Sturgill Simpson "Long White Line"

Country music. What's your response?

Love it? Hate it? Not sure?

We've all heard the similar response... "pretty much anything but country music". And those responses are usually followed by the same justifications: all they sing about is trucks, beer, dogs, and dirt roads, or it all sounds the same.

 These conclusions are interesting in a couple of ways. In one aspect, we know this is not entirely true. Of course not every instance of country music is centered around trucks and beer. However, it is intriguing that this seems to be a consistent complaint by many people, including myself! I have made the exact same remarks in the past, even though I had almost never listened to any country music other than what was on radio station and music videos I had come across here or there. So there is without a doubt some certainty to these accusations. Perhaps this is just a formula to appeal to the masses.

But this complaint isn't isolated to just country music. It can be applied to all types of music. Rap: just smoking weed, gettin high, chains, money, bitches. Metal: all they do is scream, I can't understand what they are saying, it's just too evil. Pop: boys, girls, relationship, drama, partying, fun, boys, girls, boys, girls, breaking up...

All types of music carry what could be considered "the easy way out" or "the formula that works". The attributes of what most fans of a genre appeal to are recognized and expounded on. If it works then why not keep doing it?

This is discouraging to fans looking for more. We get tired of hearing the same trite ideas over and over. We want more. But then on the flipslide, there are individuals who simply enjoy hearing the same things over and over. That's just what they like.

I was one who adamantly despised country music. To me, yes, it all sounded the same and was full of topics I really wasn't interested in.


 This all changed when I found out about Sturgill Simpson.

Sturgill is the real deal. Once a three year member of the U.S. Navy and ex-manager for the Union Pacific Railroad, Sturgill was influenced by family and friends to focus on music. After playing with a band called Sunday Valley he put out an astounding country album called Metamodern Sounds in Country Music. The dude has flipped modern country upside down. Aliens, drugs, religion, heartache, life-lessons, these are all topics found within his music and lyrics and sometimes funny as hell. At other moments you self-reflect and relate to this individual. A good example is a song called "Long White Line".

"Long White Line" is one of the most clever and ironically fun songs to listen to off of his Metamodern album. "I woke up, my baby was gone, without her I don't need no home, Gonna hit the road and start looking for the end of that long white line".  What do ya know... another country song about a break up and how this man is dealing with it. But instead of sorrow and heartbreak, Sturgill decides to get in a rig and cruise the interstates... looking for the end of the "long white line" which...never ends. This is how he is dealing with heartbreak. And what an interesting way of dealing with it. Hopping in a rig and just driving. Not even sure where the hell he is going.

To me, and this is of course my opinion, this is country music. Dealing with heartache with a low-key level of humor. No glorified self-deprecating hits on himself... just a simple and quite fun way to shrug off a heartbreak and continue on.