Trisha Yearwood and the Booming 90s
During the early 1980s, the American economy was suffering from a deep and devastating recession. Many business bankruptcies rose, farmers were overwhelmingly devastated by a decline in agricultural exports, and the unemployment rate stood at its recession peak of 10.8% (Wolf, 2015). The state of the nation was inadequate and substandard. However, by 1990, the lifestyle of many Americans significantly changed for the better. There was an increase in economic stability as individuals were employed and well-educated. As a result of the changing times, the baby-boomer generation flocked to a new issue-oriented version of country-rock that reflected their situation. Trisha Yearwood, along with many other country artists of the 90's, sought to create sounds that acknowledged the hardships faced by this generation, while also cherishing the new, prosperous times. In “She’s in Love with the Boy,” Yearwood incorporates musical traits that appeal to the baby-boom generation. These traits include a soothing and comforting guitar melody that represents a lifestyle that capitalizes upon family values and prosperity, changes in the timbre of her voice which reflect the roller-coaster of emotions one experienced during and after the recession- some of which are joyful and others that are depressing- as well as the steady, consistent beat of the percussion layer that not only captures the increasing economic stability of the 90’s but it describes the ease of the minds of individuals that struggled during the recession.
Throughout the song, a soothing and comforting melody from the guitar is present. The tune is a combination of various pitches and rhythms that come together to create a progression of soft sounds, all of which are being heard simultaneously. In the beginning of the song, the guitar melodies are extremely apparent and they make way for the vocals of Trisha Yearwood. The soothing and comforting sound created by the guitar directly reflects the time period in which this song was produced. During the final years of the 1980s, the baby boomer generation latched onto a new type of country music, something that described there situation at the time. This time period is also described as being family-oriented, prosperous, and secure, due to the fact that the average baby boomer had already turned thirty, and had a steady job, once the challenging economic situation of the mid-1980s began to ease. In order for Yearwood to appeal to the baby boomers, she had to also produce a sound that reflected ones situation as well because “if nobody can relate to your music, what difference are you going to make?” (Price, 2014). The melodies produced by the guitar imitate the feelings of any given baby boomer. There was light at the end of the tunnel for these individuals, after a period of distress and hardships, since they now preferred music that best represented their new and improved way of life. The guitar melodies heard throughout the piece not only comfort the listeners while being played, but the sounds allow for the listeners to connect their personal feelings regarding their families, financial situations, and overall well-being. Trisha Yearwood sought to not only produce songs that would reflect the social aspects of the 90’s, but she also incorporated certain techniques that appealed to many different audiences, including the soft melodies of the guitar.
In order to appeal to the baby-boomer audience, Trisha Yearwood, along with many other country artists of the 90’s adapted their sounds to the feelings of this specific group. Not only did most artists latch onto an issue-oriented approach but they also incorporated musical traits that described the gradual progression of the nation. In order to do that, throughout Trisha Yearwood’s song: “She’s in Love with the Boy,” the timbre of her voice changes due to the many emotions present in the song. In many verses, including “Katie’s sitting on her old front porch, watching the chickens peck the ground,” her tone is mellow and pure. However, in the verse: “Her daddy says, he ain’t worth a lick, when it comes to brains he got the short end of the stick,” the timbre of her voice changes, becoming slightly rougher and more distinguished from the previous vocals. During this time period, individuals experienced a variety of emotions. Some of which were blissful and others that were heart-rendering. The 90’s helped to “eliminate the feelings one had regarding the recession” (Wolf, 2015) that took place only a few years prior, without necessarily dismissing the hardships the nation endured. Trisha Yearwood’s voice as well as the pitch of her notes throughout “She’s in Love with the Boy,” best represents a rollercoaster. Her tone is soft, concise, and comforting at one point and then it gradually gets increasingly louder, and rougher and then it goes back down again, just like that of the emotions experienced by this generation and the state of the economy. The emotions experienced during the recession, as well as the feelings one had regarding the now flourishing society were acknowledged through the vocal techniques used by Yearwood.
The baby boomer generation “flocked to a sometimes issue oriented version of country-rock” (Price, 2014). They began to listen to music that combined the socially-oriented rhetoric of Bruce Springsteen with a “new and improved” sound, that helped to capture the increasing economic stability and tendencies of the baby-boomer generation. In Yearwood’s song,“She’s in Love with the Boy,” there is one instrumental layer that is extremely crucial to the piece. The percussion layer becomes apparent from the beginning of the song to the very end. This layer in particular would be described as a consistent, steady beat that accompanies the other layers, keeping them all in an orderly manner. It is comprised of multiple short beats that help to pace the song, as it changes the overall tempo when the notes get closer and further apart. The steady and consistent beat created by the percussion layer directly reflects not only the increasing economic stability during the 90’s, but it also portrays the secure and balanced lifestyle that the baby-boomer generation had now been experiencing. Up until the 1990’s, the nation was experiencing an appalling recession and the people were grasping for better days. However, things gradually started to change when the challenging economic situation of the mid-1980s began to ease. Baby boomers were finally living comfortably. The overall sense of contentment filled the lives of an abundance of individuals as well as an overwhelming amount of stability. These new feelings are expressed through the work of Trisha Yearwood, and particularly the percussion layer. The steady, consistent beat of the drum reflects a baby-boomers situation by imitating the consistency that is now present in many aspects of their lives.
Within the song, “She’s in Love with the Boy,” Trisha Yearwood incorporates musical traits that appeal to the baby-boomer generation. Prior to the 1990's, all aspects of the nation were dominated by a financial crisis. The severe economic recession affected most of the developed world in the early 1980's, as well as the lives of Americans. However, the 1990’s brought about a new sense of stability and security. The soothing guitar melody, the changes in the timbre of Yearwood’s vocals, as well as the steady, consistent beat of the drums acknowledges the hardships faced by the baby-boomers, all the while cherishing the new, prosperous times.
Works Cited
PRICE, DEBORAH EVANS. “Trisha Yearwood.” CMA Close Up, Dec. 2014, pp. 11–13. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=100779689&site=ehost-live.
WOLF, JEANNE. “Trisha Yearwood.” Saturday Evening Post, vol. 287, no. 4, July 2015, pp. 52–55. EBSCOhost, search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=a9h&AN=103584530&site=ehost-live.
