Fun and good country, not bro country

Happy Friday!

And happy Independence Day weekend to my fellow patriots!

Hacker News thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31939013

Funnily enough I had a phase during the iPod years where most of my playlist were country music songs

Nowadays I just listen to the music that is the sound of my own screams

If you’ve spent time in rural sub Saharan Africa one thing that might shock you is the popularity of American country music to the point where you can’t go to a bar, party, or wedding without avoiding it 🧵

The moment American county music reached Africa in the 70s it became instantly popular in the Anglophone so much so that many African singers at the time tried to emulate 70s American country singers

One of the most popular anti-apartheid albums in west Africa in the 80s was an attempt by local singers at making their variant of American country music

“Country themed” weddings are especially popular in rural parts of Kenya, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe even adopting country line dancing

Of course the question why is American country music popular with rural Africans of all people? Well it’s mostly because it’s the only foreign music they can relate to. Compare this contemporary Zimbabwean country music and you’ll see many similar themes to American country music

Rural Africans are socially conservative farmers and ranchers so naturally music about cows and trucks speaks more to them than pop or hip hop especially if it gives them an excuse to wear their cowboy hats and boots

The popularity of American country music can even be seen in arguably the most popular music genre in anglophone sub Saharan Africa that being Christian worship music with the integration of country style melodies

And to the converse Africans have added in their own styles and instruments to covers of American country music. So if you ever find yourself in rural Africa don’t be surprised by how popular Johnny Cash and Hank Williams are !

And one more for fun from the rural west of Kenya

The deepest lyrics of any song.

You can see his soul leaving his body. Just kidding commies don’t have souls.

Trans lives matter not commie lives

Fantastic, this next song is coming out very soon

It's five minutes, perhaps even longer

It's a song about a place that we all come from

Oh, look out, Australians in the audience

Yes, I thought as much

Filthy and two podium people in the audience

This is a song called- anyone know what this song's called?

(What's it called) maybe you do know what it's called

It's called, it's called

I think that this is a pretty good town

They call this place the Big Apple, right?

(Why is that?) what does that make all you?

Not apples, worms! That's right

Anyway, we feel at home with all people, we're worms too, you know

I reckon if they haven't got the tape together now

It's all happening, okay, without further ado, it's on the show

Traveling in a fried-out Kombi

On a hippie trail, head full of zombie

I met a strange lady, she made me real nervous

She took me in and gave me breakfast

She said:

"Do you come from a land down under

Where women glow and men plunder?

Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?

You better run, you better take cover"

Buying bread from a man in Brussels

Six foot four, full of muscle

I said, "Hey, do you speak-a my language, buck?"

He just smiled and gave me a Vegemite sandwich

And he said:

"I come from a land down under

Where beer does flow and men chunder

Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?

You better, better run, you better take cover"

Get down

Lying in a den in Bombay

With a slack jaw, and not much to say

I said to the man, "Are you trying to tempt me?

Because I come from the land of plenty"

And he said:

"Do you come from a land down under, oh yeah, yeah

Where women glow and men plunder?

Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?

You better run, you better take cover

Living in a land down under

Where women glow and men plunder

Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?

You better run, you better take cover

Now you try it, 'cause we are

Living in a land down under

Where women glow and men plunder

Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?

You better run, you better take cover

Just once more, c'mon, for me

Living in a land down under

Where women glow and men plunder

Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?

You better run, you better take cover

Oh don't stop now, 'cause we are

Living in a land down under

Where women glow and men plunder

Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?

You better run, you better take cover

Living in a land down under

Where women glow and men plunder

Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?

You better run, you better take cover

'Cause we are living in a land down under

Where women glow and men plunder

Can't you hear, can't you hear the thunder?

You better, better run, you better take cover

A big hand for Big Han, he plays the flute

And he's also so cute

Hey, he's my best friend!

Not accepting this

I really wish you could keep up

,

>A lot of people don't realize what a phenomenal fiddler AK is. She isn't a singer who plays the fiddle. She's a fiddler who sings. I saw her win the Walnut Valley fiddle competition back in 1984. She was just one of these festival regs back then. Came back in '86 and took third. Nobody knew she could sing. But clearly there's more money in singing than there is in playing fiddle at festivals, so there ya go!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_awards_and_nominations_received_by_Alison_Krauss

<3 <3 <3 <3

Will to survive this, acknowledging I am alive and I will keep traveling on

You'll see love is a mystery

I still see it shining face

There are no more sad songs, just blue skies

And no more tears to cry

Hmm

Lord knows

You can't loose all the time

So dry those pretty eyes

Lift up that proud face

'Cause I can still see a beautiful place, there for you now

Love is a mystery

I still see its shining face

There are no more sad songs, just blue skies

There is no more tears to cry

As long as there is a child left, I'm a start a sky

And a beating in my chest, there's willingness to try on

As long as I poetry, you know I'd marry pain

You know, I will, I will, I will, I will, I will sing loud on

Shining face

There are no more sad songs, just blue skies

There are no more tears, sweetheart