Country Music and American Culture

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Zhang Zishuang Professor Benjamin Hanna Western Culture III 0126 22 December 2014 Country music and American culture When you walk along the street, you may hear Taylor Swift’s new album kept playing again and again; When you pass by a truck, you may be attracted by the euphonious ‘country road’ by Johnny Denver; When you step into a bar, country music will frequently appear among many energetic Rock songs. Undeniably, country music has been everywhere and even gained worldwide popularity in recent years. Caught by the beautiful sound and moving melodies of the American country music, I decided to lift the veil of American country music to people who have a passion for it. Besides the superficial acoustic enjoyment, the American country music is a perfect embodiment of American history, culture and customs. Once you could profoundly understand and sincerely appreciate the American country music, you are offered a golden opportunity to comprehend what the American truly value. In this paper, I will discuss how country music reflects the American culture in three dimensions, including American rustic culture, American family culture and view of marriage, and American urbanization and contemporary value. From where I stand, country music is more than a kind of popular music, but also the epitome of American culture. To achieve this goal, I have organized my paper into five main sections. Firstly, the background knowledge of country music will be provided. Secondly, I will focus on the American rustic culture which is contained in country music. Thirdly, I will clarify how country music reflects people’s attitude toward family and marriage. Fourthly, country music is also influenced by urbanization. In the end, I will conclude what has been discussed before. WHAT IS COUNTRY MUSIC? When it comes to country music, people will probably think of American

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