Country music has for decades been a staple in homes all across America. The songs are often synonymous with faith, family values, feel-good stories and more. Still, there are several artists who bravely broke the mold, and the genre is better for it. We picked four times country music was way ahead of its time.
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1. Loretta Lynn's "The Pill"
When Loretta Lynn released "The Pill" in 1975, talking about contraception was still taboo, let alone singing about it. The reaction was swift, with the song banned on plenty of radio stations - not that Lynn cared.
"I just write what I feel, what is going on with me and my life," Lynn previously told Parade. "It just happened that a lot of other women felt the same. I would never set out to write something just for it to shock someone; I am not that clever. It's always been about truth and if that means radio wants to ban it, well that's their problem. Most of my records they banned became No. 1 anyway."
2. Shania Twain's Wardrobe
It's shocking to see how much country music has changed its expectations of women in the last 30 years, especially when it comes to what they wear. When Shania Twain burst onto the scene in 1993, her rock-infused music resulted in plenty of criticism about Twain tainting country music. But Twain also drew criticism for what she wore, daring to - shockingly - bare her midriff, both in her videos and onstage.
Now commonplace for female artists to proudly flaunt their figures, at the time, Twain brazenly changed the way women were expected to dress.
"I was a disruption to the image of country music, absolutely," Twain says in her 2022 Not Just A Girl documentary.
3. The Chicks' Political Statement
Nowadays, the majority of artists use their numerous social media platforms to share their political beliefs. But when The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks) criticized former President George W. Bush about the Iraq War in 2003 while overseas, the backlash was swift and thorough. Overnight, their record sales plummeted, and radio stations immediately banned their songs.
While Maines' choice of words, and her timing, might have been unfortunate, the fact remains that more than 20 years later, country artists now have the freedom to share what they do, or don't believe, something that was lacking 22 years ago.
"What we said back then — or what I said back then — would not even be a thing today, because it was really mild compared to what people say today," Maines admits. "So on the one hand, everyone has this platform where they can say whatever they wanna say, but on the other hand, this platform can move really quickly and ruin people's lives."
In 2006, The Chicks addressed the controversy in "Not Ready To Make Nice."
4. Florida Georgia Line's "Cruise"
"Cruise" is the now-defunct Florida Georgia Line's debut single, and a massive success. The song, which was later released as a remix with Nelly, first came out in 2012, boldly declaring it as country music, when in fact, it was a a bit of country, a bit of rock, and a whole lot of fun.
Country music purists might have balked at the fact that FGL was calling "Cruise" country at all, but Tyler Hubbard and Brian Kelley were likely laughing all the way to the bank. The song set new records on the charts, both the original version and the one with Nelly, and proved that a song can blur genre lines but still be called country.
