Throughout the course of the term, we have gained knowledge on various topics through the requirements of the genre blog project. Foremost, as a cohesive group, we were able to better our communication, cooperation and group work skills. By completing all assigned posts as a collective team, we were able to work together and better these skills in a manner which benefitted the success of our blog. Accordingly, the written basis of the blog allowed us to better our writing skills, placing emphasis on research, writing, and editing. In addition, through the online nature of the blog, we were able to significantly better our multimedia and technological skills, learning what it takes to maintain an online forum of this sort, and discovering the many ways to better our blog through the incorporation of vital multimedia aspects.
Ultimately, the completion of the blog allowed us to extend our music knowledge greatly. Through focusing on a genre that no group members had extensive previous knowledge in, we were able to learn the foundation of the Country Pop genre and gain a thorough understanding of the dynamics of the evolving genre. Through continuous research, we were able to gain a better understanding of information ranging from the historical development of Country Pop, the musical techniques present in the genre, prominent artists within Country Pop, the large musical fan-base of the genre, and Country Pop’s position in the music industry as a whole.
With the knowledge we have obtained through the course of the term, we intend to continue posting new and interesting information pertaining to the Country Pop genre. We thank you for checking in with our blog throughout the term and hope you continue to visit in the future!
While I’m sure many were tuning in to the Grey Cup last night, The American Music awards also aired. Taylor Swift was the big winner of the evening, taking home four awards, including Artist of the Year. Her acceptance speech for Country Female Artist was rather interesting because she spoke about the fluidity of her music in terms of genre (she had already won Pop/Rock Female Artist earlier in the evening).
Do you think that genre classification should be more rigid, or is it too subjective to categorize?
Throughout the history of popular music, the emergence of various forms of mass media has had an effect on facets of the music industry. For example, the rise of the radio in the 1920s proved to be detrimental to record sales. With the initial investment for a radio, people could listen to the radio for free, whereas individual records required a fee, thus resulting in a decline of record sales (Kingsbury, 1998, p.1). However, on the reverse, it has been noted that various forms of media can have the potential to enhance record sales. For instance, Shuker notes that film and television represent another form of revenue for musical recordings (2013, p.126-132), demonstrating the positive impact media can have on the music industry.
It is important to consider the impact that media can have on specific musical genres that are prevalent in the music industry. Historically and in present day society, various forms of media have proven to be crucial in the development and understanding of crossover genres, such as country-pop. Specifically, the role of radio and the charts have been equally important in defining country-pop as a contemporary genre within the music industry. Throughout this post, it will be discussed how both the radio and the charts have been essential to the development of country-pop as a genre. It will also be argued that these two specific aspects of the music industry have negatively affected how the genre of country-pop is perceived by the public.
As discussed in previous posts, country-pop arose as a genre when music producers wanted to make music for a more mainstream audience, which included expanding away from the traditional country fan demographic. This included creating a new sound of music that embodied traditional country elements but with a pop sound. In analyzing this genre, it is clear that the diffusion of the country-pop sound relies heavily on the radio. When discussing crossover songs and the radio, Rossman states that, “there is only so much airplay and only so many listeners a song can get in a format, so crossing over to additional formats allows a song to grow further” (2012, p.77). Therefore, when releasing a country-pop song, the intention is that the song will get airplay on both country and mainstream radio stations. To do this successfully, the song must have characteristics from both formats or else it will not get picked up by the radio stations. For example, Taylor Swift’s hit song, “Teardrops on My Guitar”, received steady airplay on both country and mainstream radio stations, thus allowing her to relaunch her career as a country-pop artist. Prior to the release of the song, Swift had not experienced commercial success within pop music. The song was able to successfully cross over to pop radio because it incorporated musical characteristics that fit within the format of mainstream radio stations. Take a look at the music video for the song.
As you listen to the song, you can hear country and pop elements present, which ultimately allowed the song to receive airplay on both country and mainstream radio stations. Six years after the release of this song, Taylor Swift now strategically manufactures songs with the intention of becoming both a country and pop hit. This allows her music to reach more audiences and ultimately makes immense profits.
Similarly, Carrie Underwood’s songs, “Before He Cheats”and “Good Girl”, received immense airplay on both country and pop radio. We are able to recognize both Swift and Underwood as contemporary country-pop stars through their ability to appear on both country and mainstream radio stations. As a result, the popularity of country-pop music relies on the radio to reach out to both country fans and pop fans simultaneously. I would argue that without the radio, the notion of crossover genres would simply not exist and thus, is important to the overall structure of country-pop. Therefore, radio has been significant for the diffusion of country-pop music and expanding its sound to a wide demographic of radio listeners.
Along with the radio, the appearance of country performers on mainstream charts, such as “Billboard Top 100” and “Billboard Pop”, has also significantly impacted the development of country-pop as a musical genre. The charts are a crucial component of the popular music industry as “record companies, radio stations, retailers, artists, and songwriters use the charts when making decisions on everything from record marketing to tour planning” (Sernoe, 1998, p. 19). Particularly, the charts were important for the emergence of crossover genres since they allowed society to visually witness artists “cross-over” from one musical realm to another. Jensen highlights Pasty Cline as one of the first country performers to cross over to the pop charts during the 1960s (2004, p.111). Through her appearance on both country and pop charts, we are able to identify the late Pasty Cline as a country-pop artist. As well, Roy Shuker cites Garth Brooks’ crossover success on the pop charts to be an influential moment for the country-pop genre as he ultimately paved the way on the pop charts for other country performers (2013, p.71). It has been argued that Brooks made American music history when his album, Ropin’ the Wind, debuted at #1 on the Billboard pop charts, making him the first country singer to do so (Kingsbury, 1998, p.54). The crossover chart success of Brooks would ultimately inspire other country musicians, such as Shania Twain, to follow in his footsteps and strategically create country music with the intention of crossing over into pop, and thus the genre of country-pop continued to thrive.
The above is a screen shot from the Billboard archives illustrating country star, Garth Brook’s crossing over into mainstream music charts.
Lady Antebellum is another example of a country group who has experienced mainstream success. The above is a screen shot from the Billboard archives which illustrates their song, “Need You Now”, crossing over into the pop charts. Not only did the song appear on both the country and pop charts, but it went to #1 on both charts, thus deeming it a huge country-pop hit.
While it has been discussed that the radio and the charts have been critical to the development and understanding of country-pop as a genre, it must not be ignored that these two aspects of the popular music industry have affected the genre as it stands today. For one, the notion of country musicians appearing on mainstream pop charts has evidently affected how the general public perceived country-pop as a genre. Jensen explains that for a traditional country artist “to cross over into the pop charts was to sell out to one’s friends, family, and heritage…it was to abandon class position, to assimilate and try to pass” into mainstream society (2004, p.125). As a result, many country fans became very critical of this new genre since crossing over into the pop charts was seen as disrupting the authenticity of country music (Jensen, 2004, p.111) and thus, the authenticity of country-pop as a genre has been and will continue to be questioned. Hence, the charts contributed to the ways in which the genre of country-pop has been devalued by society and country fans.
Additionally, the role of radio in the development of country-pop as a musical style has also affected the public’s perception of this crossover genre. As discussed, country-pop music is strategically produced with the intention of receiving both country and mainstream radio play. Consequently, radio has played a key role in the commercialization of country music which has been looked at as highly negative. Yu explains that country pop came to represent “all the detrimental effects of commercialization—the loss of identity and lack of personal connection produced by the need to satisfy a large audience” (2009, p.49). Therefore, radio has allowed country music and artists to become a commercial product, which has been viewed as negative by critics and music fans.
Overall, it is evident that crossover genres, such as country-pop, are quite complex. Both the radio and the charts have significantly impacted the development of country-pop as a genre and its desire to reach a large audience. However, at the same time, radio and the charts are two factors that have contributed to the criticism and societal ridicule of the genre. Therefore, while country-pop continues to flourish due in large part to the radio and charts, it will forever be a genre that is degraded and criticized for these two same factors.
References
Kingsbury, P. (Ed.). (1998). The encyclopedia of country music: The ultimate guide to the music. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Jensen, J. (2004). Pasty Cline’s crossovers: Celebrity, reputation, and feminine identity. In K. McCusker and D. Pecknold (Eds.), A boy named Sue: Gender and country music (107-131). Jackson: University Press of Mississippi.
Rossman, G. (2012). Climbing the charts: What radio airplay tells us about the diffusion of innovation. New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Shuker, R. (2013). Understanding popular music culture, 4th ed: New York: Routledge.
Yu, J. (2009). Keepin’ it real: How commercialization of country music does not define artificiality. Conflict and Pop Music. 48-53. Retrieved from http://twp.duke.edu/uploads/assets/Yu(1).pdf
While researching for Short Post 2, I came across full episodes of Pop! Goes the Country on YouTube. They were extremely interesting to watch, as some performances were clearly pop-oriented, while others were more traditionally country. This variety of performances can be demonstrative of the tension between traditional country music and Nashville Sound that was taking place during the show’s run.
Take a look at this episode:
Which performances do you think would be considered “country-pop”? Which would be strictly country?
Since its introduction as a mass communication medium, television has often been used as a means of introducing audiences to new forms of music. As Shuker (2013) notes, there is evidence that artists’ television exposure on music-oriented programs has positively influenced their record sales (p. 132), indicating television’s power on audiences as consumers. Nashville producers attempted to use television as an opportunity to attract further expand audiences of the new “countrypolitan” music that was being produced in the 1950s and 1960s. They did so through airing the Nashville-produced television show, Pop! Goes the Country, which ran from 1974 to 1983 (tv.com). Historically, the development of this program is a key moment that has helped shape how country-pop music is understood within the media.
As indicated by the show’s title, Pop! Goes the Country was seen as an “…attempt to cash in on the powerful influence of Pop music, on the Country Music world” (tv.com, para. 1). The series featured prominent Nashville artists who would perform songs of country music’s newfound style. By showcasing these performances on the show, Pop! is expressing to its audience that, this is country-pop music. In doing so, the program clearly defines what constitutes country-pop music and what does not. Since the series was one of the earliest country-pop television programs, it was the sole factor in shaping how the genre is understood. The following is a performance of Margo Smith performing “Love’s Explosion” on the show. The song incorporates many elements of pop music that were used in countrypolitan music, such as the inclusion of a string section and piano, as well as the addition of background vocalists throughout the chorus (specifically, pay attention to 0:33-1:15) (T. Hill, 1999, p. 9; J. Hill, 2011, p. 294). As noted in Long Post 2, these musical characteristics were integral to country music’s new sound.
Since the emergence of Pop! Goes the Country, numerous country-pop-related television programs and stations have developed in North America. A notable example is the television station Country Music Television (CMT). While the channel’s website states that the channel plays “country music” and makes no references to pop (About Us, 2013), it is clear that elements of pop music can be seen on CMT. For example, their top 20 countdown from the week of November 2-8 features established country-pop artists such as Keith Urban and Luke Bryan (Chevrolet Top 20 Countdown, 2013). By showcasing country-pop artists on a music channel that claims they are strictly country, the genre continues to be exposed to country music fans. It can also be said that CMT is shaping how audiences understand country music, as it features artists who incorporate pop music elements into their songs, while identifying as a country music station.
As demonstrated through the examples of Pop! Goes the Country and Country Music Television, television has assisted country-pop music in reaching mainstream audiences. Through Pop!’s selection of performers, the series shaped how the genre is both represented and understood. CMT suggests that in present day, pop music continues to be prevalent in country television programming. It can therefore be stated that television has aided country-pop in exposing itself to audiences, which in turn has provided the genre with longevity in popular culture.
The role of audiences is an important area of study within all genres of music, especially in crossover genres, such as country-pop. As Sernoe explains, “country-pop arose as an attempt by the industry to reach audiences outside of the demographic groups long considered the backbone of country music fans” (1998, p.17). Specifically, this country-pop sound developed when country musicians had difficulty attracting youth audiences from the increasing popularity of rock (Yu, 2009, p.48). As Shuker highlights, it was essential for cultural industries to market to the youth audience throughout the 1950s since “teenage buying potential grew to an estimated 10 billion dollars” (2013, p.174). Therefore, in order to sustain longevity in their musical careers, it became crucial for country musicians to create music that appealed to youth audiences as they were a key demographic group.
In studying audiences within the crossover genre of country-pop, it is first important to distinguish traditional country audiences from pop audiences. Joyce Yu discusses that, “country music represented an audience that was unwilling to compromise with public tastes, experiment with shifts in style, and assimilate to the technological changes in society” (2009, p.50). Yu’s representation of the traditional country audience differs from the typical representation of a pop music fan as Shuker highlights young female, passive consumers as the main audience for commercial pop (2013, p.163). Pop and country audiences greatly contrasted from one another and as a result disproval arose when the two genres became associated. The development of country-pop ultimately resulted in country fans rebelling since they disapproved of the commercialization of this new crossover genre and felt that it tainted the traditional country music structure (Yu, 2009, p.49).
Today, it is still common to hear country fans declare their distaste for country-pop music as they feel that it is overly produced, commercialized and highly concerned with monetary value. For instance, I often hear peers state that they loved Taylor Swift’s music before she crossed over to pop. Some fans argue that Swift has abandoned her traditional country roots altogether and feel as though her music is strictly reflective of pop characteristics in an attempt to appeal to mainstream society. Overall, the role of audiences has been significant in defining country-pop as a genre. In the past and in today’s music industry, country-pop has mainly been defined as a genre that traditional country fans disprove of, while most pop fans approve and consume it. The role of audiences is a key factor when understanding the structure of the country-pop genre since the creation of the genre was built with the intention of expanding to a broader mainstream audience. Since mainstream groups have accepted and consumed the majority of country-pop music, the genre has flourished and continues to do so.
Keeping Taylor Swift in mind, it is appropriate to examine her audience’s fan practices since she is currently the biggest act in country-pop music. Taylor Swift’s fans, who refer to themselves as “Swifties”, exemplify characteristics that mirror the fan practices of “teenybopper” pop fans. For instance, Much Music aired a program in 2009, “My Date With Taylor Swift”, in which a fan was chosen to meet the country-pop star. In the beginning of the episode, viewers were shown several enthusiastic and emotional female Swift fans. The fans on the show screamed, cried, made homemade posters and T-shirts, and had Swift posters plastered on their walls (which can be seen in the video below).
This representation of a Taylor Swift fan is synonymous with the representation of a teenybopper pop fan and it is for this reason that I argue critics devalue the country-pop genre. Wald explains that pop music, especially when consumed by teenage girls, is seen as a genre that is of low culture (2002, para.2) and as a result is devalued and not taken seriously by critics. By current country-pop fans acting in ways that are comparable to the teenybopper subculture, the country-pop genre will be devalued as well, thus demonstrating that the role of audiences does have an impact on how critics respond to the genre.
The above video displays current country-pop star, Hunter Hayes, greeting his fans after a performance. Similar to Swift’s fans, the young girls featured in the video are acting in a manner that would categorize them as teenyboppers, and thus devalues the genre of country-pop on a whole.
Yu, J. (2009). Keepin’ it real: How commercialization of country music does not define artificiality. Conflict and Pop Music. 48-53. Retrieved from http://twp.duke.edu/uploads/assets/Yu(1).pdf
As discussed throughout various previous posts on our blog, there has historically remained various instances of resistance towards the addition of pop elements into traditional country music songs. While the Country Pop genre has gained incredible success, many country music fans and musicians alike often boldly state their dissatisfaction with the “pop” direction that country music has arguably shifted to.
The article below discusses Zac Brown’s, lead singer of the Zac Brown Band, dissatisfaction with fellow country musician, Luke Bryan’s latest hit, “My Kind of Night”. The song possesses many stylistically pop traits, a music choice that is prominent within many of Bryan’s songs. In an interview with 93.7 JR FM radio in Vancouver, Zac Brown states,
“My Kind Of Night’ is one of the worst songs I’ve ever heard. I see it being commercially successful, in what is called country music these days, but I also feel like that the people deserve something better than that. Country fans and country listeners deserve to have something better than that, a song that really has something to say, something that makes you feel something… When songs make me wanna throw up, it makes me ashamed to even be in the same genre as those songs.”
Zac Brown is not the only one to recently express their frustration with the current trends dominating country radio right now.
“Alan Jackson last week said there was “No country stuff left”on country radio. Gary Allan in an interview with Larry King recently said, “We’ve lost our genre.” And Kacey Musgraves, who was just nominated for 6 CMA Awards, has spoken out numerous times recently, saying in late August that she was tired of Affliction T Shirts and truck songs.”
Check out the Zac Brown interview to hear more on Brown’s opinions on the inclusion on non-traditional musical traits in country music, or check out Luke Bryan’s video below. What do you think? Is the development of the Country Pop genre negatively influencing the state of traditional country?
“The Dixie Chicks do not advocate premeditated murder, but love getting even.”
The long history of country and country pop music has sparked great debate amongst both scholars and popular music fans. While the music itself presents stylistic traits that can be critically examined, country music songs often present intense, thought provoking and emotionally driven lyrics. Country songs traditionally possess notions of storytelling, often emphasizing notions of romance, lost love, and nightlife (Shepherd and Horn, 157). Specifically, as discussed by Delia Poey, author of Striking Back without Missing a Beat: Radical Responses to Domestic Violence in Country Music`s The Dixie Chicks and Salsa’s Celia Cruz, “thematically, country music tends to deal with everyday life experiences” (Poey, 2). Accordingly, this notion of expressed emotion and everyday life experiences can be critically examined in The Dixie Chick’s hit song, “Goodbye Earl”. Through examining the work of Delia Poey, I will demonstrate the way in which “Goodbye Earl” uses traditional country music characteristics to lyrically discuss notions of personal turmoil, particularly surrounding issues of domestic violence and the subsequent reversal of typical gender roles.
The Dixie Chicks are an American country/country pop girl group. The Dixie Chick’s consists of three female musicians, Martie Erwin Maguire, Emily Erwin, and Natalie Maines. While traditionally performing solely bluegrass music, The Dixie Chicks achieved great commercial success in 1998 with the release of their country album, Wide Open Spaces. Through incorporating traditional country music stylistic traits into their work, The Dixie Chicks gained accredited status within the music industry and remain one of the most popular female country girl groups today.
Through transitioning away from traditional bluegrass music and focusing more on country itself, The Dixie Chicks are often noted for their successful use of stylistic country themes within their music. As discussed by Poey, an important motif at the heart of country music “is a sense of living in hard times. Hard times are usually expressed as financial distress, marital discord, family problems… [and] personal loneliness” (Poey, 3). It is arguably this notion of personal turmoil and distress that creates a sense of personal unity within The Dixie Chicks’ fans, as such subjects are common occurrences in the lives of various people. The Dixie Chicks’ emphasis on family and “idealization of home and hearth” (Poey, 3) is consistent with the traditional stylistic notions of country music, and is arguably what catapulted “Goodbye Earl” to the incredible success it achieved.
The Dixie Chicks released the hit “Goodbye Earl” on their second studio album, “Fly”, in 1999. The structure of Goodbye Earl precisely represents the country music tradition of the “story song”. The song details the lives of two long-time best friends, Mary Anne and Wanda. After graduating highschool, Mary Anne chooses to leave their small town, while Wanda remains at home and marries Earl. Earl begins regularly harming Wanda in severe cases of domestic violence, causing Wanda to “put on dark glasses and long-sleeve blouses, and makeup to cover the bruise” (The Dixie Chicks, verse 3). Finally, Wanda decides to file for divorce from earl and “let the law take it from there” (The Dixie Chicks, verse 4). The song continues to state that “Earl walked right through that restraining order” (The Dixie Chicks, verse 4) and beats Wanda so severely that she ends up in Intensive Care. Hearing of this, Mary Anne returns to the hometown to be with her friend, and while there, work out a plan that “Earl had to die”. The song details the way in which the women kill Earl through black-eyes peas, wrap his body up in a tarp, and throw it off of a cliff.
While the content of Goodbye Earl is undoubtedly both shocking and uncommon within the music industry, Delia Poey discusses the way in which the song offers critical insights into notions of domestic violence and gender roles. Traditional country music songs, even of the home and family, are often told from a male perspective. As stated by Poey, “even when dealing with domestic violence, country songs have taken a male perspective that is at times chilling” (Poey, 3). The increased presence of women within the Country music genre has allowed for the destabilising of many traditional patriarchal structures, and allowed for songs such as Goodbye Earl to present a varying notion of both gender and domestic violence.
As discussed in Striking Back without Missing a Beat: Radical Responses to Domestic Violence in Country Music`s The Dixie Chicks…, Poey argues that the representation of Mary Anne and Wanda as both criminals and antagonists in Goodbye early marks a reversal of roles in comparison to usual gender representations. Poey argues that the lyrical composition of Goodbye Earl no longer “limits women’s possibilities and worth to their roles as homemakers and nurturers” (Poey, 3), but represents them as strong, independent beings—regardless of the ethical permissibility of their actions. The representation of female-driven domestic violence works to actively represent femininity in a way previously unexplored within the country music genre.
As the storyline of Goodbye Earl greatly differs from that of traditional country music hits, Poey continues to state the way in which The Dixie Chicks added strategic country music characteristics to the song, in order to bridge the gap in variation from traditional representations of country femininity. As Goodbye Earl embodies many new ideals within country music, Poey argues that The Dixie Chicks used traditional country traits to maintain their audience, amongst their potential dismay with the lyrical composition of the song. While the subject matter of the song is very serious, “the tone of the song is not… it is played and sung in a light, camp-humour style” (Simon, 1121), traditionally characteristic of country music. In addition, Natalie Maines’ vocals are “intensely twangy, taking on a heavy drawl in the phrasing of the lyrics” (Poey, 5), and are paired with heavy banjo playing in the background (Simon, 1121).
In addition to the use of stylistic country music traits, Poey discusses the way in which The Dixie Chicks maintain their country audience as the lyrics themselves “make repeated and marked references to ‘country’ stereotypes” (Poey, 5). In the opening stanza, as Mary Anne and Wanda are introduced, the lyrics clearly state the girls “country” status with rural references—stating the girls are “both members of the 4-H club, both active in the FFA” (The Dixie Chicks, verse 1), referring to the Future Farmers of America. In addition, the antagonists’ choice of “black-eyes peas as a murder weapon” demonstrate their “old-fashioned Southern values” (Poey, 7). Finally, after successfully killing Earl, the two women live happily ever after opening a road-side stand where they sell “Tennessee Ham and Strawberry Jam” (The Dixie Chicks, verse 9). Through making such direct references to traditional country music and stereotypical Southern references, The Dixie Chicks are able to successfully bridge the gap between traditional country lyrics and their female-empowered lyrics, and ensure the continued support of country music fans.
Overall, it is clear to see the way in which The Dixie Chicks’ use of stylistic country music traits and characteristics is vital to their success within the popular music industry. Through the reliance on such traits, The Dixie Chicks’ are able to challenge traditional notions of femininity and present an alternative representation of female independence, self-assurance and power. Through their alternative representation of domestic violence, The Dixie Chicks are able to deconstruct many of the pre-existing gender norms within the country music genre, and allow future artists to successfully do the same.
References
Dixie Chicks, The. (1998). Goodbye Earl. Wide Open Spaces
Poey, D. (2010). Striking back without missing a beat: Radical reponses to domestic violence in country music’s the Dixie chicks and salsa’s celia cruz. Studies in Popular Culture. 32 (2). 1-15.
Simon, S. (2003). Greatest hits: Domestic Violence in American country music. Oregon Law Review. 82. 1107-1124
Take a look at the top 10 songs on Billboard for the first week of 2013. Which of these songs would you classify as strictly country, and which would you consider to be country-pop? As a group, we had a bit of a debate over the classification of certain songs. However, some songs, such as Taylor Swift’s “We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together” were obvious country-pop tracks. Our group’s debate demonstrates how genre interpretations can be unique to each individual. Let us know what you think!
In 2009, a writer on “Yahoo Voices” posted an article ranking the top 10 crossover songs of all time. The list consists of songs that were first released as country songs and then crossed over to pop radio. All the chosen songs had success on both the country and pop music charts, thus deeming them as country-pop crossover hits.
According to the writer of the article, the top ten crossover songs are:
“Hurt”- Johnny Cash
“How Do I Live”- Leann Rimes
“I Will Always Love You”- Dolly Parton
“What Hurts the Most”- Rascal Flatts
“Lady”- Kenny Rogers
“Love Story”- Taylor Swift
“Save a Horse, Ride a Cowboy”- Big and Rich
“You’re Still the One”- Shania Twain
“This Kiss”-Faith Hill
“Don’t Take the Girl”- Tim McGraw
Overall, this list does a good job at covering some of the top country-pop songs throughout the last few decades. However, it was surprising that “Before He Cheats” by Carrie Underwood was not credited on this list. This song had huge success on both the country and pop charts and launched Underwood as a country-pop artist. The song was released in 2006 and immediately became a huge country hit. It wasn’t until a year after the song’s initial released that it started crossing over into the pop realm of Top 40 radio. The commercial success of this song allowed Underwood to expand her fan base and relaunch herself as a country-pop artist. Take a look at the video:
What are your thoughts about this list? Are there any songs that you think are missing? Since this list is from 2009, do you think anything has since changed? Are there any recent songs that you believe are greater crossover hits than those included in the list? Also, in your opinion what are some factors that allow a country song to cross over into pop music territory?
Country-Pop 