As we made our way home from Ohio I opened my new Garth Brooks box set, a Christmas gift from my in-laws, and my love for this man's music has been instantly renewed. I grew up listening to country music because in my Baptist home country music was on a higher moral plane than rock 'n roll...I never really understood this since country music spoke of drug and alcohol abuse and infidelity just as much as rock 'n roll but who really can understand the justifications of the Baptists. I have since given up listening to country music for many different reasons but mainly because of the whole songwriting issue. Most country stars don't write their own songs, for example Tim McGraw, so essentially they are just a pretty face who can sing well. I know this isn't the case for all country artists nor is the reverse true of all rock 'n roll artists but gone are the days of the country singer/songwriters. Garth happens to be a hybrid of the whole singer/songwriter...he has the capability but doesn't always write his own stuff.
This morning I watched some of the special DVD that is part of the box set and I just love it that GB is as big of fan of music as I am. I love hearing him talk about his emotional reaction to music because that's how music effects me. There were times in the last two days where I would hear a particular song, for instance The Dance, and I would just cry at the beauty of it. Here is a man that revolutionized the face of country music and rather than having an inflated ego he chooses to be a laid back country boy just happy to have had the chance to do something he loved to do.
Just one of many of my favorite lines from a GB song:
"Keep liftin' and a reachin' and ridin' like there ain't no clowns." - Fever
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