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Comment by betwixthewires | Hacker News Reader

A lot of people don't really know it, but American country music is the most commercially successful music genre worldwide and is popular in places such as southeast Asia, Mongolia, sub Saharan Africa, even India and Latin america. Europeans and city dwelling Americans love to shit on it but the world loves it, probably because it's easy to relate to lyrically and uses pleasant melodies and simple to follow rhythms. Love, heartbreak and agriculture are pretty much universal.

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> American country music is the most commercially successful music genre worldwide

[citation needed]

> even India

Yeah, no. Unless you are using a very liberal definition of popular. American music is a niche in India and country music is a niche within a niche. Rock, pop and hip-hop are far more popular.

"Popular" just means that a lot of people like it. That's a pretty run of the mill use of the term. It doesn't mean it's a major cultural trend in a country. I just said it's pretty popular worldwide.

No, you said it's the "most commercially successful music genre".

I'd love to see a citation for both the claim you wanted a citation for and for your claim.

I sat in a Pizza Hut in CP Delhi loudly playing country music.

American songs play on everybody’s instagram stories. Not super niche.

pop music in general is somewhat popular specially in the bigger cities in India. never heard country music playing anywhere though, dont think its that popular as you claim.

local music (bollywood number, south indian film industry etc) is expectedly far more widespread and american music pales in comparison in terms of popularity

And I sat in a chain coffee shop in Hyderabad that played the Brandenburg Concertos in a loop. I still wouldn't claim there's a Bach Revival underway in India.

I found it funny when I was growing up that my dad (Bangladeshi) listened to country music. I was more of a Dave Matthew’s guy, but as a dad myself now my dial is also stuck on WMZQ. It’s simple and easy to relate to.

I think we have the same dad.

Maybe a few of these dads lol: https://mobile.twitter.com/preetbharara/status/1421629416342...

(What I love about this Tweet is that Preet isn’t using this meme correctly.)

As someone who lives in a city, shitting on country music is not something that has ever crossed my mind

I've seen it. I've also seen people talk down classical, disco and a few other genres at various points in my life. It seems there's always an uncool genre of the day. Which is a shame as people are simply limiting themselves.

disco, nu metal probably the two most hated genres

It's actually interesting to look at reviews of disco music on RateYourMusic going past the last decade. You might notice a pattern of the older reviews criticizing it as vapid and cheesy, while the newer reviews praise it as danceable and fun.

I think we're finally brushing off the excessive dismissal of the form, probably in no small part to the rock-worshipping generations being drowned out by the newer generations that have no such allegiances.

Different eras of country music have different themes, values and styles, just like jazz and rock. That said, I heard some country music last weekend with a trap beat straight out of Outkast's Stankonia and it was... disconcerting.

There are many repetitive lyrical themes that seem to be associated with particular genres, and personal preferences associated thereof. I feel like country used to have more variety- my father used to listened to it- but it's kind of coalesced into "I drank a bottle of whiskey and cried in my pickup truck when you left me" which isn't really my thing. Whereas I'm kind of ok with every power metal song being some variation of "fire! dragons! swords!". The things that aren't really stand out though, such as Kamelot's concept albums Epica and The Black Halo, which are based on Faust. There's also Van Canto which is a rather impressive German a capella power metal band (with a live drummer). In general, power metal seems to be more self-aware of how ridiculous and repetitive it is. See Gloryhammer, which is effectively a power metal parody band, taking the lyrical absurdity up a notch and replacing dragons with unicorns etc.

If there's any self-referential/parody country music out there I'd actually be curious to hear to it.

Do they imitate it in their own music? When I go looking for American influence in foreign pop music, most of what I find is usually hip-hop. Almost never country.

I think 'adapt' might be a better word, but absolutely they do.

I agree it's not as easy to find, I have a Thai country CD from the early Naughts in storage somewhere, I bet if you went with the right searches on your streaming source of choice you'd turn it up.

That's awesome. Again, I wasn't trying to be a dick (I drew a downvote at one point, for some reason, so I guess I was somehow?) it just seems that every time I've listened to a popular foreign radio station from Africa or the Pacific or Asia, the non-English stuff I've heard has either been plainly in some kind of "pop" category, or, even more often, hip-hop, never country, so I found it surprising that an overwhelming love of country music, abroad, hadn't already become evident to me.

Thai country music can be deceptive to foreign ears due to the almost standard rhythm that comes across as retro pop due to its usage of brass/electronic music. However, is it just that, a "base" that is similar sounding across every song - it is the lyrics are the meat of the thing which is a problem unless you speak the language.

Australian country music is a thing, look up eg Slim Dusty.

In Thailand, the local equivalent is luk thung.

Geoff Mack / Lucky Starr with the Original version of "I've been everywhere":

Mack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OZWi-mTkNU

Starr: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdxOy-TxWwE

Check out Cambodian rock music. It came about during the Vietnam war from people listening to American radio broadcasts.

And then check out the American band Dengue Fever[0] which is influenced by Cambodian Rock which is influenced by American rock.

[0] https://denguefevermusic.com/

> American country music is the most commercially successful music genre worldwide

Sorry I'm very skeptical about this claim. According to the recording industry's annual report Pop music continues to dominate and Country is not in the top 10 https://www.ifpi.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/IFPI-Engagin... (page 15)

Also, as a city dweller, why do people like you constantly attack us about everything? That feeling of persecution is destroying us.

I upvoted you because I'm also skeptical about the object-level claim, but this is a little dramatic:

> Also, as a city dweller, why do people like you constantly attack us about everything? That feeling of persecution is destroying us.

Rural people can easily levy the same accusation in return.

Why is my comment more dramatic than saying city dwellers "love to shit on it"?

"Shitting on" a music genre is strictly less dramatic than "destroying" a group of people.

Is it not true that urbanites shit on country music? I've heard it happen numerous times.

Most country music is pop music. Also I'm skeptical of the list you linked because 80's and 90's isn't a genre.

Alt country is a thing. Cannot wait to hate on the inevitable mashup of country and hyperpop.

Who's people like me?

People that blame everything bad in the world on their fellow americans that live in cities who they feel they are in a death struggle with.

> People that blame everything bad in the world on their fellow americans that live in cities

Not even close to what the comment was saying?

You seem to feel like you're in a death struggle with someone, and it isn't me. I'm not destroying you.

It's common to hear "I like everything except country" from people who live in cities, it's common to hear derisions of southerners and flyover country and inbred bumpkins and the like. People from cities do shit on it, it's a trend that exists, all I did was say it out loud.

> Also, as a city dweller, why do people like you constantly attack us about everything? That feeling of persecution is destroying us.

I read it as an attack on people who "like everything but rap and country", which I associated with teenagers' Facebook profiles in the 2000s, not so much city dwellers.

There's definitely some cities associated with country-like music too.

There's no attack intended, at all. I'm just pointing out that Europeans and american city people are insulated from recognizing it and I'm pointing that out because they're overrepresented online.

It's also interesting because there's 5 examples of American country songs in those videos. One sung by Johnny Cash in the 60's, one written and sung by Dolly Parton in the 70's, two sung by Kenny Rogers in the 70's, and one co-written by Bob Dylan and Old Crow Medicine Show (which I suppose is country-adjacent). At least three of those are just famous in general, and most people would recognize them whether or not they're country fans.

Just looking at the five songs the Twitter user gives as examples of American country music in Africa, it doesn't look like contemporary country music has much of an impact there.

Yea those are just all-time popular songs loved by everyone, even "city dwellers".

Most folks globally (and domestically, tbh) probably know Wagon Wheel not from OCMS but from Darius Rucker who sang a cover that made it to #1 on the country charts.

Uh huh. From the paper reference:

> The study was carried out amongst a demographically representative sample of the online population aged 16-64 in the following territories: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, Russia, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and United States. The study was also conducted in China and India but results from these two countries are not included in “global” figures due to the size and nature of these markets. In total, 43,000 internet users were surveyed with higher numbers of respondents in larger markets.

They literally just surveyed first world users and made no effort to control for class or other confounding factors that influence musical taste. This pretty much only tells us what first-world city-dwellers like, not the world generally. We're no closer to knowing whether country music is truly the most commercially successful music genre worldwide, but neither are we any closer to disproving it.

I googled a bunch, the highest I've seen Country listed is 4th globally, usually much lower. It's obvious to me that betwixthewires just made up his stat because he wanted to make a dumb point about clueless city dwellers.

My Egyptian musician friend who loves country music explained it to me as being exotic sounding and uniquely American. He also really enjoys live music and there are a lot of country bars with talented musicians playing.

I’m an American who used to listen to a lot of country music. I have spent the last four years in South America and before that two years in France. I can’t remember a single time hearing American country music outside the US. I’m sure I have heard a song or two but I can assure you it is very rare.

Which parts of south east Asia? I mostly hear the same kinds of pop songs here in Singapore as they are playing on the radio in Europe.

Here in the Netherlands they love country music, both modern and older styles. I'm not sure what the connection is, but there was a local city-wide battle of the bands sort of thing here in my home town and _every_ band was playing bluegrass type music.

What are you talking about. American classical rock is popular the world over, especially the stuff from the 60s and 70s. No one listens to what Americans refer to as country music. Definitely not in the Middle East, India or Latin America.

I'm a city dwelling American and I love country music. I grew up not in the city, so that may help.

tl;dr - country music is for chicks and hicks, even hicks from other countries.

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