The Evolution Of Bro-Country: A Look Back At A Music Phenomenon

In 20 years, fans of country music are going to look back on the era of bro-country like anyone under age 35 today looks back on the urban cowboy craze -- with much amusement and confusion. “What was it?” they’ll ask with patronizing indifference to someone older that’s clearly looking to talk about it. The answer is … complicated, because over the last 13 months, the definition has shifted.

For the most part, when people utter the term “bro-country” they’re spitting it out like bad milk. Like so many umbrella words, the definition is overwhelmed by the connotation. In that way, you can compare bro-country to socialism and Macklemore -- concepts that when strictly defined aren’t too bad, but because they’re now associated with other ideas (communism and a bad haircut), you’ll be nearly stoned for celebrating.

Like kudzu or the Asian carp, there’s no solution for eradicating the word. It keeps adapting to stay alive. New York Magazine writer Jody Rosen invented and defined the term bro-country on August 19, 2013. But that definition becomes problematic as you read his entire article.

The Definition and Characteristics of Bro-Country

Rosen mostly takes aim at Florida Georgia Line and their mega hit ‘Cruise.’ “The top country hit of all time may, in fact, be the most generic song you’ve ever heard,” he writes in a clever article that makes many valid points. As for his definition of bro-country?

Bro-Country: “Music by and of the tatted, gym-toned, party-hearty young American white dude.” Wait, what? No trucks? No tailgates? No objectification of women? No denim or bottle of something strong under the seat? No open field at the end of the dirt road?

Rosen points out that 'Cruise' (and other FGL songs) includes many of these listed tropes, but stops short of calling any of them necessary for a bro-country song. Thirteen months later, these five tenants are absolutely associated with bro-country. So what the heck happened?

Shifting Perspectives and Cultural Impact

Former Entertainment Weekly writer Grady Smith helped steer country fans off course. He’s the one behind the controversial “Why Country Music Was Awful in 2013” video that has nearly four million views on YouTube. Smith has since left EW. His country credentials aren’t clear, but no artist before or after the vid was clamoring for the Grady Smith opinion of their music in the same way they do more reputable writers like USA Today’s Brian Mansfield.

In three-and-a-half minutes, Smith connected clips of artists singing about trucks, dirt roads, hotties in trucks, etc., to argue this was what every song released the previous calendar year was about. A deeper look into the songs that made a difference in 2013 reveals that Smith knows as much about country music as Tyler Farr does about vacuums. His characterization is as fair as saying all women are emotional or all New Yorkers are rude.

But the video went viral, and because it was in the shadow of Rosen’s article, it further put a face on (or perhaps changed the face of) bro-country. The idea of what the problem was -- and there was a problem -- shifted.

Bro-Country's Expansion and Critique

Zac Brown didn’t help. When he attacked Luke Bryan’s ‘That’s My Kind of Night,’ he further refined the bro-country definition without using the words “bro-country.” The Beanie was right… Bryan’s hit was not a song like he and his band might embrace, but it was fun in the same way Toby Keith’s ‘Red Solo Cup’ was fun. Nobody nominated it for a Grammy. Nobody seriously thought that was where country was headed.

Finally, Maddie and Tae are responsible for Version 4.0 of the bro-country definition. ‘Girl in a Country Song’ objects to the objectification of women in country music. That’s a trend that goes back decades, but the modern male has turned up the volume.

Because they dropped in lyrics from songs that the new definition of bro-country bent to include, V4.0 now includes any song performed by a male that’s sexually aggressive, in addition to ones by tatted, young, white Americans and songs about trucks, girls, and tailgates.

The Future of Bro-Country

But it’s all in good fun, right? We’ll find out soon enough. So, what is “bro-country”? Like kudzu or the Asian carp, there’s no solution for eradicating the word. It keeps adapting to stay alive.

Taste of Country staff recently worked to define bro-country and settled on songs that include trucks, some small amount of objectification of women, a clearing at the end of the road where physical affection will take place, and some amount of strong alcohol (that one is crucial). We’re not anti-bro-country like so many -- in fact, we’re big fans of a lot of the songs that get stuck with the unfortunate label.

Interestingly, during our mini “Bro-Country Summit,” we never settled on a list of bro-country artists -- only songs. Rosen's definition does the opposite. Aside from Florida Georgia Line's catalog, he doesn't specifically label too much else as bro-country.

This definition -- Music by and of the tatted, gym-toned, party-hearty young American white dude -- taken verbatim might seem too narrow to include these stars, but today few would argue that each of these artists (except ZBB) haven't released at least one qualifier for a bro-country song list.

In the end, it’s clear that the term “bro-country” has evolved and continues to evolve. It reflects not only the music but also the cultural conversation surrounding it.