2 Strictly 2 Bops: outlaw shit (then and now)
this playlist ain't big enough for the two of us
Howdy, I’m a day late on when I scheduled to have my second playlist post written. It is what it is. I will try to be prompt next time around. Today’s playlist comes from the world of country music. Now before many of you say “yuck” and stop reading, just bare with me. Country is likely the most hated genre of music in today's culture. There is validity to that argument for many reasons. Country purists will argue that the soul of country music has been removed from the genre. It is up for debate on who or what time period is responsible for this. Some say Garth Brooks making country music more palatable for pop music fans. Others say Florida Georgia Line, for basically the same reason. Country purists despise the commercialism of the genre. I mean, one of the top country songs right now is an ad for Applebee’s. It’s the same thing that happens with rap music. People listen to Lil Pump and Future and say “Oh they’re not rappers, Prodigy and Biggie and Tupac and Nas and Big L, they were rappers”. It happens all the time, music just changes over time. With that being said, I tend to agree with country purists. The commercial country music of today lacks something that I look for in my country music. Today’s playlist focuses on Outlaw country.
Outlaw country, in short, is a movement that country artists created in the early 70’s to fight for their own creative freedom. In Nashville, many country artists were restricted by corporations controlling what they could play. The hatred for commercialism in country music comes from this movement. They then left Nashville, and started the outlaw movement, mainly in Texas. Some notable outlaws were Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and David Allen Coe. These outlaws were instrumental in how the future of country music would play out. They basically created what we know now as country music. I could write an entire post about the history of outlaw country, because frankly I did not know anything about it before this, I just knew I liked it.
Today, the term ‘outlaw country’ is used somewhat loosely, considering it’s referring to a movement rather than a genre. To me, it seems as though the term more refers to artists that capture the same spirit that the original outlaws had. I’m using this criteria to defend my choices for this playlist. I don’t want someone reading this and saying, “Hey idiot, this artist isn’t outlaw country, you know nothing!”. This is A) because you’re right, I know very little about the intricacies of countries sub-genres and B) because it’s really not that big of a deal.
My playlist is in chronological order of release. Before I dive in, I should state I’m well aware that I left out essential artists and songs. My counter to that is that these are the songs that I personally listen to. It begins with “Big Iron” which is a little bit of a joke. Nothing is more ‘outlaw’ than a song about dueling in the town square. Shortly after it gets into some Johnny Cash. Everyone knows Johnny Cash, if you don’t just watch his biopic. It came out before musical biopics were all the rage. Johnny Cash is the perfect example of outlaw country because he revolutionized the genre and many of his songs were literally about being an outlaw. The song I chose from Cash’s “prime” is “Cocaine Blues”. A song about doing heaps of cocaine and killing your wife just screams outlaw. Maybe his secession at the end saying to “let that cocaine be!” redeems all the horrific things he said. I wonder about how Cash’s music was received at its time of release. He was talking about so many subversive topics but seemed to be loved. This confuses me because I’ve watched countless interviews from the 80’s about the government cracking down of music lyrics, but no mention of Johnny Cash.
As the playlist continues I added some songs by the outlaws themselves. There’s “Outlaw Shit” by Waylon Jennings, the inspiration for this playlist title. There’s also some Willie Nelson, Hank Williams Jr. I also added some Dolly Parton late, shocked that it slipped my mind.
I think what draws me to outlaw country is the technical skill involved in the music, especially the new guys, who are all incredible guitarists. There is also so much sincerity in the lyrics and delivery, even if they’re lying. I believe everything they say, even though I know Johnny Cash never went on a cocaine-fueled killing spree.
There’s a certain edge to outlaw country. It’s just not passive. These artists have a demanding presence on their songs. Which leads us to the new guys. Colter Wall, Cody Jinks, Tyler Childers, and Zach Bryan. In my opinion, they are the best country out right now. This is not a slight on any other country artists. I like Luke Combs, Kacey Musgraves, Maren Morris, etc. These are just the people I listen to. They have a certain type of authenticity to them that is indescribable. Colter Wall’s voice alone makes me believe he lives alone on a ranch in the early 70s. These artists are also such incredible story tellers. They paint a such a vivid picture of their experience (whether real or not).
I can’t really explain the intricacies of the genre, so much like my first post I’ll compare it to how it makes me fell. When I listen to these songs, I want to leave New York and live alone in Wyoming, just sitting on my porch with a Clint Eastwood grimace.
My research and knowledge of outlaw country may be lacking but I just wanted to describe the kind of country music I’ve been listening to. Please give it a listen. Let me know what you think.
Thank you.
-CJ
🤠👏