Merle Haggard and Bro Country

There is myth and the art. Art is always subject to the listener’s ear or eye. To hear about Merle Haggard nowadays, you think the start of “Bro-Country.” A singer with songs about beer, I’m a real American, beer, God, beer, having a beer with God, yada yada yada.

“Bro-Country” tends to be bland with talking-lyrics. Throw in a guitar solo and snooze. These songs are songs with a point of view. They aren’t there to dance. They aren’t to relax. It’s just talk with noise in the back and beer.

A Merle Haggard box set is on the list of great albums of Rolling Stone Magazine’s Top 500 albums. I have an issue with box sets on this list and you can go back and read that post. In this 40 song collection, I found country music. This is the country music that people tell me is what makes country music what it is.

The monster in the room is “Okie from Muskogee” and “Fighting Side of Me.” These are actual songs with melody. It’s not just “I’m a real patriot” with nothing else to offer. I’ve read stories about these songs where Haggard says not to take this too literal. He may have been smoking a joint while writing them. Even if you do take them literal, he is singing and it’s a song with a view, so take a listen. There are melodies. You may not agree with the point of view, but it’s not a lecture.

That is different.

“Irma Jackson.” Haggard took on interracial relationships decades before pop songs did. He loves her and society around them says it can’t happen. At the time of recording, it could be  a true story. Perhaps because of songs like this, times changed.

In a positive light.

He had songs about being broke, just trying to make it to December. He had characters that were failures looking for a chance. He had people that gave up on themselves. He had characters that people can relate to.

I started the collection dreading four hours of “Bro-Country” but found the singer in the songs. He told stories in song and he told stories that maybe he didn’t agree with, but he knew it would touch someone. That is what art is about.