"So turn it on, turn it up, and sing along..."

Since I've been home, I've been listening almost nonstop to country music. Ok, that's a little bit of an exaggeration. I've listened to lots of other music too, but everytime I turn on the radio, it's country. And for some reason it's usually CMT that draws my attention on the rare occasion I'm craving music videos.

But I've been trying to figure out exactly what the draw of it is. Why do I keep going back to country? Even after my note-to-self to stop listening to it about a month ago, I just can't let it go.

I've decided it's because country is more real than a lot of other music. The songs tell real stories about real emotions. You listen to a song and you can connect with the singer. You feel like you're there with them going through whatever they're going through, happy or sad. You can feel what they're feeling. And I think that's something that I have to have. I've always known that's how I judge whether I like a book or a movie, so that makes sense that I feel that way about music too.

I don't know, maybe I'm crazy. I'm not saying that other music isn't any good. There's tons of other music out there that's quality stuff that I love too. But I just feel like country is less likely to let me down.

Part of it might be a little tiny piece of me trying to find my Southern heritage. While I wasn't born in Georgia, we moved here when I was two and this is all I knew until I moved to Provo at age 18. And there's something about the South that makes you proud to call it home. Maybe anywhere can do that to you, but nowhere else can do it with fried chicken, boiled peanuts, and red Georgia clay. So maybe listening to and loving country music helps me feel connected with the place I grew up.

And I think I would feel this way even if dancing had never been involved with this genre of music. But who's to say that cha-cha-ing by myself in the kitchen when a fantastic song comes on the radio doesn't make the song that much better?

Maybe the reason I adore country so much is because of the gems like this that it produces:

Newest song on my wedding playlist?

Yes please.

(The recorded version is better.)

Anyways, I guess my purpose today is just to make sure you know about my undying love for country music. I am not ashamed. And I will now leave you with words from one of my favorites, Brad Paisley, who says what I was trying to say, but much simpler, and I echo his sentiments:

"So turn it on, turn it up, and sing along.

This is real, this is your life in a song.

Yeah, this is country music."