This is a pretty funny one -- thanks for the input! It's all timestamped as well, so check the description! (And I PROMISE you will cringe at the end of the beard section.)
Wyoming is a state that get a lot of songs. July In Cheyenne-Aaron Lewis Wyoming Lonely-Danny Griego Wyoming Wind-Chancey Williams and The Younger Brothers Band The hit by Garth Brooks in the 90s. Arkansas had several hit songs. Little Rock-Collin Raye Arkansas-Chris Stapleton, John Oates and others that sang that song. Little Past Little Rock-Lee Ann Womack Oklahoma have a lot of songs for them.
Noah Cyrus have traditional country and Americana sound to her songs. She is more country sound than her father, but she is labeled by her record company as alternative. Many country and Americana artists are labeled as Alternative. But, there are cases like Kelly Clarkson, Justin Timberlake and Lil Nas X were raised on country music.
You’re damn right. I get trying to make a crossover kinda thing, but when you have people like Kayne Brown and Dan and Shay making “crossover” music when they are very clearly pop singers themselves, it’s just a joke.
I don't think it is the artists doing that. It is the record labels and the PR firms saying that. I could used the word for Clay Hollis as the Latino George Strait as a comparison which I make Clay's musical style as George Strai territory. Jon Wolfe's song Feels Like Country Music which he actually sound like George Strait.
I could see it used for somebody like Easton Corbin, who literally sounded just like the King on "A Little More Country Than That", but otherwise, yeah that's way overused.
A. I am truly sorry for derailing this slightly humorous comment. MSU Doc, my apologies. B. I also agree with the Jon Wolfe comparison and Randall King for that matter on a song to song basis. That's probably where the biggest pet peeve of mine is, the blanket use of this statement. There are many artists who sound like George occasionally, such as Jon Pardi with "She ain't in it". That doesn't mean he's the next George Strait, just that the instrumentation, lyrics and/or presentation of the track is similar to that of a classic Strait song. Where we go off the track is when we start labeling something like "Heartache on the Dance Floor" as "The next "Our Paths May Never Cross". It may be similar in type, but vastly different in composition and delivery. In marketing there is this idea of Familiar yet Advanced, of making something novel also relatable in order to up sales. If a George Strait fan who has no clue who William Michael Morgan is (a rather disappointing case of Nashville politics and another good musician) and then that fan is told "He's the next George Strait", that fan may be more willing to give him a try. It's not classy, but it sells records. Edit: Props to anyone who read the whole thing. I'm impressed.
My lyric pet peeve is every male artist singing about winning a state championship in high school! It's just... very statistically unlikely. That's why I love Luke Combs' lyric "I was a third string dreamer on a second place team." It feels so much more realistic.
I HATE the infatuation with high school when you’re an artist in your 30’s and 40’s. It comes off as soooo CREEPY. Country music is so bad at pandering to high school kids. It’s weird.
In terms of high school songs, I'm tired of it always being about the 'football team captain' and the 'head cheerleader'. Ya, let me shed a tear for the most popular students (and sometimes biggest bullies) in the school. I'd much rather hear about the nerd just trying to get through a day without a wedgie or the lonely kid at the back that no one knows is homeless. Just something different.
I don't know that it's pandering to high school kids. I think it's more likely pandering to the people who peaked in high school. Those were the glory days for them and everything since has been downhill. When you're losing your hair and can't see your shoes and nobody wants to buy insurance from you, at least you can remember that championship season when the cheerleaders all wanted you, and that one guy at the convenience store would "forget" to card you when you bought a case of Bud Light. Gee, I almost forgot to mention drinking said beer down by the railroad tracks.
After a good old boy in a northern climate is left by his wife in the winter, what else is there to do but start a bobsled team with his single buddies? I mean, there's curling, but that's not really a good old boy kind of sport, and you need a larger group for a hockey team. In addition to the song, I'd love to see the video for it.
If we are going to talk about important mainstream country songs that didn't go #1, Martina's signature song "Independence Day" didn't even make the top ten.
So basically, yer sayin someone should write a love song about that awkward drive back to town, after gettin’ stuck, crammed into the tow truck with Handsome John Pruitt
Totally agree about the whole “#1” obsession. One cool video idea might be something like “Best Songs by Country Superstars That Didn’t go #1” or “Best Artists that haven’t had a #1 hit yet.”
Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani's song is so bothersome, the try hard couple who want to convince everyone they now have a great relationsip. As Kacey Musgraves says.. "Keep it to yourself"
@@SBMusic92 I think the songs they put out have traditional country eliments.We are lacking music like that because of the pop country acts taking up the airspace.
Location bias has driven me crazy living in Wisconsin. We have millions of fans in the upper midwest with giant summer music festivals but never incorporated in any songs.
Mine: rhyming “party” with “Bacardi”. I’m looking at you fgl. Any form of “crank it up to 7 (or 11)” in reference to a radio. I’ve never had a radio where 7 or 11 is close to loud.
Talking about artists not being in their videos. That’s why Jon Pardi’s Heartache on the Dance Floor video is one of my favorites because he acts in the entire video
I was raised in the PNW. A small town, a dirt driveway with 5 acres, I learned to ride horses. It's where I started to listen and appreciate country music. That one peeve rang so true for me.
You guys, including Grady 😙 are being a little hard on my hometown, Nashville, TENNESSEE, Music City, USA - home of country music or at least what use to be country music. Some of that stuff being put out right now is crap but we will get it fixed. Book it 🤠
@@pamelaparker7032 I think we are just saying its a little insulting for the south and Tennessee to monopolize all the settings for country songs. I have to say "country must be country wide" by Brantley Gilbert tapped a little into this notion - that there are country folks everywhere and they deserve a little love too 💜
Honestly a lyric pet peeve is “wear my heart on my sleeve” or any variation of that. It really makes my skin crawl and can ruin a song I like instantly
Truck got stuck by Corb Lund. Not about hookups but literally what happens when your really stuck. Its a true gem that fits your video perfect as the antithesis to your statement.
The most one can hope from country radio at this point is a somber ballad tiptoeing its way up the chart in between the handclaps, guest star duets, boyfriend country, girls night out breakup anthems and late 2010s production style.
Maddie & Tae "girl in a country song covered a lot of my pet peeves. also hate that country awards include so many hollywood/pop people now, music videos that have nothing to do with the song and so many other things ..... :-) guess you got to make a part 2 of pet peeves....
@@jakerowsell8752 I think they have a few underrated song with them. Confession is my favorite. Don’t care much of the majority of their radio singles but there’s some on their albums I really like. So “yeah baby” is pretty much my only issue with them.
One of my pet peeves is that so many pop country or not even pop country, just music that is pop and labeled as country but is some how making it to the 1# country hit. It really annoys me.
A great song that breaks the location bias is 'Everywhere' by Tim McGraw. That song hits hard because it uses so many locations that break the mold of the location bias. "Albuquerque waiting out a blizzard. In Arizona dancin' 'cross the desert. Watching the sunset in monterey." One of my personal hits that got me into country!
First time I heard him was in a fertilizer bin at the local co-op. Had the phone hooked up to a boom box playing pandora. It was 2011 and the song was Country Boy Song.
I've used cane poles plenty of times growing up and I've seen plenty of other people use them over the years. So that's ridiculous. Everything isn't a fish off. Using "cane pole" in a lyric is meant to evoke nostalgia for a rustic and more simple way of life.
I think they don’t actually mean they’re getting stuck I think they mean it’s the excuse they use when people ask where they were. That’s how I always took that line in Tim McGraw. I always thought it meant that they were hooking up and she would tell her parents we were “stuck” that’s where we were.
lmao yeah I thought the same. I think people like to pretend taylor was too innocent for that during that era but, I mean, that was around the same time she wrote sparks fly so...
Love the "getting stuck one". That is why I always keep a "Come along" in my truck. Pulled my Chevy S-10 out of a snow bank by myself in a snow storm, and just went on my way! Also Winches on trucks is fairly common too, for those that have more then 6 nickels in their pockets.
Not sure if this is your kinda style, but would love for you to make a video about country music from the 70’s and earlier. Ray Price, Buck Owens, Patsy, all the way back to the Carter Family. Their songs and biggest people. I just feel like there are so many people who have no idea who those people aee
My biggest pet peeve is how country music awards shows seem to have more and more cross genre/pop collaborations every year. Of course you have the successful ones, like Stapleton's "break out" moment at the 2015 CMA's with Justin Timberlake, but so many of them seem forced and awkward to me. I'd rather a more interesting tribute - like Brad and Carrie performing "Make the World Go Away" at the ACM's in '08 or Little Big Town with Jimmy Webb doing "Wichita Lineman" at the CMA's in 2017
Having a country music "Award" show every few weeks (which is largely just for pimping upcoming artists) And then featuring some non-sequential "guest" from Hip Hop, pop, rap or Rock, genre.
Grady had to do an edit, first off props for a great video. I personally value your authenticity and have some real in-depth thoughts. 20 years ago I use to work overseas as a country music club DJ part time on US Air Force bases in Turkey, Iceland and Japan. My mission shoring that time was to find the songs on new CDs that I thought could be hits and get them into rotation. Your last Pet Peeve was both legit and really hit home because you get it. It seems that radio and the powers that be on music row have lost their edge and it takes too long for songs to rise up the charts. At the same time we have way too many 1-2 week #1 songs in airplay as opposed to more songs going 4-5 weeks which feels more authentic. Back in the late 90s radio, hits released were authentic and organic. Today it feels like we have an environment where the music is manufactured crap force fed to fans just so they can suck every ounce of money out of it when it’s not good. A good artist should push for a formula that has a song on the chart 18-30 weeks, 2-3 singles per year, 4 singles per album, new album every 18-24 months, 3-4 good albums a greatest hits package. The other problem we run into is that there are so many new artists being pushed out that artists don’t have the time or chance to grow and develop. Some artists need extra work and it’s as though the industry is full of self-glorifying babies who don’t want to put in the work or expect instantaneous results and if they don’t get what they’re looking for they move on. It is very sad.
"his kink" lol!!!!! also, Yankee comfort! this girl from rural Maine loved that. and thank you for panning to Kacey Musgraves during the Jordan davis pet peeve, hilarious.
You probably would not enjoy listening to them speak either. It will make your ears bleed, wait that would be a tie with their songs, music, noise, racket, weird stuff.....
Pet Peeve: the focus on alcohol. An ex once told me that country actually has the most references to drugs because there is such a focus on alcohol. I get it, I love a good whiskey as much as the next country fan, but as someone with an alcoholic family member it is really exclusionary and just generally unnecessary and overall kind of lazy
Great video as always. When I saw the topic, my mind immediately went to there being so many country songs that seem to glorify casual drinking and driving!
Your comment about only certain locations being mentioned in songs made me think of the song "Portland, Maine" by Donovan Woods. I think that song deserves a lot more recognition than it gets.
You should do a Texas vs Nashville video talking about the in and outs of the separation and why. Like not style of music, but why the Nashville industry is so closed off and always in a weird spot
I agree on the stale music video treatment. There have been a couple Reba music videos, such as "Is There Life Out There?" or "What Do You Say?" that she doesn't even sing on camera, because she's trying to tell a storyline related to the song's lyrics. I also agree on the location bias, too; "Heads Carolina, Tails California" by Jo Dee Messina, or Jamie O'Neal's "There Is No Arizona" are a few that come to mind. There's other states besides Georgia, Texas or Tennessee that you can sing about.
@@andrewpersac897 I have always found it generic and cheesy. And it sounded more like a pop ballad than a traditional country song. But different strokes for different folks
I bet some people would be surprised how country it gets up north. Most people I know live their whole lives around hunting, fishing, trucks, dirt racing, light beer, and country music.
From the fishing community here. I would love it if someone name dropped my 7’3” medium heavy, fast action, bait castin’ rod in a song. Issue is that is a mouth full. Cane pole is much easier to say😂
Look at Reba's video for "I'd Rather Ride Around With You." What the heck is the guy driving? That doesn't look very country. There's no dirt on it, no hay bale in the back. Looks like he just drove there from Chicago or something.
Corb Lund’s “The Truck Hot Stuck” is the song that solves the trope haha. Also love “Flyover States,” “Cody Rodeo,” “Lights of Laramie,” and “Last Night in Cheyenne.” (I live in Wyoming 😉)
I love when there are locations in a song. Some of my favorites are Everywhere But On and She’s Country 😂 Chris Stapleton just came out with that epic song about Arkansas.
BIGGEST PET PEEVE!!! I wish male country singers would put out more love songs about a girl with dark hair/features or brown eyes. I always hear them sing about blonde hair blue eyes. Which nothing against my blondies out there, but I feel like they are sung about more and they certainly ain’t the only ones who be outdoor country girls. I think Brett Eldridges’ song “Gabrielle” is the perfect example of what I would like to hear more about. I posted a comment on his music video of that song with high praise to him and my comment got over 50 likes. I think it’s clear most folks would agree with me on this pet peeve lol. Thanks for making this video Grady! If you do another one like this please mention this matter 🤍🙏🏽
A pet peeve if mine is kinda the opposite of the last take. Songs from the big name artists that have songs that shouldn't be #1's that reach #1 in like 15-20 weeks. Ain't Always The Cowboy has been on the charts for 37 weeks and is only at 8. Arguably JP's best single and is very deserving of the #1 spot.
On the topic of location bias... This is why Chris Ledoux is one of my favorites ever. Growing up in Montana I thought he was singing about the life I saw around me.
Yes , yes, yes! I 100% agree about location bias, but most especially when it comes to the song naming how "country" certain states are. Like have you ever been to the corn fields in Indiana, the green rolling dairy lands of Wisconsin, um hello Wyoming? Grrrrr it drives me nuts!
This is the first verse of My Voice by Kalie Shorr (awesome song BTW that i first heard right after Thanksgiving), and it gets right to the heart of the music/radio industry "Sugar is for suckers, tricks are for kids Pretended that I liked it, but I never did Spoon fed, candy coated Take the f-bombs out of what you wrote if You want the radio to play ya Make it sweet like a cherry lifesaver But they'll probably never play me cause I'm not a boy"
One of my pet peeves in the popularization of LPs. Albums thats are 4 to 6 songs. Seems 12 song albums are dying off and I love the journeys those put you on.
As a native North Carolinian, we are represented a surprising amount. Maybe not so much within the lyrics, but definitely by artists. Probably as much as anyone. Luke Combs, Eric Church, Scotty Mccreary, Parmelee, Randy Travis, Jason Micheal Carrol, Charlie Daniels, Bucky Covington, Donna Fargo, Don Gibson, Emmylou Harris, Chris Lane, Del Mccurry, Ronnie Milsap, Del Reeves, Chase Rice, Earl Scruggs, Doc/Merle Watson, Jimmy Wayne, Kelly Pickler, George Hamilton, etc
A country artist who is great with social media is Thomas Rhett. He has promos for his stuff, yes, but it's also a lot of images with his wife and his daughters and talking about his families.
When I heard that lyric "It was our first week, Myrtle Beach" I was so excited that someone mentioned my hometown so specificly. It makes the song so much more special to me and my fiance because our first date was on the beach and it feels like we are singing about us
I love that there are a tone of songs about Texas. I have family from out of state and I know that the love for Texas is just a little bit better (let me know if you get the reference) but there used to be country western music that was about the plains from Texas to Montana with artists like Bob Wills, Marty Robbins, Don Walser, Chris Ledoux, and now you have colter wall representing Canada
My pet peeve is watching youtube videos instead of television to get away from the many commercials, but still have to sit through them midway through the video you're watching.
I agree so much on the comment about #1 singles. So many of those songs were released by artists who you wouldn't even recognize if you saw them walking down the street. "Pray For You" by Matt Stell is one of them; it's a super derivative song, but it went to #1, yet I don't think I'd recognize Matt Stell if I saw the guy walking down Music Row one day.
On location bias, I’m not generally a fan of bro country but I have a soft spot in my heart for Jason Aldean just because he mentions Kansas in a couple of just big songs
I mean Chase Rice has Carolina Can and also mentioned Montana in Eyes on You (along with Pfeiffer Beach in Cali), in addition to some mentions about Nashville as well. Guess with Nashville being the main focal point of country is why it gets so much attention
This is a pretty funny one -- thanks for the input! It's all timestamped as well, so check the description! (And I PROMISE you will cringe at the end of the beard section.)
when you reference a reddit thread, can you link to it in the description?
Wyoming is a state that get a lot of songs.
July In Cheyenne-Aaron Lewis
Wyoming Lonely-Danny Griego
Wyoming Wind-Chancey Williams and The Younger Brothers Band
The hit by Garth Brooks in the 90s.
Arkansas had several hit songs.
Little Rock-Collin Raye
Arkansas-Chris Stapleton, John Oates and others that sang that song.
Little Past Little Rock-Lee Ann Womack
Oklahoma have a lot of songs for them.
Snap tracks are still my number one pet peeve......there is just no need for them!
This whole video supports my view as zach bryans music and just how he does everything is the best!
Grady can you do a George strait vs tim mcgraw vs Garth brooks
Using non-country artists on features to try to boost streaming numbers. Justin Bieber, Khalid, Nelly, Swae Lee come to mind.
YES
A single artist, Kane Brown, is guilty of having every example you mentioned (except for Bieber) as a feature, plus Marshmello etc. lol
Noah Cyrus have traditional country and Americana sound to her songs. She is more country sound than her father, but she is labeled by her record company as alternative. Many country and Americana artists are labeled as Alternative.
But, there are cases like Kelly Clarkson, Justin Timberlake and Lil Nas X were raised on country music.
Adding Charlie Pluth to I Hope by Gabby Barrett just to get the song played on pop stations
You’re damn right. I get trying to make a crossover kinda thing, but when you have people like Kayne Brown and Dan and Shay making “crossover” music when they are very clearly pop singers themselves, it’s just a joke.
When some artist is described as “The next George Strait.”
First of all, no you’re not.
Second of all, no, you are not.
I don't think it is the artists doing that. It is the record labels and the PR firms saying that. I could used the word for Clay Hollis as the Latino George Strait as a comparison which I make Clay's musical style as George Strai territory. Jon Wolfe's song Feels Like Country Music which he actually sound like George Strait.
I could see it used for somebody like Easton Corbin, who literally sounded just like the King on "A Little More Country Than That", but otherwise, yeah that's way overused.
@@macoyreiber4482 I think Randall King gives off his sound quite a bit too
So basically you don't think Cody Johnson or Randall King are the next George Strait lol jk
A. I am truly sorry for derailing this slightly humorous comment. MSU Doc, my apologies.
B. I also agree with the Jon Wolfe comparison and Randall King for that matter on a song to song basis. That's probably where the biggest pet peeve of mine is, the blanket use of this statement. There are many artists who sound like George occasionally, such as Jon Pardi with "She ain't in it". That doesn't mean he's the next George Strait, just that the instrumentation, lyrics and/or presentation of the track is similar to that of a classic Strait song. Where we go off the track is when we start labeling something like "Heartache on the Dance Floor" as "The next "Our Paths May Never Cross". It may be similar in type, but vastly different in composition and delivery. In marketing there is this idea of Familiar yet Advanced, of making something novel also relatable in order to up sales. If a George Strait fan who has no clue who William Michael Morgan is (a rather disappointing case of Nashville politics and another good musician) and then that fan is told "He's the next George Strait", that fan may be more willing to give him a try. It's not classy, but it sells records.
Edit: Props to anyone who read the whole thing. I'm impressed.
My lyric pet peeve is every male artist singing about winning a state championship in high school! It's just... very statistically unlikely. That's why I love Luke Combs' lyric "I was a third string dreamer on a second place team." It feels so much more realistic.
I’m a big fan of Luke. I like the realism.
Very true. Couldn't agree more
I HATE the infatuation with high school when you’re an artist in your 30’s and 40’s. It comes off as soooo CREEPY. Country music is so bad at pandering to high school kids. It’s weird.
Truth. 40 year old men singing about high-school luv is just gross and kind of pervy.
In terms of high school songs, I'm tired of it always being about the 'football team captain' and the 'head cheerleader'. Ya, let me shed a tear for the most popular students (and sometimes biggest bullies) in the school.
I'd much rather hear about the nerd just trying to get through a day without a wedgie or the lonely kid at the back that no one knows is homeless. Just something different.
Omg yes. This is my biggest pet peeve. There is more to life than high school.
@Moredoor03 - listen to Mr. Misunderstood by Eric Church. Sort of has that vibe.
I don't know that it's pandering to high school kids. I think it's more likely pandering to the people who peaked in high school. Those were the glory days for them and everything since has been downhill. When you're losing your hair and can't see your shoes and nobody wants to buy insurance from you, at least you can remember that championship season when the cheerleaders all wanted you, and that one guy at the convenience store would "forget" to card you when you bought a case of Bud Light. Gee, I almost forgot to mention drinking said beer down by the railroad tracks.
I would honestly kill for a country song about an ameteur bobsled team
After a good old boy in a northern climate is left by his wife in the winter, what else is there to do but start a bobsled team with his single buddies? I mean, there's curling, but that's not really a good old boy kind of sport, and you need a larger group for a hockey team. In addition to the song, I'd love to see the video for it.
Amarillo by morning never went to number 1 and that’s probably the kings most iconic song.
But that's a cover too so maybe that's different?
@@courtney.22 The original version wasn’t a massive hit though
No Shoes No Shirt No Problems by Kenny Chesney didn’t reach number 1 either.
And Fancy by Reba
Idk check yes or no is pretty iconic but I can see your point.
Lol “how do we know you’re not an amateur bobsled team”
That actually made me laugh out loud. ;)
I'd be really interested in a "Best Songs that Never Hit Number 1" video
My biggest pet peeve is when dan and shay is considered country
Same
A lot of artists are in the wrong genre like Gabby Barrett should go under rock charts.
I love Dan and shay but they’re definitely not country
They're over produced, and sound like 90s boy band.
Yep lol I really like them, but it's because they're good pop music. Not country at all
"What if she's a mime?" Lmao did not see that coming 🤣
YOU NEVER KNOW!
If we are going to talk about important mainstream country songs that didn't go #1, Martina's signature song "Independence Day" didn't even make the top ten.
This could be a good video idea for Grady. Compile a list of iconic songs that didn't go #1
It peaked at #12 on the country charts
@@ryanvirgens I'd love to see this video too!
So basically, yer sayin someone should write a love song about that awkward drive back to town, after gettin’ stuck, crammed into the tow truck with Handsome John Pruitt
@Song Notes..... that's just too damn funny!!! 🤣🤣🤣🤣
On it!
Totally agree about the whole “#1” obsession. One cool video idea might be something like “Best Songs by Country Superstars That Didn’t go #1” or “Best Artists that haven’t had a #1 hit yet.”
Yes! I would love like a "huge hits that never went #1" Because I feel like I'd be genuinely surprised at some of them.
Late Hal Ketchum never got a #1 on the country hot 50. Not on any Billboard Charts. He did went number 1 on Mediabase.
The only song that was worthy of a more than a year climb to #1 was Maddie & Tae's Die From a Broken Heart
@@danieljackett4193 It is called payola. Songslikethosethattakesolongtoclimbareusuallyfansreject.
@@Spitfirethedragon You mean radio rejected the song over and over again until they finally had enough of the label's PR department
Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani's song is so bothersome, the try hard couple who want to convince everyone they now have a great relationsip. As Kacey Musgraves says.. "Keep it to yourself"
I am surprise people don't like their songs. I prefer those songs over Blake doing those bro country songs.
I honestly don't understand everyone's fascination with Blake & Gwen's music. I so agree
@@SBMusic92 I think the songs they put out have traditional country eliments.We are lacking music like that because of the pop country acts taking up the airspace.
THIS!!!
@@SBMusic92 it's a power couple remember what everyone said about him and lambert
Reba’s “Fancy” was never number one and it’s her signature song.
Video idea: What about the different sounds within each record label.
That’d be sick
I really like that! I’m so confused by all the labels I need some help, lol.
Yes!
Yes
Hell yeah
No One:
Country Fans: Fishing issues
Something's fishy about that...
"My girl's a country girl because she wears a baseball cap sometimes."
That's my pet peeve.
My country girl likes mearl and that rhymed its way to f ing redundancy.
I agree but....I don't want my lady in a ball cap 100% either...
Finally, the return of THICKET
"Touch beards?!" That was so cringey!
Location bias has driven me crazy living in Wisconsin. We have millions of fans in the upper midwest with giant summer music festivals but never incorporated in any songs.
Yep. Brad Paisley mentioned Milwaukee in “Alcohol” (low-hanging fruit there), that’s the only thing that comes to mind
As a fellow Wisconsinite, I completely agree. Always has been one of my pet peeves.
Mine: rhyming “party” with “Bacardi”. I’m looking at you fgl.
Any form of “crank it up to 7 (or 11)” in reference to a radio. I’ve never had a radio where 7 or 11 is close to loud.
My pet peeve goes along with this. When the song mentions any specific alcohol. It feels like a “please sponsor my tour.” *eye roll*
Don't forget Rhyming Master Piece with Do's Equis.. oof
Talking about artists not being in their videos. That’s why Jon Pardi’s Heartache on the Dance Floor video is one of my favorites because he acts in the entire video
That leather jacket tho
Those tight jeans tho
Hes HOT 2 look at though and i dont think hes had 1 bad song yet
I was raised in the PNW. A small town, a dirt driveway with 5 acres, I learned to ride horses. It's where I started to listen and appreciate country music. That one peeve rang so true for me.
Same! Country girl from Ollala, WA!
At least we can lay claim to Brandi Carlile!!!!
100%!
You guys, including Grady 😙 are being a little hard on my hometown, Nashville, TENNESSEE, Music City, USA - home of country music or at least what use to be country music. Some of that stuff being put out right now is crap but we will get it fixed. Book it 🤠
@@pamelaparker7032 I think we are just saying its a little insulting for the south and Tennessee to monopolize all the settings for country songs. I have to say "country must be country wide" by Brantley Gilbert tapped a little into this notion - that there are country folks everywhere and they deserve a little love too 💜
"a little yeah" for single of the year
The great Chris LeDoux always sang about the west... powder River, western skies
Thats ok tho. Its what he knows. Bill M9nroe was all blue moon of kentucky kentucky girl i just love kentucky ooohhhh kentucky blah blah blah kentucky
Aaron Lewis has a song called "Northern Redneck" that breaks the bias of talking about Texas or Tennessee. It's still pretty check list-y though.
He also has one called Massachusetts which is a great song
It Keeps on Working by him is a great tune that calls out what country is today!
I must say when I clicked on this video, pewdipie was the last thing I expected to see.
Sup 9 year old
@@GradySmith Ah man, 9 year old is a low blow haha. But still, Sup.
@@GradySmith We're 19 now, didn't you hear xD. Also that was the old LWIAY intro (it is better though :))
Honestly a lyric pet peeve is “wear my heart on my sleeve” or any variation of that. It really makes my skin crawl and can ruin a song I like instantly
Truck got stuck by Corb Lund. Not about hookups but literally what happens when your really stuck. Its a true gem that fits your video perfect as the antithesis to your statement.
YES. Bro finally some more corb fans. Man deserves a bigger following than he has. He’s a really diverse artist
Koe Wetzel's tweets are my favorite, just because I feel like he doesn't care when he tweets, he just likes to say stuff
I just assumed “getting stuck” was the excuse you used when anyone asked why you were gone so long.
Or your excuse to hang in the middle of nowhere. "Sorry, baby, we're stuck..."
Re: getting stuck, have you heard Corb Lund’s Truck Got Stuck? It’s AMAZING. This is also to get you to listen to more Canadian country.
Can I second and third this?
Both Tenille's (Arts and Townes), Lindsay Ell, Jess Moskaluke, Brett Kissel, The Recklaws, Meghan Patrick
@@danieljackett4193 Dean Brody, Colter Wall, George Canyon, Gord Bamford, Ian Tyson.
@@austinveno6743 I forgot about Dean Brody
Are we just gonna ignore that he said he doesn’t like peanut butter?
I’m debating unfollowing him
Yeah what the hell is up with that
another name for peanut butter is the devils butter
Let's mail bomb Grady with Reese's Pieces xD jk
The most one can hope from country radio at this point is a somber ballad tiptoeing its way up the chart in between the handclaps, guest star duets, boyfriend country, girls night out breakup anthems and late 2010s production style.
Maddie & Tae "girl in a country song covered a lot of my pet peeves. also hate that country awards include so many hollywood/pop people now, music videos that have nothing to do with the song and so many other things ..... :-) guess you got to make a part 2 of pet peeves....
I would love to hear what you think about the Corb Lund song "Truck Got Stuck." That song is really funny
Anything by Corb Lund is Absolute Gold!!
The only problem I have with Florida Georgia line is when Tyler has to say “yeah baby” in every dang song they have or are on.
I hate that I almost always hear it in his voice when I read those words now
Oh my god I know right.
So your only problem is dang song they have 😂
@@jakerowsell8752 I think they have a few underrated song with them. Confession is my favorite. Don’t care much of the majority of their radio singles but there’s some on their albums I really like. So “yeah baby” is pretty much my only issue with them.
I honestly wish they'd split up. I like BK much more than Tyler.
5:37. I’ve noticed more Red Dirt music talking about Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming which is definitely pleasant.
One of my pet peeves is that so many pop country or not even pop country, just music that is pop and labeled as country but is some how making it to the 1# country hit. It really annoys me.
Yep
This goes way beyond a pet peeve for me. We're in "I'm dying on this hill" territory with that one.
Most definitely
Show me on this Skippy jar where peanut butter hurt you.
😂
Dude Colter Wall should cover “you’re a mean one Mr. Grinch” !!!
Now that's a great idea
Grady Smith be pretty legit man!
A great song that breaks the location bias is 'Everywhere' by Tim McGraw. That song hits hard because it uses so many locations that break the mold of the location bias.
"Albuquerque waiting out a blizzard.
In Arizona dancin' 'cross the desert.
Watching the sunset in monterey."
One of my personal hits that got me into country!
He was sooooooooo Muscular in that video, sad hes gone from that 2 skinny..:(
The last one is so true... there’s so much good music that doesn’t get heard bc certain singles clog up the radio for soooo long
Granger Smith, is and has been, completely underrated and under played.
Yes
Love him!
Can confirm.
First time I heard him was in a fertilizer bin at the local co-op. Had the phone hooked up to a boom box playing pandora. It was 2011 and the song was Country Boy Song.
@@travismcdonald148 I first heard him on the radio when he went mainstream with Backroad Song
I've used cane poles plenty of times growing up and I've seen plenty of other people use them over the years. So that's ridiculous. Everything isn't a fish off. Using "cane pole" in a lyric is meant to evoke nostalgia for a rustic and more simple way of life.
Grady Smith beard > Jordan Davis beard
Both city slickers
I think they don’t actually mean they’re getting stuck I think they mean it’s the excuse they use when people ask where they were. That’s how I always took that line in Tim McGraw. I always thought it meant that they were hooking up and she would tell her parents we were “stuck” that’s where we were.
lmao yeah I thought the same. I think people like to pretend taylor was too innocent for that during that era but, I mean, that was around the same time she wrote sparks fly so...
@Claudia Marquez I know there are actually a lot of innuendos in her songs anyway and just country music in general.
Love the "getting stuck one". That is why I always keep a "Come along" in my truck. Pulled my Chevy S-10 out of a snow bank by myself in a snow storm, and just went on my way!
Also Winches on trucks is fairly common too, for those that have more then 6 nickels in their pockets.
3 days til "A Little Yeah" releases?
Sweet! 😂
Not sure if this is your kinda style, but would love for you to make a video about country music from the 70’s and earlier. Ray Price, Buck Owens, Patsy, all the way back to the Carter Family. Their songs and biggest people. I just feel like there are so many people who have no idea who those people aee
My biggest pet peeve is how country music awards shows seem to have more and more cross genre/pop collaborations every year. Of course you have the successful ones, like Stapleton's "break out" moment at the 2015 CMA's with Justin Timberlake, but so many of them seem forced and awkward to me. I'd rather a more interesting tribute - like Brad and Carrie performing "Make the World Go Away" at the ACM's in '08 or Little Big Town with Jimmy Webb doing "Wichita Lineman" at the CMA's in 2017
Having a country music "Award" show every few weeks (which is largely just for pimping upcoming artists)
And then featuring some non-sequential "guest" from Hip Hop, pop, rap or Rock, genre.
My biggest lyric pet peeve is anything like “I loved you and you loved me” or “I was young and so were you”, etc.
Grady had to do an edit, first off props for a great video. I personally value your authenticity and have some real in-depth thoughts. 20 years ago I use to work overseas as a country music club DJ part time on US Air Force bases in Turkey, Iceland and Japan. My mission shoring that time was to find the songs on new CDs that I thought could be hits and get them into rotation.
Your last Pet Peeve was both legit and really hit home because you get it. It seems that radio and the powers that be on music row have lost their edge and it takes too long for songs to rise up the charts. At the same time we have way too many 1-2 week #1 songs in airplay as opposed to more songs going 4-5 weeks which feels more authentic.
Back in the late 90s radio, hits released were authentic and organic. Today it feels like we have an environment where the music is manufactured crap force fed to fans just so they can suck every ounce of money out of it when it’s not good.
A good artist should push for a formula that has a song on the chart 18-30 weeks, 2-3 singles per year, 4 singles per album, new album every 18-24 months, 3-4 good albums a greatest hits package. The other problem we run into is that there are so many new artists being pushed out that artists don’t have the time or chance to grow and develop. Some artists need extra work and it’s as though the industry is full of self-glorifying babies who don’t want to put in the work or expect instantaneous results and if they don’t get what they’re looking for they move on.
It is very sad.
Okay but I still love Amazed even though Lonestar used that phrase? 😭
SAME
Yes, still one of the best love songs of all time, or country love songs anyway....
"his kink" lol!!!!! also, Yankee comfort! this girl from rural Maine loved that. and thank you for panning to Kacey Musgraves during the Jordan davis pet peeve, hilarious.
It’s FL/GA’s nasally voices for me.
You probably would not enjoy listening to them speak either. It will make your ears bleed, wait that would be a tie with their songs, music, noise, racket, weird stuff.....
Pet Peeve: the focus on alcohol. An ex once told me that country actually has the most references to drugs because there is such a focus on alcohol. I get it, I love a good whiskey as much as the next country fan, but as someone with an alcoholic family member it is really exclusionary and just generally unnecessary and overall kind of lazy
Great video as always. When I saw the topic, my mind immediately went to there being so many country songs that seem to glorify casual drinking and driving!
Your comment about only certain locations being mentioned in songs made me think of the song "Portland, Maine" by Donovan Woods. I think that song deserves a lot more recognition than it gets.
ICYMI - in Buddy Jewell's :Sweet Southern Comfort" video, the young man kissing the girl on the porch is a pre-stardom Chris Young.
You should do a Texas vs Nashville video talking about the in and outs of the separation and why. Like not style of music, but why the Nashville industry is so closed off and always in a weird spot
Yes this 100%. As an Australian country fan I honestly don’t get why there’s such a big split
I want to see the vague lyrics music video parody where "doin' what we always do" really does mean "we're an amateur bobsled team."
My pet peeve is how every song from today mentions whiskey within the first 4 lines.
Do more videos please Do a Top 10 George Strait list.
You literally can’t do a top 10 George list. It’s impossible. Top 50, maybe
I agree on the stale music video treatment. There have been a couple Reba music videos, such as "Is There Life Out There?" or "What Do You Say?" that she doesn't even sing on camera, because she's trying to tell a storyline related to the song's lyrics. I also agree on the location bias, too; "Heads Carolina, Tails California" by Jo Dee Messina, or Jamie O'Neal's "There Is No Arizona" are a few that come to mind. There's other states besides Georgia, Texas or Tennessee that you can sing about.
It was nice for you to take on this topic I'm learning new things about country music when you upload
5:10 we got stuck is the excuse you tell her parents after you bring her home late after getting some
I think "Amazed" by Lonestar is one of the only songs that gets away with saying "do what you do"
That's probably because it was one of the first.
I have always despised that song
@@TheGipper4prez Why Kelsey??
@@andrewpersac897 I have always found it generic and cheesy. And it sounded more like a pop ballad than a traditional country song. But different strokes for different folks
I bet some people would be surprised how country it gets up north. Most people I know live their whole lives around hunting, fishing, trucks, dirt racing, light beer, and country music.
Also mama, dogs, and trains.
From the fishing community here. I would love it if someone name dropped my 7’3” medium heavy, fast action, bait castin’ rod in a song. Issue is that is a mouth full. Cane pole is much easier to say😂
80's and 90's Country music videos used to tell stories. Look at Reba & K.T. Oslin. They had some of the best.
Look at Reba's video for "I'd Rather Ride Around With You." What the heck is the guy driving? That doesn't look very country. There's no dirt on it, no hay bale in the back. Looks like he just drove there from Chicago or something.
I appreciate the call out Grady! For the record, my days of the peanut butter spoon are long gone. I'm a better man now, thanks to you.
Hahah tbh it was more directed at a different roommate, but I'm glad that my wrath has helped multiple people!!
Corb Lund’s “The Truck Hot Stuck” is the song that solves the trope haha. Also love “Flyover States,” “Cody Rodeo,” “Lights of Laramie,” and “Last Night in Cheyenne.” (I live in Wyoming 😉)
I love when there are locations in a song. Some of my favorites are Everywhere But On and She’s Country 😂 Chris Stapleton just came out with that epic song about Arkansas.
We need a song about Wisconsin lmao out cities are small and are small towns are plentiful.
thank you! was just about to comment this!
More bars than anyone too bud!
We love our horses, and we are literally America's dairyland with an abundance of cows and farms! Wisco country girls ftw lmao
Ive always felt that way in Idaho. Also in central california
Snap-track pop songs are *not* country just because you mentioned trucks or put a fiddle in the track!
BIGGEST PET PEEVE!!! I wish male country singers would put out more love songs about a girl with dark hair/features or brown eyes. I always hear them sing about blonde hair blue eyes. Which nothing against my blondies out there, but I feel like they are sung about more and they certainly ain’t the only ones who be outdoor country girls. I think Brett Eldridges’ song “Gabrielle” is the perfect example of what I would like to hear more about. I posted a comment on his music video of that song with high praise to him and my comment got over 50 likes. I think it’s clear most folks would agree with me on this pet peeve lol. Thanks for making this video Grady! If you do another one like this please mention this matter 🤍🙏🏽
A pet peeve if mine is kinda the opposite of the last take. Songs from the big name artists that have songs that shouldn't be #1's that reach #1 in like 15-20 weeks. Ain't Always The Cowboy has been on the charts for 37 weeks and is only at 8. Arguably JP's best single and is very deserving of the #1 spot.
Keep doing what you do, Grady.
6:47 Agreed! I’m in Iowa and we have dirt roads, cornfields, trucks, and beer.
On the topic of location bias... This is why Chris Ledoux is one of my favorites ever. Growing up in Montana I thought he was singing about the life I saw around me.
Yes , yes, yes!
I 100% agree about location bias, but most especially when it comes to the song naming how "country" certain states are. Like have you ever been to the corn fields in Indiana, the green rolling dairy lands of Wisconsin, um hello Wyoming? Grrrrr it drives me nuts!
i grew up with grandparents. granddad had zebco reels & we kids all had our own cane poles. i guess you gotta be pretty old for canes to be common.
This is the first verse of My Voice by Kalie Shorr (awesome song BTW that i first heard right after Thanksgiving), and it gets right to the heart of the music/radio industry
"Sugar is for suckers, tricks are for kids
Pretended that I liked it, but I never did
Spoon fed, candy coated
Take the f-bombs out of what you wrote if
You want the radio to play ya
Make it sweet like a cherry lifesaver
But they'll probably never play me cause I'm not a boy"
One of my pet peeves in the popularization of LPs. Albums thats are 4 to 6 songs. Seems 12 song albums are dying off and I love the journeys those put you on.
You’re looking a lot better Grady. It’s great to see you so happy. I never comment but wanted to say this. God bless!
As a native North Carolinian, we are represented a surprising amount. Maybe not so much within the lyrics, but definitely by artists. Probably as much as anyone. Luke Combs, Eric Church, Scotty Mccreary, Parmelee, Randy Travis, Jason Micheal Carrol, Charlie Daniels, Bucky Covington, Donna Fargo, Don Gibson, Emmylou Harris, Chris Lane, Del Mccurry, Ronnie Milsap, Del Reeves, Chase Rice, Earl Scruggs, Doc/Merle Watson, Jimmy Wayne, Kelly Pickler, George Hamilton, etc
6:42 Hell yeah, love to see someone else from Alaska repping! We love country music too!
A country artist who is great with social media is Thomas Rhett. He has promos for his stuff, yes, but it's also a lot of images with his wife and his daughters and talking about his families.
When I heard that lyric "It was our first week, Myrtle Beach" I was so excited that someone mentioned my hometown so specificly. It makes the song so much more special to me and my fiance because our first date was on the beach and it feels like we are singing about us
I love that there are a tone of songs about Texas. I have family from out of state and I know that the love for Texas is just a little bit better (let me know if you get the reference) but there used to be country western music that was about the plains from Texas to Montana with artists like Bob Wills, Marty Robbins, Don Walser, Chris Ledoux, and now you have colter wall representing Canada
My pet peeve is watching youtube videos instead of television to get away from the many commercials, but still have to sit through them midway through the video you're watching.
Shoutout to Chris Young’s music video for Tomorrow actually starring him.
Yes, and a fistful of his other videos, too.
I agree so much on the comment about #1 singles. So many of those songs were released by artists who you wouldn't even recognize if you saw them walking down the street. "Pray For You" by Matt Stell is one of them; it's a super derivative song, but it went to #1, yet I don't think I'd recognize Matt Stell if I saw the guy walking down Music Row one day.
On location bias, I’m not generally a fan of bro country but I have a soft spot in my heart for Jason Aldean just because he mentions Kansas in a couple of just big songs
Man, grady just putting another LWIAY references are just gold
I mean Chase Rice has Carolina Can and also mentioned Montana in Eyes on You (along with Pfeiffer Beach in Cali), in addition to some mentions about Nashville as well.
Guess with Nashville being the main focal point of country is why it gets so much attention