Following is a mindblowing video showing how six recent bro-country hits ALL SOUND EXACTLY THE SAME.
In addition, the lyrics almost always involve a scantily dressed country girl (always named “Girl” and always dressed in cutoff jeans, daisy dukes, or tight ripped jeans), beer, a river or body of water, moonlight, a pickup truck with the tailgate down, more beer, said girl dancing on the tailgate, a horny guy, and enough beer to refill the aforementioned body of water should it dry up. It’s always summer and the radio is always on.
There’s some variety though: in a few bro country songs lots of mud is involved. Or even homemade wine standing in for the beer. A few have a slight hip hop influence. But the musical formula never changes. Ever.
For the best experience, maximize your screen to watch the video. Watch the black bar moving to the right across the screen through segments showing the exact locations of the intros, verses, transitions, guitar solos, 1st and 2nd chorus, bridges/breakdowns (I call this the “quiet before the storm”), drum explosions in the final chorus outre, the final woah woahs, etc. There’s barely any variation in their placement! This is as fascinating to watch as to listen to. It’s awesome. I could watch this 100 times. I kid you not. *
The formula is so generic and sounds so similar to most commercial pop rock of about 5 and more years ago (Nickelback, The Fray, Daughtry, 3 Doors Down, and many others) that I bet a mashup could be done mixing some of those older pop-rock songs with today’s bro-country you’d see no difference in the timed graphs in the video!
These songs are all ridiculously catchy even if you hate this genre. Bro country is barely country at all–it’s formulaic pop-rock with a banjo and a twang.
For more about the phenomenon (or scourge) of bro-country, read this article.
* My guilty little secret is I like bro country I like Lady Gaga.
Music has been incredibly important in my journey to wellness, second only to writing. I could not survive in a world without music. I don’t really have a favorite genre; I love all good music. If I started another blog, it would probably be a music blog. I always try to include lots of music in this blog, representing a variety of genres and from different decades.
I added this new page because of its importance to me in helping in my healing. You’d be surprised how effective it can be.
I have included full videos (lyric videos if I could find them) of several songs that have been especially therapeutic to me, for a variety of reasons. I’m hoping these songs can help others too.
I intend to add more songs as time goes along. These are certainly not the only songs that have helped me, just the ones that have been most recently.
I’m also planning to do another “narcissist songs” post because there are lots of songs about narcissism I haven’t covered and those always seem to be popular posts.
Janis Ian’s “Society’s Child” is a ballad she wrote at age 13 about a forbidden love between a black boy and a white girl and her family’s disapproval. I was about 8 years old when it hit the airwaves in 1967. I loved it back then and I love it now.
“Society’s Child” was banned from many radio stations due to its controversial (for the time) subject matter of racism. It’s still somewhat controversial though hopefully much less so. I read that Janis got death threats for writing it.
You just don’t hear so much pure raw emotion in popular music anymore, or a song with as much artistry as this one. Janis gets so lost in this performance. I just love to watch her. She didn’t really become famous until her 1975 megahit “At Seventeen.” She was just 16 years old in this haunting performance on the The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour
I think the video production for its time is incredible. It’s hard to believe this video was made 48 years ago. I don’t understand why this hit from 1967 has been forgotten for so long. You just NEVER hear it.
I think it’s a classic.
Narcissism is a hot topic, and popular music is no exception, especially since so many songs are about relationships gone bad and breakups with narcissistic lovers. Whenever possible, I tried to include lyric videos.
1. Christina Aguilera: Vanity
Speaks for itself.
2. Sara Bareilles: King of Anything
Fairly recent, nice indie pop song about a not so nice malignant narcissist.
3. Queen: I Want it All
I couldn’t find a lyric video, but here’s the lyrics:
Adventure seeker on an empty street,
Just an alley creeper, light on his feet
A young fighter screaming, with no time for doubt
With the pain and anger can’t see a way out,
It ain’t much I’m asking, I heard him say,
Gotta find me a future move out of my way,
I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now,
I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now,
Listen all you people, come gather round
I gotta get me a game plan, gotta shake you to the ground
Just give me what I know is mine,
People do you hear me, just give me the sign,
It ain’t much I’m asking, if you want the truth
Here’s to the future for the dreams of youth,
I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now,
I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now,
I’m a man with a one track mind,
So much to do in one life time (people do you hear me)
Not a man for compromise and where’s and why’s and living lies
So I’m living it all, yes I’m living it all,
And I’m giving it all, and I’m giving it all,
It ain’t much I’m asking, if you want the truth,
Here’s to the future, hear the cry of youth,
I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now,
I want it all, I want it all, I want it all, and I want it now…
4. Madonna: Material Girl
Madonna purportedly suffers from NPD herself. I don’t doubt it. Still a great 1980s classic though.
5. Rush: Malignant Narcissism (instrumental)
No words, but the title says it all so it belongs here anyway. Good hard rock jam.
6. The Police: Every Breath You Take
The dude in this 1986 megahit definitely seems psychopathic to me.
7. Michelle Branch: Are You Happy Now
Angry pop rock from 2003 about a girl left by her narcissisict lover.
8. Three Days Grace: Just Like You
Don’t want to get infected by her evil!
9. Shawn Colvin: Get Out of this House
The lyrics are oblique and this song may not be about a narcissistic relationship, it could be just a bad breakup but it’s still a great song so I’m posting it anyway. I could not find a lyric video for this.
I have looked, but there seem to be very, very few songs about narcissism prior to the 1980s (isn’t that an interesting statement about how our society has changed?), but here’s a disco song with a victorious message about escaping from what appears to have been an abusive relationship with a narcissist. This has become a sort of female empowerment anthem but I don’t see why it couldn’t apply to guys escaping from narcissistic women too.
11. Imagine Dragons: Demons
Sounds like an insightful malignant narcissist to me, warning his prey! Sam, did you actually write this?
12. Carrie Underwood: Cowboy Casanova
Catchy country-pop take on a narcissistic relationship.
A commenter named Sinderella suggested this one to me. I never heard it before, but it’s a great rock song and it also comes from the point of view of the narcissist, instead of the victim, which makes it a bit different. Thank you, Sinderella.
12. “Hurt” by Nine Inch Nails
Disturbing look inside the psyche of a malignant narcissist by the well known ’90s rock band.
13. “Live to Tell” by Madonna
One of Madonna’s best and most haunting songs ever. The lyrics are a bit oblique but I read somewhere this was a song about her abusive, psychopathic father. It could be about a love relationship with a narcissist too. (Madonna herself allegedly has NPD–since it’s a family disease, many ACONS also have the disorder).
14. “Farmer’s Daughter” by Crystal Bowersox
Catchy but angry and emotionally cathartic autobiographical folk-pop song about the singer’s abusive, drunk, psychopathic mother, who badly damaged both her children. There wasn’t a lyric video for this because the song was never a big hit, but I think you can understand all the words and the video tells the story.
15. “Don’t You Want Me’ by the Human League
The synth-pop hit from 1981 tells the story of a woman whose narcissistic, manipulative manager/lover is no longer of any use to her because he’s made her a big celebrity and now she wants to move on. It’s hard to tell who’s the real narcissist here. This may be one of those rare relationships with two narcissists using each other for their own gain. Such a relationship cannot last.
16. “Foolish Games” by Jewel
Hauntingly beautiful song by the folk-turned-country singer about being dumped by a narcissistic man who only used her as long as he needed her.
17. “Sweet Nothing” by Calvin Harris featuring Florence Welch
Fairly new dance-pop hit about a woman dealing with a narcissistic lover.
18. “The Chauffeur” by The Deftones
The lyrics are very poetic and somewhat oblique but this seems to be about a relationship with a malignantly narcissistic woman.
19. “Somebody That I Used to Know” by Gotye featuring Kimbra
I never really thought of this as a song about narcissism, but if you listen to the short verse by Kimbra (really the most telling lyric in the song), she is calling her lover out for his narcissistic, manipulative behavior, while Gotye appears to be experiencing a narcissistic crisis/loss of narcissistic supply and blaming his lover for leaving him.
And to close this post…
20. “My Way” by Frank Sinatra
Classic song by the blue eyed crooner paints a picture of a narcissist from his own point of view.
Because so many relationships are unequal, predatory, and abusive, and songs about relationships are so common in popular music, narcissism comes up in them often. I have posted songs about narcissism before, but I wanted to put them all in one post. I will be posting 20 songs, 10 in each post.
These songs are not ranked (because ranking them is impossible and isn’t my focus here anyway), so the songs are posted in totally random order.
Almost every genre of popular music is represented here. I have tried to include lyric videos whenever possible, so you can read the words.
1. “Narcissist” by The420Four:
Indie stoner garage rock that hits the nail on the head (but is nearly unlistenable). It still belongs on the list.
2. “Mean” by Taylor Swift
The pop country princess seems like someone who’s been in more than her fair share of abusive relationships with narcissistic, selfish men. From what I’ve heard, fame has never gone to her head–she’s super nice and falls in love easily, so she probably attracts narcissistic men who want to use her. But in this song, Taylor finally shows a little badass attitude and calls out her latest narcissist for what he really is in her ridiculously catchy 2012 pop-country hit “Mean.”
3. “Narcissus” by Alanis Morissette
Tribute to a narcissistic lover by the popular ’90s singer. This is one of her more current, less well known songs, but it’s still great.
4. “Building a Mystery” by Sarah McLachlan
The video is so well done in this hauntingly beautiful 1997 hit that I didn’t search for a lyric video. If you want to read the lyrics, I posted them here. This has remained one of my favorite songs ever.
5. “Voices Carry” by ‘Til Tuesday
The turquoise on hot pink typeface is a little hard on the eyes, but this was the only lyric video I could find for this enormously popular 1985 electropop hit about a relationship with a narcissist who wanted to keep their relationship a secret.
6. “Father of Mine” by Everclear
Here’s a hit from the early 2000’s from a man’s perspective–this song was written by the lead singer about his abusive and uncaring father (who was most likely a malignant narcissist) and how it’s still having repercussions on his life as an adult.
7. “You’re So Vain” by Carly Simon
This was a huge radio hit in 1972. Simon wrote this song about the narcissistic actor Warren Beatty, who she had had a stormy one-sided relationship with. I couldn’t find a decent lyric video, but you can read the words here.
Speaking of vanity, I thought this video was extremely advanced for 1972 technology, so I looked into it further and found out this was a remix video of the original song made in 2010! Carly still looks terrific!
8. “Liar” by Henry Rollins
This song from the late 1990s absolutely nails the evil mindset of the psychopathic malignant narcissist. This video is incredibly well done and powerful, so I didn’t include a lyric video. You probably won’t need one because Rollins’ enunciation is clear as a bell. The singer/actor/activist is not actually narcissistic in the slightest, but he plays the part here incredibly well
9. “Me Myself and I” by de la soul. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L90dy5lUh5I
A narcissistic r&b/hip hop anthem for the self absorbed. Hip hop in particular seems to be an especially narcissistic music genre. Some of the N attitude in hip hop may not be genuine but a type of posing for effect, but one still wonders.
Lucky Otters Haven 