Country music has the uncanny ability of capturing the best America could be. At its best, the American Dream unites every facet of the country, working class people of all races and creeds in one space sharing community with one another. This is especially evident whenever you're in the small towns of America. It feels like everyone knows each other, familiar faces at the grocery stores, families intermingle with each others' kids. Eventually, there's rapport and you build a web of people you're familiar with on a daily basis.
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Country, and southern music as a whole, has been great at capturing this experience. Something about the pedal steel guitars, harmonicas, and fiddles really display the warmth that can come with quiet, rural living. So what are some essentials in capturing the serenity and tranquility of American small town living? Here are four ideal records you could build around your departure from big city living.
Four Country Songs That Capture The Magic of Small Town American Living
Marty Robbins- "El Paso City"
Perhaps the easiest way to capture small town living out in the country of America is referring to an already existing one. Sure, El Paso is far from anyone's idea of a "small town." It's no Houston, Dallas, or Austin, but an abundance of people live there. Still, it's the grandiose voice and strong storytelling of Marty Robbins that really helps ground "El Paso City" as something much smaller and personal. Cowboy tales are perfect in that sense. By closely following a character, their setting can feel insular and smaller as a result. The horns on "El Paso City" immediately awakens memories of what an old, country western town sounds like.
Willie Nelson- "Georgia On My Mind"
Willie Nelson calling this album Stardust remains fitting, even nearly 50 years later. The twinkle of the piano on a record like "Georgia On My Mind" really makes for a tender experience. It's as if the night sky is crystal clear and you're with your partner checking for constellations. You can only really recognize this experience when you're living in small town country. Willie's familiar southern howl really eliminates all of the smog you would get from the big cities.
Ed Bruce- "When I Die, Just Let Me Go to Texas"
When I think of a small town out in the country, my mind instinctively goes to Texas. I think of the peace of mind I've received staying in places like Bastrop or San Angelo. The silence is liberating for the mind. All the noise from the outside world is gone. All of those worries, the deep anxiety, it seems trivial at the end of the day. Small town Texas can allow you to truly ground yourself with the planet.
These are the kinds of things that made Ed Bruce want to stay in the Lone Star state for an eternity. If he's not a strong enough saint to make it to heaven, send him to Texas and he'll manage just fine. Bruce is an underrated contender for the greatest voice in country music. His withered, leathery delivery really encapsulates that insular feeling you can only get from small town living. To reach the nearest Dollar General, you have to go down some miles. But Bruce makes it all seem like a breeze, like Texas really is a worthy alternative for the pearly gates.
Morgan Wallen- "More Than My Hometown"
This is a small town country heartbreaker for the ages. What really makes this record sing is the staggering maturity on display from Wallen. It's neither of their faults that the relationship didn't work out. Maybe in another universe, they did. Unfortunately, this isn't the one. Instead, she has larger dreams that expand past their small town living. Meanwhile, Morgan remains content with where his roots lie. Consequently, there's a fundamental difference in approach that they just can't quite land.
But it is Wallen's appreciation for his hometown out in the country that allows the record to even make sense in the first place. Logically, anyone would've told him to go after the girl. However, his small town living was so magical and homely that he couldn't possibly imagine going anywhere else. His love affair with his backyard was deep enough to keep him from staying with the love of his life. As much as "More Than My Hometown" is an all time country yearner, it's also a strong argument for why it's worth staying in a small town.
