I'm probably just avoiding working on NanoWriMo, but I think this is a justified reason to not be working on it. I have come up with my position on why Country music is better than nearly every other genre of vocal music (this does not include choir). Here's a little scenario for you. There is a band or artist that is not very well known. They have a dedicated fanbase, but other then that they are extremely obscure. Now, this fanbase could be large, but it is still the only group that knows them. Eventually the band or artist hits it big, and becomes known by everyone. When this happens, the once hardcore fans become disinterested. They say things liek, "they've gone mainstream," or, "their music is just written for the crowd now, there's no heart," or even, "all they care about is the money. This happens for a few reasons. Reason 1: the hardcore fans were almost right. When the band was in obscurity, they weren't writing it for anyone. The fanbase thought it was for them, but the band was only writing the songs for themselves. But, when they became famous, they began writing the songs to please the people. It became all about the money. This new music displeases the original fans. Reason 2: The act of becoming known makes the band or artist unpopular among the original fanbase. This happens when the fans think that because the band or artist is now well known, the band has changed itself. The band, however, never changed; they still write the songs for themselves. However, because the hardcore fans thought that the music was for them, they believe that it is for everyone now. The band or artist may subconsiesly change the way the music is written ever so slightly, if only to avoid being killed by an angry mob. The change is not enough to warrant fan loses, though. Reason 3: The only reason the original fans were fans was because the band or artist was obscure. The fan may not have even particularly liked the music. So, when the band or artist becomes popular, it is no longer unique to be a fan of them. Therefore, the fanbase disintegrates. This kind of thing happens in pretty much every single genre of vocal music except one: Country. Why is this? I submit that the overall reason this happens to bands is because of what the music is about. For example, if a band origianlly sings about how there's no point living, and suddenly they become popular and they start singing about how life sucks but they can get through it, they're bound to lose fans. This is why Country is so great; it's songs are about reality. Not about someone's feelings about reality, but about reality. Of course, there is personal opinion in the songs, but it is shown as that. Rather than saying, "there's no point living," a Country song says, "It feels like there's no point living". On the same thread, instead of saying, "life is great," Country says, "life feels great". The two biggest arguments against Country is that it is too upbeat, and that it's too depressing. In fact, there's an old joke that says that if you play a Country music record backwards, you'll get your wife back, your house back, your kids back, your car back, and so on. The best example of this is Tim Mcgraw's song, "Do You Want Fries With That?" It's about a man who divorces his wife and is forced to work at a Mcdonnolds along with his regular job. When the man who married his ex-wife pulls up to order from the drive-through, he sings, "Well you took my wife, and you took my kids, and you took that life, that I used to live, My pride, the pool, my boat, the tools, my dreams, the dog, the cat, Yeah that covers 'bout everything, oh almost forgot, do you want fires with that?" The reason Country is this way is because the songs are about life. The writers don't write it for themselves, they don't write it for the fans, they write it because it's true. This way you can't stop liking an artist becaus of what they sing; it's always about the truth. Country music is about the struggles of life, that is, the struggles of an average working adult, like bills, the kids, and family in general. It's about love and hurt, as in how it feels when the person you were about to propose to leaves you. Country music sings about God, and about how people see him. What I love about Country is that it is about life, with out sugar coating it and without exaggerating the pain. The one Country song I ever heard about suicide was about a man who commits suicide because he doesn't want to bring his wife and kids anymore pain. Come on! Can you say the same about your favorite genre? Can you say that your favorite genre shows life as it is, with no dramatization? Seriously, think about it.