The High Low’s: Beginner’s Guide to Country
I am the last person who should ever write this.
Which, in some ways, makes me the best person to do so.
Only someone who truly, deeply, loathed Country music for the first 30 years of their life, can convey to others outside the Country tent, on why they should enter it, or at least, not try to burn it down on first sight.
Country music is the worst.
I knew this to be true the way I knew that the Bears Still Suck, Rock ‘n Roll Never Forgets, and that one, Best Protect Their Neck when one finds oneself in the slums of Shaolin.
Hating Country music was as much of my identity as hating something can be.
My girlfriend changed that.
And in many ways, I made this playlist for my dad.
If I can get him to listen to it and enjoy it, I’m pretty sure I can get anyone to open their mind to Country music.
And let me be very clear how much I did not like Country (very much), so as to rest assure any listener, that they can find a way in via this playlist if they have even the slightest inkling of ambition to do so.
IT TAKES A COUNTRY
I have often thought that people come into our lives to show us new music.
My friend Colin keeps me up to date with indie rock music like no one else I know, my friend Jay does this for hip hop, and to this day, refuses to stream anything, going to Electric Fetus as often as I use to go to The Exclusive Company (say it with me) in high school. I didn’t know The Magnetic Fields or Merryweather Post Pavillion until Patrick Stephenson played them (the band and album, respectively) on our shared boombox at the U of M bookstore in college. Another co-worker in college only played christian acapella music and it was beautiful. I wouldn’t know Leonard Cohen, The Who, and The Clash as well as I do if it wasn’t for cruises in my parents Subaru Legacy listening to mixtapes (prepared by, and) with my good friend Ben.
People will show you the music they love if you keep your ears, and your mind, open to them.
And so, in this way, Jayme opened my mind further than I ever thought possible, to the point where I considered that there may, in fact, be Country music songs worth listening to.
I put this 100 song playlist together so those who come after me may not suffer as I did, both in their ignorance of Country music, and in having to listen to100x more songs before finding their favorites.
RULES TO THE PLAYLIST
I limited it to 100 songs, 100 artists, which means, no artist has 2 songs on this playlist.
I tried to get all the big names in, but not just for namesake. I truly do enjoy every single one of these 100 songs.
My goal with this playlist is to ease the listener into Country.
This idea of “easing the listener in” can be seen in the structure and order of the playlist, each grouping of songs becoming more and more mainstream Country.
While my overture may defeat this purpose, I felt it was necessary to put certain artists right up front if I was to do justice to Country music, and besides, it’s only a few songs.
I promise you can listen to this playlist for a couple hours before you even realize it’s supposed to a be Country music playlist.
Section 1: The Overture
Songs 1-9 give a taste of what’s to come
As overtures go, my overture of 9 songs hopes to contain within it all the musical themes to follow.
What are those themes? Well, they’re the titles of the remaining sections, with one exception:
Every section is bookended with a Southern Rock Classic, to break the sections up, and to bring the listener back from the edge if they feel that uneasy tingling feeling that comes at the beginning of getting in too deep.
- Song 10: “Can’t You See”, The Marshall Tucker Band
Section 2: A Little Pain Never Hurt No One
Songs 11-28 are all Indie/Alt Country
Think Avett Brothers, Frankie Lee, Rilo Kiley, Nekko Case, etc.
Some songs aren’t even that Country, but I added them in because they fit tonally, but also make a nice break, and if I can fit Gary Clark and Roma di Luna into the same playlist, I will find a way.
- Song 29: “Melissa”, The Allman Brothers
Section 3: Waiting Around To Die
Songs 30-51 are the saddest bunch of sad Country songs I could find
This is the music that got my girlfriend, and then me, into Country music. Country music can do sad songs well, and these ballads are a good starting place. In some ways, they sounds the least Country – or perhaps – they sound more similar to other genres of music, than any other kinds of Country songs do.
- Song 52: “Tuesday’s Gone”, Lynyrd Skynyrd
Section 4: I Hate Everything
Songs 53-71 make up the transitional section
Slowly turning the Country heat up on the listener like so many frogs in a pot.
This section transitions from the ballads of the previous section to the bouncy, unabashed Country of the final section.
- Song 72: “Long Haired Country Boy”, The Charlie Daniels Band
Final Section: My Church
Songs 73-100 are full out pop-influenced Country songs
Full out Country. Some of the more popular songs you might recognize, and some that probably slipped past your radar as they did mine because frankly, I never had a “Country music” radar.
All that to wrap up the playlist and you know, anything that didn’t fit somewhere else.