Why does Europeans never want to listen to country music?

Country's hugely popular with older people across Europe. It's also absolutely massive throughout the West Indies, again mostly with older people but it's very widespread. If you walk into a mall or supermarket in Trinidad, there's a decent chance that they'll be playing Nashville pop-country over the PA.

Despite all of this evidence of Country's euro-popularity, time and again here, when we discuss some huge song like "Before He Cheats" or "Need You Now", some poster writes something like "But I have never heard of this song because I live in Europe."

Before He Cheats made no impact here but Need You Now was a top 10 hit across Europe.

I also wouldn't underestimate the pull of country mythology and its crossover with the mythology of the Western film genre. As mentioned upthread, there are lots of guys in Middle England watching John Wayne films and dreaming of big skies and steer-ropin'. The Western has, to a degree, been adapted to domestic realities when it has been taken up abroad but there's a fixed classic vision that mirrors a lot of the themes in the kind of classic country music European singers seem to love replicating.

You could also argue that most countries already have their own form of humour-laden, anti-authoritarian traditional music (whether it's folk ballads or calypso) and hybridisation is either unnecessary or so natural as to not be noticed.

xpost
I work in a record store and certainly big country stars are not popular here (with the exception of Shania Twain): there is anyway a consistent audience made of loyal aficionados who regularly buy records from artists as different as Brad Paisley, Faith Hill or Dierks Bentley.

"also wouldn't underestimate the pull of country mythology and its crossover with the mythology of the Western film genre. As mentioned upthread, there are lots of guys in Middle England watching John Wayne films and dreaming of big skies and steer-ropin'"

This totally otm.
Especially immediately after World War II, western films and actors like John Wayne (regularly pronounced Yon Vayne) were immensely successful here and shaped a new interest for real and mythological American hystory (one of the reasons behind the spaghetti western phenomenon and the way Morricone handled country music, by the way).

history, even.

Country clearly came from the Irishes and Britishes that settled in Appalachia a couple centuries ago, right? Especially Irishes.

By Irishes, you mean Ulster by and large... and that's not quite the same thing

Country music is huge on the Norwegian countryside. The Norwegian country audiences tend to prefer an even more watered down kind of Norwegian country music, partly influenced by Swedish "dancebands", over the American equivalent though, and the more pop oriented Nashville country that has dominated the Southern US market since the early 90s has never really caught on here (although "Achy Breaky Heart" was a bit hit).

xp to Tom D

True, and, as has been pointed out many times already, Country was huge in Ireland until the late 80s/ early 90s, but it's now a shadow of what it was: younger folk outside the cities, that were once its staple audience went, almost as one, over to cheesy rave and techno and never came back. The exception is Ulster - the province as a whole, and not just the 6 counties of Northern Ireland, where country is still mainstream.

Some examples of hugely popular Norwegian country acts, selling hundreds of thousands among not very educated people in the Norwegian countryside, hated with a passion by critics, music geeks and virtually all Norwegians living in more urban areas:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETgFd0-1DWE https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETgFd0-1DWE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeDpBljiO2w https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ig0RUj3WN9s

It should also be added that Jim Reeves is one of the bestselling singles acts ever on the Norwegian market.

(Second link was supposed to be this one):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VwfGmsb93g

selling hundreds of thousands among not very educated people in the Norwegian countryside

*chuckle*

Note that these are all really horrible, and probably part of the reason why country is not being taken seriously as a music form in Norway.

I discovered Marie Fisker (from Denmark) through her appearance on last year's Trentemøller album. Highly recommended alt-country in the Patsy Cline lineage. The album Ghost of Love is pretty good, but this earlier recording plays up the Cline influence.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDkzzyW_qyE

some of those alt country people play to large audiences in the UK but mean next to nothing in places like France or Germany. I've been waiting five years for Lucinda Williams to tour Europe. still waiting.

Bjork has spoke often about her affection for Dolly Parton's songs.

http://img580.imageshack.us/img580/4561/spurdersteine.jpg

alt country was kinda big around europe around the turn of the century. Uncut was basically a fanzine for alt country at the time.

man, that's for sure. all those friggin' magazine sampler CDs i got with lambchop and whiskeytown tracks on them.

brits still love the eels a lot? you can take that guy if you want.

Son Volt! Damien Jurado! In this month's Uncut!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJAjIq4OSB4

Uncut was basically a fanzine for alt country at the time.

It still is. It covers all kinds of other music as well, but Americana is what its accompanying CDs tend to be about. They have added a retro/baby boomer element to their coverage, but there is still a whole lot of Americana.

alt country was kinda big around europe around the turn of the century

I would say this was true of the UK only, not continental Europe at all.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EsQMOrzZiQ

apologies if mentioned before (i doubt it though)

(dutch country btw)

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ubouXZnjidE/TLCF5IK32eI/AAAAAAAAARY/acJNcK0ogZY/s1600/Caravan+front.jpg

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_ubouXZnjidE/TLCQyQ0IgMI/AAAAAAAAARg/M4alYff8cmo/s1600/In+The+Morning+front.jpg

um, not that they are from europe...

to answer the thread title question - it is because country music is shit.

You just wiped out almost a century's worth of very diverse music with one word. Congrats!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paa2NRBA7eU

real country appreciation in the UK is more underground than indie nowadays.

seriously though there's a hell of a lot of alt country indie schmindie love for wilco, ryan adams etc over here, but most fairly hip younguns just won't bother looking further than that unless there's an obvious indie connection or it's old stuff served up to them by hip sources (johnny cash and the like). yes there was huge country love in the 40s, 50s, 60s and with Dolly and a bunch of the outlaw stuff after that, but nowadays when country artists do come over and play it's a pretty funny and definitely "uncool" mixture of people at the shows, lots of slightly older people, some really funny townie people in cowboy hats who know more brad paisley lyrics than i'd assume a lot of american would who've obviously been turned onto random country acts via the internet, all very unfashionable but these people are genuinely into it so have a great time at the shows.

2 major reasons why more mainstream country stuff isn't as big as it possibly could be in the UK nowadays-

1. most of the artists are on major record labels - in the states they're being pushed by country subsidiaries like capital nashville or at least by product managers at majors who know how to push things to country radio etc and have an obvious audience to promote to. However there's nothing like that in the UK - so for a lot of big acts the people told to promote them here either don't know how or don't think it's worth the effort as 'there's no country audience in the UK' (the fact that audiences have to be created and nurtured probably doesn't cross many minds). in the last few years some huge country albums just haven't been released, or have taken years to come out here - because the UK labels either saw no point in releasing them or released them with no promo push. i'm totally convinced if someone put effort into really pushing some of the Rascal Flatts or Keith Urban singles to mainstream UK radio they would be huge over here.

2. a connected reason many don't come over to tour/promote is that the country audience has been so ill nurtured that touring isn't financially viable outside of a few big cities; thus it's pointless for big american acts to work hard to tour anywhere but in the USA - why would they switch from packed arenas in the USA to 1500 seaters in a few UK cities where often their albums aren't even available?

also people have lousy taste - and aaaalso there's still a lot of post-Deliverance/Easy Rider prejudice against the south/southern culture that is probably deeply embedded in people's minds along with Achey Breakey Heart and other assorted bad shit that puts people off. country is really not cool, and you know people love being cool. These factors are probably just as prevalent in the U.S. actually, but still play a part.

is there any well-known country artist that DOES take the time to tour at all in the u.k. or europe? i would think someone like willie nelson would draw just as a pop icon kinda thing. or dolly even. the living legend thing. someone must go over there!

I know Dolly does shows but does she really still do long tours...? I know Willie does. that dude puts out an album every year.

is there any well-known country artist that DOES take the time to tour at all in the u.k. or europe?

Well, Taylor Swift...

and my parents went to a Dolly P show here (Norway) maybe two years ago, so yes.

a hoy hoy

They're probably the exceptions actually in both playing the UK at least once ever few years, not sure about europe.

Taylor is the obvious pop crossover exception; we'll see how that lasts in 5-10 years when some of the fairweather friends have grown out of her a bit I guess

other than that there are maybe 5-10 (at the most) mainstream country acts per year in London, and they probably only do a Manchester show and possibly an Irish date too at a stretch. actually maybe someone Irish on here can confirm but i'd assume it still sells okay over there - there seemed to be lots of Irish people holidaying in and around Nashville every time i've been.

Most relatively successful US country acts play a limited number of shows if they come over but they tend to be fairly well-paying, i'd say. For example, they might not sell out Wembley Arena but quite a lot of them play places like the Royal Albert Hall where they can target a relatively affluent fan. I'd guess most of us wouldn't necessarily know if Rascal Flatts, for example, were touring here - the shows are usually advertised in unfashionable places (Culture section of Sunday Times / Daily Mail, etc) and don't get picked up for review often.

It's worth remembering that BBC Radio 2 still draws an enormous audience and they'll always have at least a few modern country songs on the playlist. They also have a dedicated country show aimed at more traditional fans. Taylor Swift aside, not much is going to chart high but they probably sell a reasonable number of albums.

Some of the typical mainstream acts are popular enough here to get these weird special made compilations

http://cdn.7static.com/static/img/sleeveart/00/008/659/0000865957_350.jpg

The above has been heavily advertised on TV and probably sold a lot.

taylor swift audience at shepherds bush last year was completely different to every other country show i've been to in London at least - seemed to be 95% young girls, 4.9% parents, 0.05% music biz people, 0.05% me and the wife and a few other random people.

Shepherds bush empire or hammersmith apollo seem to be the common places - i'm thinking its probably the same promoter who does
the work on those shows.

latest Rascal Flatts album hasn't been released here and they've not played here for an age, if at all.

oh come on what about the 0.05% perverts

xp

i'm a definite pervert.

worse pervert count for any show i've been to = vanessa carlton at shepherds bush empire. entire front row were middle aged fat guys.

ew

I think Kris Kristofferson tours Europe a fair bit?

yeah i saw him late last year, was great. I think he has enough 60s/folk/pop/rock/movie crossover action to bypass the country stigma though, and again very old audience at that show, all 50 and 60 somethings

I would guess it also doesn't help country's popularity in Europe that it seems to be very popular among a particular group of Americans (you know, Southern religious far right conservatives) that basically doesn't exist in Europe at all. We have far right working class people here too, but they are not by far as linked to fundamentalist Christianity that the American right seems to be. Thus, even supporters of far right populist parties in Europe don't really feel like they have much in common with the stereotypical Southern US country fan.

basically doesn't exist in Europe at all

lol

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e5/National_Front_at_gay_pride_2007.jpg