Phil,
Good posts. And as usual, there is much more BEYOND the song that you have to consider outside the time frame. There are always songs that are a little longer and some that are shorter than the average. Look at a couple things:
#1. Language in both songs. Is it it plain spoken and first person? That is what makes for country.
Do they both have concrete visual information as opposed to metaphors and poetic framework or are they poetic and metaphoric? Can you find either one easily relatible? Do they feel "REALITY BASED?"
#2. Do you find some resemblence in the two singers? Short brown hair and beard? Whenever one breaks fairly big, there will be multiple others that fit the physical profile for labels.
#3. GROOVE. Both are contemporary and work in the CURRENT COUNTRY MARKETPLACE.
(As a matter of fact, if you took the groove to either of them, especially "break up in a small town", you could actually apply it to the song, MISSING LINK, and it would make that more contemporary as well.)
#4. TRACK RECORD. What was the most recent record on either of these artists? Where did they chart last? What is their current media presence? Are they on awards shows? Are they on current touring schedules? Who are their management, their publicists, the machine of their record labels? How are they TRACKING WITH THE GENERAL PUBLIC?
#5. IS IT COUNTRY?
Are country audiences buying it? Are country labels putting it out? Are country industry critics accepting it as country? Does it fit into the current contemporary country marketplace? If you answer "YES" to those questions, IT IS COUNTRY.
Are country audiences buying it? Are country labels putting it out? Are country industry critics accepting it as country? Does it fit into the current contemporary country marketplace? If you answer "YES" to those questions, IT IS COUNTRY.
These are things you have to study along with the songs themselves. An artist who has created industry buzz, who has been embraced by the marketplace, is always going to be able to get away with things others cannot.
Mary said it herself, "Easy on the eyes, too."
Mary said it herself, "Easy on the eyes, too."
There is your answer. Target audience, 70% female.
The first song, "Break Up in a Small Town" creates the "Awe poor thing", "How could anybody hurt HIM? and "I'll TAKE CARE OF HIM" Mothering instinct in women.
The first song, "Break Up in a Small Town" creates the "Awe poor thing", "How could anybody hurt HIM? and "I'll TAKE CARE OF HIM" Mothering instinct in women.
The second, filmed in Hawaii, with a beautiful woman, creates the "Awe doesn't he love his woman so much?" attitude.
Put a girl in it and you are on the right road.
MAB
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