Yuck to Yeehaw

Yuck to Yeehaw

by Sebastion Reekie

One of the main reasons that artistic expressions have become so diverse and widespread today is the broad range of opinions and preferences that people have over them. Everyone likes different things, and that creates a web of possible art forms. One piece of music that I have come to really enjoy specifically, is the song “Something in The Orange” by Zach Bryan. I have talked about it a few times with my friends and family, and I always get mixed opinions on it. Some people will like it, others will think it's boring, and some will hate it just because it's a country song. I’ve had my “taste” commended or criticized multiple times just for mentioning this song, but I think many fail to really grasp what it means to have taste or lack thereof, and use it as an outlet to mock people’s preferences.

Someone having “good” or “bad” taste, is a very common saying used to judge other people’s artistic preferences. However, I would reason that the idea of having good or bad taste stems from one’s ability to understand and appreciate many genres and interpretations of an art form. In late middle school to early high school, I had an overwhelming, burning hatred for country music. I lived in Oklahoma, and it was played everywhere, and it was absolutely horrific. It brewed to the point where I actively avoided the genre regardless of how it might have been rated, and with the same three to four “stadium” country songs being repeated over and over, it fueled an imaginary perception of how terrible all country songs were. However, I made a friend named Skyler during my sophomore year, and he loved country music so much that it was the only thing he ever played. He was a stereotypical farm boy as well, so I chalked up his admiration for the genre to just being something he was born or molded into. While I thought his acquired taste was weird, I never complained about the songs he played (both because I was too shy, and that it was usually in his car and choosing the stereo would be rude). I came to realize, very slowly, that I was forcing myself to dislike the songs he was playing because of my preconceived notion that all country songs were atrocious. While I’m still very picky about the genre, I do enjoy listening to country music now (as is evident with my chosen piece of music), although I generally avoid cookie cutter songs. I firmly believe that my taste became better as a result of this, not because I like “better” or “good” music, but because I’m now able to understand and enjoy a broader range of art.

I can appreciate “Something in The Orange” by Zach Bryan, because it breaks the mold of most stereotypical stadium country songs, that just blabber on about beer and trucks for three to four minutes. The song covers loss, and while it's debatable what exactly his song is covering, its widely accepted that its either about a separation or the loss of a loved one, and Zach Byran’s feelings and emotional response to it. While breakup songs are not uncommon by any means, the way he approaches conveying it is unique. While the instrumental itself is not particularly different from the chords of most country songs, his vocals sound strained and genuine, which leaves an impression on the song. The simplicity of the instrumental and the authenticity of the vocals create a very aesthetically pleasing song. You can get this effect from many of the simple covers of country songs as well, such as covers of “Country Roads” without all the extra unnecessary sound in the background. This makes the music feel more true to the view and understanding of what outback country is in the first place.

I think this experience is relatable to Zadie Smith’s, as she writes about in her text “Some Notes on Attunement”. She thoroughly explains her previous resentment towards Joni Mitchell and her music, and her gradual appreciation of her music, as she "attuned” to it. Zadie Smith said “it's not even really the content of the music that interests me. It's the transformation of the listening”, and I believe this is an amazing quote. While catchy songs are nice to listen to, music that can manage to change your perspective on something, or make you feel strongly in certain ways are transforming the way you might think, and that is a great strength of art in general. I believe that above all else, art that can evoke something from you, whether its emotion, interest, or just a change of opinion, is in some way a good art form. Considering that most forms of art can do this with at least a certain margin of people, I wouldn't say there are any “bad” forms of art, although there might be a few outlier implementations of it that are objectively terrible.