Nowadays, it’s almost become trendy to call out the powers that be in country music.
I said almost…
Whether it’s Kelly Clarkson’s rant about the state of country music, Tyler Childers’ rejection of the term “Americana” for traditional country artists that the radio won’t play, or the dozens of artists addressing the lack of women on country radio, it’s no secret that country music as a whole has had its ass held to the fire early and often in the past few years.
Not nearly as early, and definitely not as often, as it should be, but hey, it’s a start…
But remember back in 2016, it was the great George Strait and the great Jamey Johnson that collaborated on an unapologetic “F you” to country radio with “Kicked Outta Country.”
“I just got the news today,
The record I sent them: they threw it away
It don’t fit the format, don’t make the list
They say I’m too old, won’t even be missed
Well, It don’t really matter, ’cause I ain’t gonna change
‘Cause getting kicked outta country, won’t hurt a thing.”
There was also this line in the song about how “one day country came calling again,” just like it did for the legends of the past, and well… with the release of George’s Honky Tonk Time Machine album, which at one point the best selling album of 2019, along with a Top 20 single at country radio, it looks like King George got the last laugh now that country came calling again.
One more time with that chorus again…
“Well, It don’t really matter, ’cause I ain’t gonna change
‘Cause getting kicked outta country, won’t hurt a thing.”
Didn’t hurt a DAMN thing.
Long live the King.