Lee Brice’s song “Country Nowadays,” performed for the TPUSA safe-space Super Bowl halftime show, is an ode to a privileged white man’s right to stay ignorant, phobic and uninformed about the world. He portrays himself as a victim of people and ideas he doesn’t want to see or understand, his lyrics comfortably clad in simplistic symbolism and tired country tropes.
“I just wanna catch my fish, drive my truck, drink my beer … not wake up to all this stuff I don’t wanna hear … I just wanna cut my grass, feed my dog, wear my boots.”
Brice’s sad sop is no “Man in Black” or “Big River” — genuine all-American country songs about the exploitation and hardships of the working class, the rural poor and beaten down.
He’s been mercilessly dragged in the days since, and rightfully so, spawning some funny parody tunes.
Today, my TikTok FYP delivered a working-class antidote in the heartfelt songwriting of @hoolie_r, who “fixed” Brice’s lyrics in a protest song that would make The Man In Black proud.
“I just wanna pay my bills, own my time, afford my rent … not be told my labor is my right to life, while they steal our wages and our neighbors … it ain’t easy being working class in this country nowadays.”
Give a listen. You won’t regret the next three minutes.
@hoolie_r I hate stadium country but I think I could really get my twang on with a rural noun and a simple adjective. #unitedstates #parody #superbo... See more
