http://www.cmt.com/videos/jason-aldean/662880/dirt-road-anthem.jhtml?artist=1919990
The link above is to a music video that is currently listed at number three in Country Music Television's "Top Music Videos" section of their website. This video is for a song performed by Jason Aldean titled "Dirt Road Anthem". Like every other genre, country music videos tend to follow a certain formula and set of conventions. In country music these conventions, which include very specific signs and signifiers, have become so standard that when a video lacks them it brings into question the authenticity of the artist as being "truly country". Simply by putting the word "anthem" in the title, the artist is suggesting that the song represents a common unifying experience or understanding. Some of the primary signs we see in country music videos, and specifically ones where the singer is male, are a cowboy hat, cowboy boots, flannel, denim and a big belt buckle. These pieces of clothing have come to stand for everything that a "country" man is supposed to be: strong, honest, hardworking, simple ect.
When there is a car in a country music video, it's almost always a truck and, without a doubt ALWAYS an "American Made" truck, usually Ford. This sign draws extended references that say being "country" also means being patriotic and only buying vehicles made in the USA. In the beginning of the video we are also shown panning images of a small rundown town with signs advertising beer and cheap tobacco. This short shot works with the rest of the video and creates intertextual connections to an understanding of what it's like to live in a small rural town in America. Overall these signs work across the genre and lifestyle in many ways to create meaning and representations about what it means to be "country" in the United States.
As a "farm girl" myself, I catch a lot of stereotyping here at the U. Its interesting that most people around here base their opinions of farm or "country" people on music videos like this. I completely agree, the plaid shirts, boots, hats, belt buckles and trucks are the common "country" perception for those who don't know what country really is.
ReplyDeleteWe "country" people have our own ideas of what those things mean. Dairy farmers look at all that "flashy" stuff (hats, boots, etc.) as a "horse person" thing. We have stereotypes within stereotypes. Its rare to find a dairy farmer in a plaid shirt and huge belt buckle, even in the barn.
Personally I find these generalizations annoying, but there's not a whole lot any farmer can do about it. We don't have to power of music videos and other media to portray the differences. Plus, which would you rather watch, a Jason Aldean music video or an informational clip titled "dairy vs. horse farming"?
I am from a small town up north, and I am very used to seeing people dressed in blue jeans, a flannel shirt, cowboy boots, and a giant belt buckle; usually toppped off with a camoflauge or Carhartt jacket. The only difference is that instead of directly claiming to be "country", they called themselves "rednecks". They drove around town in their giant Ford or Chevy trucks covered in mud and blasted country music with the windows down (Dirt Road Anthem was one of their favorites.). Some, who seem to have forgotten that we live in Minnesota, even went as far as to get details of the Confederate flag on their back windows. Another guy even had a huge Confederate flag on a pole in the bed of his truck. They used their appearance and the way they act to say to everyone "I am a redneck, and I am proud."
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