Old Town Road Flashcards
When was Old Town Road published?
December 2018
Where did it place on the Billboard Country Charts?
Number 19
Why was Old Town Road disqualified from the Billboard Country Charts?
The magazine decided the song actually didn’t fit the genre.
What did the Billboard Country Charts say in a statement to Rolling Stone Magazine?
“While OTR incorporates references to country and cowboy imagery, it does not embrace enough elements of today’s country music”
What are the 2 typical themes of the country genre?
Loss & Liberty
What does the word ‘rodeo’ usually carry connotations of, and, in contrast, what did it carry connotations of in Old Town Road?
Traditionally: Competition with cattle and horses
Old Town Road: Wealth - now refers to Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills, a place famous for its luxury shops.
Lil Nas X submitted the song into the rap category at the Grammys, where was it placed instead?
The Pop category, where it won Best Pop Duo/Group.
What genre did Lil Nas X refer to OTR as in an interview with the Time Magazine?
Country Trap - a fusion of country music and rap. Also said it should’ve appeared on both the country and rap charts.
What did Steve Neale argue?
Genres only appear to be ‘clearly defines systems’.
Why didn’t Lil Nas X place OTR into the hip-hop genre?
Too competitive - he could easily get more essential likes, shares and reposts with the country charts to get the song trending.
In terms of music video genre, why is OTR a hybrid?
Mixes conventions from both performance and narrative models.
In terms of representation, what is the dress code associated with?
A rugged masculine identity - the cowboy. The gold cross earring also draws attention to his Christian background. These signifiers construct his own identity.
At the end of the music video, why do we see him with a microphone in the community hall with outstretched hands?
It reminds an audience that he is a performer that we should be seeing on stage.
What did Henry Jenkins use the phrase ‘textual poaching’ to describe?
How does this link to OTR?
The process of reworking the ‘semiotic raw materials’ to create something new.
Links to OTR as the western themes suited Lil Nas X’s lyrics, making it more popular.
What did Will Wright identify?
CLassic narratives begin when the ‘hero enters a social group’. They are ‘unknown to the society’ but their ‘exceptional ability’ is soon recognised and they are given a ‘special status’
