Anyone with a vested interest in the music industry will have opinions on it. Every artist has their own opinion about how best to serve their genre. Those myriad opinions can often be at odds with one another. Enter George Strait and Alan Jackson’s “Murder On Music Row.”
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Though many artists have thrived on the popification of country music–moreover it has given the genre more ears–Strait and Jackson have seen that shift as a damning departure from the soul of country. They said as much in this 2000 release. Uncover the meaning behind this seething berate towards the country machine, below.
Behind the Meaning of George Strait and Alan Jackson’s “Murder On Music Row”
Nobody saw him runnin’
From sixteenth avenue
They never found the fingerprint
Or the weapon that was used
But someone killed country music
Cut out its heart and soul
They got away with murder
Down on Music Row
Many traditionalists in the country camp look to artists from an age gone by as the standard to which all other artists are measured. Hank Williams. Johnny Cash. Loretta Lynn. These classic country artists still have a firm foothold in the genre’s fandom today. As with all things, progress comes raring its head–whether you deem it positive progress or not.
In 2000, country music was experiencing a shift. Pop and rock tones were being introduced into the genre at impressive rates. Long gone were the dulcet tones of acoustic instrumentation and simple rhythms–i.e. the “Three Chords and the Truth” mentality. Strait and Jackson reckoned someone should pay for that trend. Though they weren’t sure of the exact culprit, they knew the scene of the crime: Nashville’s Music Row.
The almighty dollar
And the lust for worldwide fame
Slowly killed tradition
And for that someone should hang (Oh, you tell them Alan)
They all say “Not guilty!”
But the evidence will show
That murder was committed
Down on Music Row
The Nashville sound started to gain traction in the ’50s. It was polished and removed the authentic grit that the genre formed around back when it was an oral tradition. It became deeply popular for country singers of that era. Mostly, we have to think, because it earned them stardom on a level the genre hadn’t seen before. Though it wears a different face, that same sentiment is continued in Nashville today. Pop-friendly melodies, picture-perfect vocals, and catchy refrains run rampant in Music City.
Strait and Jackson attributed that to a chase of the almighty dollar. He blamed the songwriters and artists on Music Row (an area of town with recording studios and labels lining the street) for proliferating that chase. They felt the genre had lost its pursuit of the truth, no matter the cost.
Many fans agreed with Strait and Jackson’s perspective, making this song a certified hit. Revisit “Murder On Music Row,” below.
For the steel guitars no longer cry
And the fiddles barely play
But drums and rock ‘n’ roll guitars
Are mixed up in your face
Ole Hank wouldn’t have a chance
On today’s radio
Since they committed murder
Down on Music Row
Photo by Paras Griffin/Getty Images for ATLive
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