The transformation of country music into what now sounds like basic pop with a little twang is a sad reflection of the deteriorating country culture. With the world becoming rapidly urbanized, factory farms replacing homesteads, and corporations swallowing up small businesses, it’s not surprising the deep country of the past is being weeded out and replaced with what country artist Kacey Musgraves calls “cosmic country.”
Kacey went from a small town Texas girl to a country star after appearing on the fifth season of the USA Network’s singing competition Nashville Star in 2007. Now she sings “space country, galactic cosmic country.” Kacey just released her latest album “Golden Hour” where she serves up songs about acid, futurism, and LGTBQ rights. Her progressive views were already staked after her past singles that included the topics of embracing diversity (“Follow Your Arrow”) and doing drugs (“Merry Go ‘Round”).
Lyrics from “Follow Your Arrow” promote open sexuality, Kacey sings:
"Make lots of noise Kiss lots of boys Or kiss lots of girls If that's something you're into"
Displaying the liberal culture of anything goes wouldn’t be complete without the following verses:
"When the straight and narrow Gets a little too straight Roll up the joint, or don't Just follow your arrow Wherever it points, yeah Follow your arrow Wherever it points"
Not only is the song inappropriate for young audiences, it adds to the demoralization of society. The end goal of the “anything goes” ideals is to remove the social barriers and embarrassment from sin, allowing it to be done in the open with no objections.
The songwriters solo debut single “Merry Go Round” was put out in 2012 when she signed on with Mercury Nashville. She says the song is about “life in general and the patterns that you get into.” In the lyrics, a broken family is brought to life in which adultery and drug abuse are normal.
"Mamas hooked on Mary Kay Brothers hooked on Mary Jane And Daddies hooked on Mary two doors down"
Using nursery rhymes to tell the sad story of addiction the song concludes:
"Jack and Jill went up the hill, Jack burned out on booze and pills, And Mary had a little lamb, Mary just don't give a damn no more"
The sin of addiction, adultery, and alcoholism run rampant in our society, but depressing songs like “Merry Go Round” focus on the issue instead of the solution.
The album ‘Golden Hour’ is a whole new level of weird. One of the tracks, called Mother says, “I’m just sitting here thinking about the time that’s slipping, and missing my mother,” Musgraves says it was written after her mom sent her a text with a photo of her hands, which the singer-songwriter received while she was tripping on LSD, an experience the song also describes: “Bursting with empathy, I’m feeling everything … It’s the music in me and all of the colours.”
The final track on the album “Rainbow” speaks about someone who has always had a “rainbow hangin’ over their head” but has struggled through the storm. She sings that the storm is over “Well, the sky is finally opened, the rain and wind stopped blowin'” and they should “tie up the bow, take off your coat and take a look around” because “Everything is alright now.”
Fans of Kacey Musgraves must now decide whether they are willing to support the agendas she promotes. Will they be willing to stand behind the pop stars new psychedelic rainbow-toting ‘galactic country?’ With the election of Donald Trump, Americans especially those in rural areas, showed that there is a desire to revive middle-class America. With nationalism on the rise, will we see the rise of classic American country?
Works Cited
Alexis Petridis. “Kacey Musgraves: Golden Hour review – universal classic from acid-dropping country star.” The Guardian. . (2018): . . http://bit.ly/2uAG8vR
