Throughout the year I will listen to just about any type of music -- rap, alternative, pop, rock, hip-hop, R&B -- but yet, I really seem to have to be in the mood to listen to country.
Not that I have anything against the genre, but it just doesn't seem to resonate with me as much in the colder months. I typically don't even think of turning it on. Yet, as soon as summer rolls around and the heat is in the air, my windows are automatically rolled down as I listen to an entire Brad Paisley album. It seems that there's just something about country music in the summer -- an undeniable vibe. But why?
1. It's slow and steady
Although there are some upbeat country songs out there, it isn't music that makes you want to throw a rager. Country music has a slow, steady beat that's just relaxing.
2. The content
A lot of rap songs are about sex and drugs, but country music seems to always be about warm nights, bonfires, and all the little things that encompass the feeling of summer. It's music about beautiful weather that can easily be played around a fire in the middle of July.
It's about simple life, and summer tends to be the most simple time for many people. The school year can be hectic and full of unwarranted stressors, so relating simpler times to simpler lyrics is almost impossible not to do.
3. Love
It almost seems inevitable that the summer is the time for flings to begin. Countless country songs are about falling in love or falling into it during the summer and breaking it off when it ends. Yet, country songs seem to describe love in some of the most pure ways. Take "Beautiful Crazy" by Luke Combs or "Wanted" by Hunter Hayes, for example. It's pretty difficult to not listen to the lyrics and hope that one day some guy will look at you that way. It makes you want to fall in love, and what better, simpler time to fall in love than in the summer?
4. Home
A lot of country songs talk about being home and are centered around family. In the summer, a lot of time is spent at cookouts, family gatherings, or just at home in general. You're no longer away at school constantly and you have fewer obligations than before, so a lot of time is spent at home with your family. These songs hit close to home, and home is exactly where you are most of the time during the summer months.
5. The general activities in the lyrics
Drinking beer, hunting, fishing, you know the drill. A lot of these are typical topics of country songs, and the majority of these activities are heightened during the summer. A lot of boys will cast a line with their friends on a sunny day, sipping a beer while they wait for a bite. It's hard to argue that these activities don't hold a strong association with the summer months.
Country music is a perfect reminder of the county fair, the outdoors, and spending time with the people you care about, all of which are the epitome of summer break. Some songs, like "Summer Nights" by Rascal Flatts and "Summertime" by Kenny Chesney, are undoubtedly made for cruising with the windows down in mid-July. There's just something about country music in the summer that makes it that much sweeter, so enjoy it while it lasts.
