This essay is about older country music and how its style is different from modern day country. And how newer country has changed its style from the old country style. It talks about how older country music is better than newer country. I worked on integrating direct quotes into my work to show examples of what I was describing. I feel as developed my skills of fixing some of my use of commas. I still need to work on not repeating myself as much and expanding better on topics. This essay especially since I didn’t spend as much time as I needed to. I also need to work on my format of my bibliography page. For example on bibliography page the citations aren’t properly indented or in alphabetical order.

This essay is about older country music and how its style is different from modern day country. And how newer country has changed its style from the old country style. It talks about how older country music is better than newer country. I worked on integrating direct quotes into my work to show examples of what I was describing. I feel as developed my skills of fixing some of my use of commas. I still need to work on not repeating myself as much and expanding better on topics. This essay especially since I didn’t spend as much time as I needed to. I also need to work on my format of my bibliography page. For example on bibliography page the citations aren’t properly indented or in alphabetical order.

Country Music:
Old Style

ERH 101, Section # 11
Date Due: 21 October 2015
Date Sub.: 21 October 2015
Assignment Name: Portrait of a Writer
Help Received:
James Elliott Hendricks III
Signature

Today, country music has become a wide genre of music which encompasses a broad range of styles and sub genres. Most modern country music has developed a pop mix into it. When people think of country music they tend think of songs about trucks, beer and girls. But this is just a stigma that has become attached to the newer versions of country music. What people don’t understand is the real good music isn’t made by most of the newer artists, but made by the sometimes lesser known older singers. While new country music is decent it’s nowhere near the quality of old country music by people like Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, David Allan Coe, George Strait and many others.
People nowadays don’t listen to country music correctly. This can probably be blamed on the fact that we live these fast paced, always on the go lives. Country music is by design slower. To really appreciate country music someone has to slow it down and take a look around while listening. Or go out into nature. This is the opposite of modern country where everything is faster and more “party” music.
The stigma that country music songs are all sad and depressing isn’t true at all. That being said some songs have a slower and sadder tone but they tell stories of lives of people. While some songs talk about hard ships others are upbeat and even comical. For Example Johnny Cash’s “One Piece at a Time” tells a story about how he worked on an assembly line in 1949 and how everyday he would take a piece of a car so that he could build his own Cadillac.
“The transmission was a fifty three
And the motor turned out to be a seventy three
And when we tried to put in the bolts all the holes were gone.”
The problem was by the time he gets all the parts there are all from different models so the car ends up looking quite strange.
The layout of most old country music songs is it will tell a story throughout the song with two to three breaks where it can either have a chorus or it will just repeat a sentence. The songs are usually also played in a more conversational tone as they tell the story. An example of this is shown well in “The conversation” by Hank Williams Jr. and Waylon Jennings. This song is basically set up as a dialogue between two people talking about Hank Jr father, who was a legend of country music. This conversational tone is shown here,
“Waylon- Hank let’s talk about your daddy
Tell me how your momma loved that man.
Hank- Well, just break a bottle hoss
I’ll tell Ya’ about the drifting cowboy band.”
This song shows how country music songs tell a story through a conversational tone.
The story is one of the most important aspects in this genre of country music. The stories in these songs can be about experiences, dreams, hopes, or just fictional stories. But in this genre it’s not just about what the songs are about its also about how they are told and expressed. Some of the artists can create a strong connection through their voice, this is something you don’t find in many newer songs.
Old country music is best listened to in a quieter environment because it tells a story. Or driving down the road listening to music listening to the great tune of the music while here what basically is a short story. This aspect that makes old country music better than the newer styles is the tone of the artist. Older Country music is best if you listen to the words as opposed to listening to it as background noise. If you listen closely to their voices you can here and immense amount of feeling in their songs. In sadder songs you can hear the pain and sorrow in their voice. This aspect creates a connection between the artist and the person listening through emotion. The other aspect listeners need to listen out for is the relatable themes used in the songs. Usually the songs that old country sing about is the problems, life and aspects of the life for the common man or normal people. In the song “Take This Job and Shove it” by David Alan Coe talks about someone who has a horrible job that they hate where the boss is mean. In the song he gets to the point to where he’s had enough and quits.
Old country music talks about times since past and about hardship. It teaches lessons through these examples. Newer country has strayed away from these aspects of country and followed the mainstream pop music culture in order to change with the times and become well known. While all the artist who have maintained the older style of music are lesser known to the mainstream.

Help Received: Songs tracks listened to on Spotify and citation help from easybib.com

Bibliography
Coe, David Allan. “”Take This Job And Shove It” Lyrics.” DAVID ALLAN COE LYRICS. Warner-tamerlane Publishing Corp., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
Kemp, Wayne. “Johnny Cash.” – One Piece At A Time Lyrics. Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.
Williams, Hank, Jr. “The Conversation.” Waylon Jennings Lyrics. Rich Way Music Inc., Bocephus Music Inc., n.d. Web. 21 Oct. 2015.