Modern Country Music | Teen Ink

Modern Country Music

April 13, 2023
By koltonb07 BRONZE, Lomira, Wisconsin
koltonb07 BRONZE, Lomira, Wisconsin
1 article 0 photos 0 comments

Do you listen to modern-day country songs and think, there are a lot of songs that talk about alcohol and heartbreak? It can be because this generation of singers like Morgan Wallen, or Luke Combs has had their fair share of heartbreaks and turned to alcohol to help. This can relate to many songs of the new generation because they have been drinking for a long time and they most likely learned it from their parents. They were taught to treat a girl right give them everything, and it “wasn’t enough” for girls and they leave, making the singers only resort to alcohol. Country music today has made an uprise in how alcohol can affect today's citizen's emotions during a breakup, or heartbreak.

The song “Whiskey’d My Way” sung by Morgan Wallen, and written by Thomas Rhett Akins talks about a man whos’ girlfriend recently broke up with him, spends his time at the bar and drinks a whole lot of whiskey to help him because, to him, whiskey is the best option to help him carry on with his life in a good manner. The lines “Tequila didn’t cut it, cold beer was no use / So I whiskey’d my way over you” (Thomas Rhett Akins 14 - 15) describes this perfectly. He has tried every alcohol in the bar, and none worked, except for whiskey. This drink is very strong, and it’s also very popular in the Southern and Midwestern states. It is the go-to drink for most people when they get their hearts broken. Furthermore, another set of explicit lyrics that prove whiskey can help is a few lines earlier when he states “In the movin' hall-of-fame” (Thomas Rhett Akins 9). Morgan Wallen, singer, and songwriter, says that he’s so good at moving on from a girl that broke his heart, that he should be in the Hall of Fame if there is one. Whiskey played a big role in helping him move on; based on this song, he wouldn’t have been able to do it. With this song in mind, this shows that whiskey can very much help people with breakups and moving on. 

“Beer Never Broke My Heart” Sung and Written by Luke Combs has a few lines that illuminates the idea of beer not breaking anyone's heart because it's not human, and it's an alcoholic drink, which gets you drunk and helps with getting over someone or having a good time. “Longneck, ice cold beer never broke my heart” (Luke Combs 9) provides a really good picture since he stated earlier in the song what broke his heart earlier in his life. Beer was one of the few things that hasn’t broken his heart. “No there ain’t much, man, / That ain’t ever let me down” (Luke Combs 6-7) is a verse that is relating to the previous line because there are so many things that have let him down, he would be better off saying things that haven’t let him down than what have.

Midland sings a song that tells a story about a man who people say has a drinking problem because he's in the bar a lot. The title of the song is “Drinkin’ Problem.” An explicit verse in the song says “They call it a problem I call it a solution” (Jess Carson 16). This is important because he thinks that his drinking is a solution to his breakup. No one else knows that he’s going through a breakup, so in their eyes , it looks like he's drinking for fun. Midland states a few lines later in the song “I come in here so I don’t have to hate her” ( Jess Carson 18). This emphasizes the idea that he is going through a breakup. Why would you hate someone you are in a relationship with?  So the logical idea is that he is going through a breakup and he is drinking in a bar to help cope with that.

Another song that shows alcohol can help with a breakup is the song “Hole in the Bottle” written and sung by Kelsea Ballerini. “It’s already empty, it ain’t even suppertime” (Kelsea Ballerini 16) is an explicit verse that helps show that she is drinking her problems away. Later in the song, she states that she doesn’t miss a boy she was once with, so drinking wine can help her with getting over their breakup. Another implicit line in the song that supports the main idea is “Honey, no, I don’t miss him / In fact, it slipped my mind”, (Kelsea Ballerini 17-18). This helps show why she is drinking so much she is, and the main object of this line is to show that she already forgot about the boy.

Modern country music utilizes alcohol to help citizens of today know that alcohol can help with any kind of heartbreak. There are multiple songs that can help support that idea like “Whiskey’d My Way” by Morgan Wallen, or “Beer Never Broke My Heart” sung by Luke Combs. Just because the song says alcohol can help, remember to stay safe. With that being said, country music can help with heartbreak in some of the most creative ways.


Similar Articles

JOIN THE DISCUSSION

This article has 0 comments.