Mashup Illustrates How Many Country Hits Are Pretty Much The Same Song

Mark Wein

Mark Wein

Grand Poobah
Staff member
http://www.savingcountrymusic.com/m...ny-country-hits-are-pretty-much-the-same-song

Wow.





We complain all the time about how today’s popular country music pretty much all sounds the same, but is this really true from a technical standpoint? That is what one enterprising Audiophile and songwriter set out to illustrate by making a mashup of some of Bro-Country’s biggest singles over the last couple of years in a pretty mind-blowing and revealing video.

Posted under the YouTube username “Sir Mashalot,” the mashup takes six songs—”Sure Be Cool If You Did” by Blake Shelton, “Drunk on You” by Luke Bryan, “Chillin’ It” from Cole Swindell, “Close Your Eyes”by Parmalee, “This is How We Roll” from Florida Georgia Line, and “Ready, Set, Roll” by Chase Rice—and laid them all parallel into a Pro Tools sound file, changing the tempo and pitch slightly in some cases until they all ran at the same speed, and then pushing play. The six songs represent four #1 Bro-Country hits from 2012 until now, a #5 hit in “Ready, Set, Roll,” and a #11 song in Parmalee’s “Close Your Eyes.”

The video starts by selectively moving through parts and pieces of each song to illustrate the stark similarities in beat, melody and lyrical content, and then ends with all the songs running simultaneously together virtually seamlessly.

“My inspiration started when I heard Parmalee’s ‘Close Your Eyes’ several months ago,” says Sir Mashalot, who’s real life pursuit is as a Nashville songwriter. “During the chorus, I started realizing it had an almost identical melody/music bed as Blake Shelton’s ‘Sure Be Cool If You Did.’ So I imported them into Pro Tools, tweaked the key and tempo to line them up, and wahlah- turned out they really were the same song! So I overlapped them together and sent it out to a few friends, thinking it was an interesting exercise.”

“Then, while driving in my car over the next couple of weeks, I started hearing one song after another which I was certain would fit perfectly into the original mashup,” Sir Mashalot continues. “First ‘Chillin’ It,’ then ‘Drunk On You,’ then ‘This is How We Roll,’ and finally ‘Ready, Set, Roll.’ Each time I heard one, I would race home to plug it into the original pro tools session and yep, another perfect fit. Originally, I had all 6 songs overlapping, start to finish, but the more I listened to the lyrics, the more it occurred to me that it wasn’t just the music and melody that flowed together, but the actual lyrical content. So I presented myself with the challenge to create a singular, coherent story line using different snippets from the 6 songs. It took me about 2 weeks for that part of it. If I’m being honest, I think it still has tons of flaws (including some choppiness throughout), but my computer fried and so I finally just decided to get it out there the way it stands now.”

So there you go, it’s one big Bro-Country mega song all mashed up together. And apparently Sir Mashalot isn’t done just yet. “I am currently writing a song that will fit in as the 7th song of the mashup. I figure, hey- at least the gate keepers won’t be able to say it can’t be a hit!”

Who knows, if someone released this to radio, it might be a huge success.
 
And so we see that it ain't rocket science! You'd think someone would claim that another's song was too close to their own. I guess country folk just stick together.
 
Quick wiki of the song titles says there are a lot of names of writers/producers that keep popping up (and one artist that perform on two of the songs), as I suspected it would.
The hilarious one is where the son of the producer of song #2 actually co-wrote song #3. Nashville at its very worst.

And I wouldn't be surprised if a select few session guys are playing on most, if not all, of them.

I know a few country musicians up here, and they drive me bonkers with their unbelievably strict rule book of how a song must be played.
You must not deviate from the formula, ever. They'd have a bloody meltdown if I ever played with them. :grin:
 
That was awesome. Comments section was good too.

My favorite

Perfect! We’ll simply calmly explain facts to Brantley Gilbert fans and let them see the error of their ways.
Click to expand...

The reality is, and always has been, most people don't care.

FWIW, one of the bands I play in is a modern country cover band - it's the most fun I've had playing music in a long time.
 
Stratguy said:
And so we see that it ain't rocket science! You'd think someone would claim that another's song was too close to their own. I guess country folk just stick together.
Click to expand...

I'm guessing no one can make a claim because no one's really sure who wrote it first, or who stole from who :grin:
 
I am a long time defender of country music primarily because it is what I grew up listening to but also because I think it projects a far better image than some other genre's. And although the hats and accents seem ridiculous to some, I find it far less ridiculous than lets say, rap. Watching the various award shows illustrates this point. And things like, they actually have and play guitars, there are a lot of talented musicians, good songwriters, the artists seem more like normal people etc. But man, some of the crap they are signing now just pisses me off. Even some of the guys who I was ok with a couple years ago have sold out. I would still rather kids listen to country than most of what is on the radio but I personally am having a hard time listening to any of it now.

I watched the Foo Fighters show when they recorded in Nashville and it covered the "formula" pretty well. The industry prefers to have a room full of song writers who are really good at writing songs, write the songs. They want really good singers/performers to sing them and they want the best studio musicians to record them. The thought process is that the product is more perfect. And you cant argue that it doesnt work as a business model. Fortunately, there are still a few who write, sing and record and there are of course a lot of super talented musicians in town. But if I saw one of those Florida Georgia Line guys at the Walmart, no guarantee I wouldnt strangle him.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tig
At First Night, the guy who performed before me did a 5 minute song using the same 4 chords; each line was taken from a different song. All the songs were pop/rock songs. Same as it ever was.
 
The biggest problem.....it sells. And that fact that 90% of what is heard on country radio is from the same writers, same studios, same producers, same musicians. Not that they are are not very talented - they are. But that word 'same' pops up way too much.
 
The really sad thing......you could release this mashup to country radio as a 'superstar single' and it would hit top ten easy. It really would.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Tig
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top