JPF Home Page Forums General Messages General Message Forum Why stations are pulling Little Big Town's "Girl Crush"

I was thinking about Stafford's 70's hit "My Girl Bill" in connection with Little Big Town's song.

Stafford was more a 70s pop artist who crossed over to County a little. But I think the main difference is he was marketed as a singer-songwriter of novelty tunes (Wildwood Weed, Spiders and Snakes), so people came to expect that of him. If Little Big Town did mostly novelty tunes, not as many people would be upset, I don't think.

The problem is the songs presentation is misleading, too. It's not telegraphing the punch line by sounding funny, like a Ray Stevens song or anything. People feel baited and switched..punk'd..but..

I think that's what makes it great. It works in a
"confrontational art" kind of way. We get to look at our
feelings about something close up..examine them (at least upon first listen)..and if doing so makes us uncomfortable, we might just project that back onto the song..hate the song and maybe hate the artist for doing the song. After all, how else could Country Music sneak in a song that seems to support gay relationships? It would have to do it in a way that "takes it all back" by the songs end..cuz..you know..Country just ain't ready for that yet..

It's like sometimes you tell a friend what you really think, and then pause to see his/her reaction, and if he/she's really hurt or upset, you may decide to smile and say "just kidding!" But deep down the friend will know you meant it, cuz it stung, it hit home, and hurt..so there must be some truth to it.

Likewise when you set up a song like "Girl Crush" --it works as a way of safely "testing the waters" of gay relationships in country songs--whether it was intended as such or not. And that's why some folks refuse to see it's a harmless kind of novelty song. They fear it's a trojan horse of some kind..who knows though, really? Maybe to some extent, one's beliefs make it so.

Mike