and Tammy Wynette, faced a bitter divorce, and Jean Shepard, the other major backer of the ACE, closed down the organization when she could not find others that shared her enthusiasm for the association's purpose.[9]

Although known primarily as a rock performer in the 1970s,

Love is a Rose" (1975), and "Blue Bayou
" (1977).

Several artists principally identified as rock, such as

the Eagles and America, scored significant pop chart hits with country rock songs, though they may have reached country charts rarely or not at all.[10][11]

Glen Campbell's "

Amazing Rhythm Aces' "Third Rate Romance" (1976), Glen Campbell's Southern Nights (1977), and Anne Murray's "You Needed Me
" (1978) were additional examples of late '70s pop country hits.

In 1977,

(If Loving You is Wrong) I Don't Want to Be Right
."

In 1977, Dolly Parton crossed over into the pop music world with her No. 1 country and No. 3 pop hit "Here You Come Again."[15]

1980s

Dolly Parton achieved international recognition for her work as both a musician and actress during the 1970s and 1980s.

Parton earned another big hit with "9 to 5", which topped both the country and pop singles charts in early 1981, supplemented by the 1980 film of the same name.

Country pop reached new heights immediately following the movie Urban Cowboy in the early 1980s. Urban Cowboy was the third music-themed hit film to star John Travolta, each from a different genre; much like Saturday Night Fever did for disco and Grease did for oldies, Urban Cowboy popularized pop-country, helping to boost the career of Mickey Gilley in particular (whose real-life bar and music were featured in the film), along with other songs that appeared on the film's soundtrack.[16]

A Lesson in Leaving
".

England Dan and John Ford Coley
) began targeting their music at the country market in the early 1980s with a country-pop sound.

Although a number of country pop artists continued to have hits, most notably Alabama, Parton, Mandrell, Rabbitt, and Milsap, the mid-1980s saw a major sea change within the country music industry and the revival of traditional country sounds, as the boost in country's crossover popularity had collapsed; by 1984, country record sales had fallen to the point they were before Urban Cowboy was released.[17]

1990s revival

Garth Brooks and Shania Twain were the most successful country pop singers of the 1990s.

Country pop enjoyed a resurgence in the 1990s, primarily because of the beginning proliferation of

Come On Over, and Up!. In the last few years, country singer LeAnn Rimes has proved her ability to sing country pop songs such as the record-setting "How Do I Live", which spent 69 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, the second longest single in the record history. This achievement came in spite of the fact that a nearly identical version of the same song by Trisha Yearwood was released at the same time and was also a hit. Rimes also had a hit with the pop songs "Can't Fight the Moonlight" and "I Need You
", the latter of which required a remix to be suitable for country radio.

Incorporating elements of pop into country music became extremely popular by the late '90s, thus producing many crossover hits and artists, especially on the adult contemporary charts. Country love songs also became more popular with songs like "

Valentine
", etc.

In the 1990s, many country artists experienced huge crossover success. In addition to Brooks, Twain, McBride, and Rimes,

Mary-Chapin Carpenter and Wynonna Judd all had songs cross over to Top 40 and/or Adult Contemporary radio, sometimes with remixes eliminating steel guitars and other "country" elements to be more suitable for pop radio. Brooks, Reba McEntire
, and other artists also maintained high profiles on the album charts despite having less radio crossover success.

2000s and 2010s

American Idol winner Carrie Underwood

The early 2000s also saw continued success of these artists.

Dixie Chicks had continued success with a less mainstream country-pop sound when they released their bluegrass-influenced album Home in 2002. However, by the mid-2000s, there were fewer country acts having crossover success. That was until singer Carrie Underwood won the fourth season of American Idol
in May 2005.

With her exposure from American Idol, Underwood's debut single, "Inside Your Heaven", became the first song by a prominently country artist to ever debut at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. Underwood continued to have crossover success in 2006 and 2007, with her hit single "Before He Cheats", which was notable for becoming a success on mainstream pop radio without a more "pop-friendly" remix. Underwood has had additional, but more spotty, success on pop radio since. Nonetheless, she disproved the notion that country artists, especially country female artists, were limited to success only within one genre. Further supplying that evidence was the success of Taylor Swift, who released her debut album in 2006.

Country and pop superstar Taylor Swift

Swift rose to fame in the late 2000s as a teenage artist, buoyed by the success of her country pop singles "

Dixie Chicks. Swift has also written songs for other country pop acts, such as Little Big Town's "Better Man" and Sugarland's "Babe". Achieving both national and international prominence through her tour gross, sales records, and critical acclaim, Swift has been credited for bringing recognition of country music "within the broad expanse of music worldwide"; the Country Music Association
acknowledged that her talent and presence "will have a long-term positive impact on the appreciation of country music for generations to come".

Other examples of prominent country-pop artists from this decade included Lady A, Sugarland, Rascal Flatts, Keith Urban, and Kenny Chesney.

2010s–present

The 2010s saw many changes for the country-pop genre, not only in sound, but also in values; there was a significant shift away from big-voiced

power ballads to more casual, hip-hop influenced styles. One such trend was the controversial bro-country subgenre, which Vulture described as "music by and of the tatted, gym-toned, party-hearty young American white dude."[19]

During this decade, Uncle Kracker achieved success when his number 3 adult contemporary hit "Smile" also became a number 6 country hit. Jason Aldean and Kelly Clarkson hit number 3 on adult contemporary, 9 on adult pop and 1 on country charts with the song "Don't You Wanna Stay". Other records to hit on both the pop and country charts included Miley Cyrus' "The Climb", Lady A's "Just A Kiss", the Band Perry's "If I Die Young", Kelly Clarkson's "Mr. Know It All", Hunter Hayes' "Wanted", and Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise".

Sam Hunt also earned significant crossover appeal. His 2014 debut album Montevallo, which featured hip-hop and rap influences, reached number 1 on Top Country Albums and number 3 on the Billboard 200. His 2017 single "Body Like a Back Road" reached number 1 on Hot Country Songs, number 6 on the Billboard Hot 100, and number 11 on Adult Top 40.

Hip hop's penchant for story-telling is one of the reasons frequently cited for its influence on mainstream pop country.[20] Additionally, there are now no less than four generations who have grown up listening to both country music and hip hop, as evidenced in the subgenre country rap, starting with Jelly Roll, Colt Ford, Cowboy Troy, and Kid Rock.

In 2016, Morgan Wallen signed to Big Loud, releasing his debut album, If I Know Me in 2018, with strong hip-hop elements like trap beats and snap tracks.[21] If I Know Me included the singles "Up Down" (featuring Florida Georgia Line), "Whiskey Glasses", and "Chasin' You"; the album reached number 1 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.[22]

Wallen's second album, Dangerous: The Double Album, was released in January 2021, and in February 2021, became the only country album in the 64-year history of the Billboard 200 to spend its first seven weeks at No. 1.[23] It spent a total of ten weeks at that spot, the first album to do so since Whitney Houston's Whitney in 1987.[24] The album included Billboard No. 1 singles "More Than My Hometown", "7 Summers", and "Wasted on You".[25]

In 2018, many country artists achieved international pop hit singles in collaborations with mainstream pop artists. This included

The Middle" featured main vocals from Maren Morris and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100.[26]

Of particular note, in 2012, Billboard restored recording sales to the chart formula but also added airplay from non-country stations, giving an inherent advantage to country pop crossover songs, at the same time maintaining the 1990 formula solely to measure country radio airplay. After the change, crossover songs have increasingly set the record for the longest run atop the country chart for longer and longer stretches; "Meant to Be" currently holds the record, 50 weeks and counting as of November 2018, more than double the pre-2012 record (Leroy Van Dyke's "Walk On By" was atop the chart for 19 weeks in 1963, during the 1958–1990 period of a unified sales, jukebox and airplay chart; three songs topped the various separate country charts for 21 weeks each between 1948 and 1955).

Multi-Grammy winner Kacey Musgraves

The way audiences consumed their music also changed during the 2010s, as

Album of the Year in 2019, for her fourth studio album Golden Hour.[28] Musgraves's success was unprecedented in the sense that she earned fans from both the pop and country genres without the benefit of airplay on country radio, instead promoting her music through online media platforms such as YouTube and Apple Music.[29][30] The Hoya pointed out Musgraves's groundbreaking approach, writing, "Musgraves's refusal to bend the knee for Nashville record label executives, coupled with her massive success, proves she is the Nashville big machine's worst nightmare. She is a female artist who managed to find widespread success in an industry that endlessly tried to muzzle her."[31]

The disparity between male and female artists on country radio became even more obvious during the back half of this decade, with one study finding that male artists accounted for 5.5 to 1 in total airplay during the years 2000–2018.[32] In 2018, that number only increased, with a ratio of male vs. female at 9.7 to 1.[32] In 2015, radio consultant Keith Hill made controversial comments about why women received less representation on the radio, referring to male artists as the "salad" and women as "tomatoes"; the controversy became known as Tomato-gate.[33]

Collaborations between country and pop artists became even more popularized during this decade, as well. In October 2019, country duo

Country Radio Seminar, there was discussion on the increase in fan attention to pop and country collaborations, in addition to an increase in the use of streaming services.[35]

In 2020, American Idol finalist

Adult Pop Songs chart in October 2020.[37] In its 45th week, the single reached the top five of the all-genre Billboard Hot 100, achieving the slowest climb to the top five in the chart's history.[38]

Two artists who were influential in shifting mainstream attitudes about the genre's more pop-inflected sound were

Best Country Song.[41] The year previously, she won Album of the Year for her sophomore effort Girl, signifying a critical, mainstream shift in attitude about what constituted the country sound.[42][43] "The Bones" also received Song of the Year at the 56th ACM awards.[44]

CMA Award-winner Maren Morris

In January 2021,

Best Country Album category for the 64th Grammys, owing to the policy that potential nominated albums must contain at least "51 percent of new country recordings".[46] Billboard, however, pointed out that Musgraves was hardly the first to face controversy from the Grammys; previous records nominated in Pop categories included Dolly Parton's "Here You Come Again" and "Rhinestone Cowboy" by Glen Campbell.[47] Musgraves did, however, earn two nominations for Best Country Song and Best Country Performance for the album track, "Camera Roll."[48]

In 2023, three pop country songs placed within the first four spots on Billboard's all-genre Hot 100 for the first time in the chart's 65-year history.[49] Billboard noted the overall increase in the popularity of pop country and credited Morgan Wallen with 40 percent of its growth, calling the phenomenon the "Wallen Effect".[50] The popularity of pop country continues to surge, with a 2023 Economist poll finding it has become more popular than hip hop in the United States.[51]

See also

References

  1. ^ Kanuch, Nathan (March 5, 2018). "Re-visiting Bro-Country". Medium. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 12, 2022.
  2. ^ "RealNetworks". Archived from the original on 2009-11-24. Retrieved 2010-02-25.
  3. ^ Ivey, B: "The Nashville Sound". The Encyclopedia of Country Music, pages 371–372
  4. ^ "Back in 1968, this was a No.1 Hit, "Honey" by Bobby Goldsboro". Archived from the original on 30 August 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  5. ISSN 0006-2510
    .
  6. ^ "RIAA - Gold & Platinum - May 08, 2010: John Denver certified albums". RIAA. Retrieved May 8, 2010.
  7. ^ "Top 100 Music Hits, Top 100 Music Charts, Top 100 Songs & The Hot 100". Billboard. 12 September 2008. Archived from the original on 2013-09-07. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  8. ^ Young, Casey (August 9, 2022). ""How Olivia Newton-John's 1974 CMA Award Win Sparked a Massive Backlash From George Jones, Tammy Wynette & More"". Whiskey Riff. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  9. ^ Oermann, Robert K (September 27, 2016). "LifeNotes: Opry Martriarch Jean Shepard passes away at 86". Music Row. Archived from the original on April 19, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2023.
  10. ^ Dantona, Savannah (20 September 2023). "6 Eagles Tracks That Helped Define Country Rock". American Songwriter. Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  11. ^ Hughes, Rob (16 December 2023). ""I didn't expect some of the backlash. But then you get the Neil fans, who were rabidly protective": the story of America, the 70s soft rockers behind the greatest Neil Young song Neil Young never wrote". Retrieved 27 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Rhinestone Cowboy - Glen Campbell | Song Info". AllMusic. Archived from the original on 17 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
  13. ^ "Kenny Rogers, pop-country singer of 'The Gambler' who dominated 1970s music charts, dies at 81". The Seattle Times. March 21, 2020. Archived from the original on April 17, 2023. Retrieved April 19, 2023.
  14. ^ "Mandrell Injured in Auto Accident". The New York Times. 12 September 1984. Archived from the original on 19 April 2015. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
  15. ^ "Flashback: See Dolly Parton's Twinkling 'Come Again' in 1978 | Rolling Stone". Rolling Stone. 3 December 2015. Archived from the original on 22 March 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
  16. ^ Ross, Marissa R. (June 12, 2015). "Inside Country Music's Polarizing 'Urban Cowboy' Movement". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on September 6, 2017. Retrieved October 9, 2017.
  17. .
  18. ^ Neal, Jocelyn R. "Country music". Oxford Music Online. Oxford University Press. Archived from the original on 5 August 2021. Retrieved 3 Sep 2014.
  19. ^ "Jody Rosen on the Rise of Bro-Country". Vulture. 11 August 2013. Archived from the original on 2021-01-16. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  20. Insider.com
    .
  21. ^ "Big Loud Records Adds Morgan Wallen to Roster". Big Loud Records. 2016-08-15. Archived from the original on 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  22. KFDI.com. Country 101.3 KFDI. Archived
    from the original on 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  23. ^ Caulfield, Keith (February 28, 2021). "Morgan Wallen's 'Dangerous' Becomes Only Country Album to Spend First Seven Weeks at No. 1 on Billboard 200". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2021-03-01. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  24. ^ Sisario, Ben (March 22, 2021). "Morgan Wallen Tops Chart for a 10th Week". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2021-12-28. Retrieved 2021-04-06.
  25. ^ "Morgan Wallen on Country Digital Song Sales". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2022-01-18. Retrieved 2021-02-28.
  26. ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2018-06-13. Retrieved 2021-10-24.
  27. ^ Luck, Katherine (2019-12-06). "Is radio dying?". The Delve. Archived from the original on 2020-11-18. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  28. ^ Willman, Chris (April 2, 2019). "Kacey Musgraves on Embracing Love Over Snark and Being a Country-Pop Centaur". Archived from the original on April 17, 2019. Retrieved May 25, 2019.
  29. ^ Harris, Keith. "Kacey Musgraves charms with blissed-out country-pop at the Palace". City Pages. Archived from the original on 2019-05-25. Retrieved 2019-05-25.
  30. ^ Smith, Courtney E. "Kacey Musgraves Would Rather Be Herself & Have 10 Real Fans Than 10,000 Fake Ones". www.refinery29.com. Archived from the original on 2019-05-10. Retrieved 2019-05-25.
  31. ^ "Pop Decoded: Kacey Musgraves, Nashville's Worst Nightmare". 2021-04-22. Archived from the original on 2021-04-24. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
  32. ^ a b "New Study Shows Staggering Imbalance of Gender Representation at Country Radio". www.billboard.com. 2019-12-06. Archived from the original on 2020-11-16. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  33. ^ Bonaguro 5/27/2015, Alison. "Men Are Lettuce, Women Are Tomatoes?". CMT News. Archived from the original on 2020-11-15. Retrieved 2020-11-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  34. ^ "Dan + Shay & Justin Bieber's '10,000 Hours' Tops Four Country Chart". Billboard. 2020-01-22. Archived from the original on 2020-04-04. Retrieved 2020-04-24.
  35. ^ "Country Expands Boundaries With Pop Pairings: 'I've Never Bought Into Segregating Genres So Rigidly'". www.billboard.com. 2020-04-22. Archived from the original on 2020-06-15. Retrieved 2021-02-20.
  36. ^ "Gabby Barrett & Charlie Puth's 'I Hope' Hits No. 1 on Adult Pop Songs Chart". www.billboard.com. 2020-10-20. Archived from the original on 2021-05-10. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  37. ^ "How Gabby Barrett Made One of 2020's Defining Crossover Hits". www.billboard.com. 2020-12-17. Archived from the original on 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  38. ^ ""I Hope" you know Gabby Barrett and Charlie Puth are at #5 on the 'Billboard' Hot 100 - Music News - ABC News Radio". abcnewsradioonline.com. Archived from the original on 2021-05-06. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  39. ^ a b Hight, Jewly (20 March 2018). "How The Sound Of Country Music Changed". NPR. Archived from the original on 2020-11-15. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  40. ^ "Maren Morris Is the Future of Country Music". Time. Archived from the original on 2020-10-23. Retrieved 2020-11-16.
  41. ^ Paulson, Matthew Leimkuehler and Dave. "Grammy Awards 2021: Miranda Lambert, Ingrid Andress lead country nominations". The Tennessean. Archived from the original on 2021-08-05. Retrieved 2021-02-19.
  42. ^ "Maren Morris Reacts to Critics Saying She's Not "Country" Enough". E! Online. 14 November 2020. Archived from the original on 2020-11-14. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  43. ^ "CMA Awards 2019: The Complete Winners List". Rolling Stone. 2019-11-13. Archived from the original on 2020-11-23. Retrieved 2020-11-15.
  44. ^ "Maren Morris Wins ACM Award for Female Artist of the Year: Women 'Brought So Much Heat to the Game'". PEOPLE.com. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
  45. ^ "Examining a Past Hit in Considering the Future of Country-Pop Crossovers". Nashville Scene. 28 January 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-05-06. Retrieved 2021-05-06.
  46. ^ "Kacey Musgraves' New Album Deemed Ineligible For Country Music Grammy". Stereogum. 2021-10-12. Archived from the original on 2021-10-12. Retrieved 2021-10-14.
  47. ^ "Before Kacey Musgraves, Grammys Classified Hits by Dolly Parton, Lil Nas X & More as Pop Not Country". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2021-10-24. Retrieved 2021-10-24.
  48. ^ Watts, Cindy (2021-11-23). "Grammy Nominations: Carrie Underwood, Kacey Musgraves, Mickey Guyton, Jimmie Allen and More". CMT News. Archived from the original on 2021-11-28. Retrieved 2021-11-28.
  49. ^ "Archived copy". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2023-11-04. Retrieved 2023-11-04.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  50. ^ "Archived copy". Billboard. Archived from the original on 2023-11-04. Retrieved 2023-11-04.{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  51. ^ "Archived copy". The Economist. Archived from the original on 2023-11-04. Retrieved 2023-11-04.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)