Below is the new “Stand By Hillary” song that appears an attempt to bridge the rather wide gap between Hillary Clinton (and Democratic candidates generally) and males, particularly white males. At first, I honestly thought this was a joke. I am still a bit unsure, but people are reporting that this is a real effort at reaching country music fans. My issue is not the candidate, but the music. To the constant complaint of every member of my family, I listen to country music and this is just really, really bad country music.
The group is actually called “Stand With Hillary.”. It is reportedly the product of Daniel Chavez, a longtime Democratic political operative, and media producer Miguel Orozco. It features such lines as “And now it’s 2016 and this time I’m a thinkin’, guys put your boots on and let’s smash this ceiling.” The chorus follows with such refrains as “she’s a mother, daughter and through it all she’s a loving wife.”
The video seems like it was produced by people who not only have no knowledge but a disdain for country music — and country music fans. As for country music material, the stereotypical images and canned lyrics is not what would make for a good country song. One could come up with a classic country tune, but it would be less of a Kim Jong-un/Dear Leader piece and more of a a Carrie Underwood song.
If this was intended to reach out to males, it seems likely to backfire. The cliche images and lyrics border on the insulting. It suggests that they think that you just have to throw up a few pictures of barns, horses, and a hot woman on a motorcycle and you are good to go with male voters. When I showed it to the family, everyone thought it was simply goofy and even a bit creepy. But you can be the judge (I am going back to irritating my family with some of my favorite Kenny Chesney songs to clear the palate).
From my perspective, our leaders are already giving us bad politics. They can at least not add bad music on top of it.
I would rather have someone rise to President who has actually run something, grown a business, governed a state. Look at what happened when we got a senator who’d spent a couple of years in Congress and never run anything got in office. A mess. A mountain of scandals and lies. I mean, has he ever put in his 2 cents in a controversy and been right? Trayvon, the professor, Brown . . .
Poor choice of titles, as she made fun of “stand by your man,” during her husband’s cheating scandals when she stood by her man.
Just say no to political dynasties.
why don’t we talk about her stance on policy instead of a poor choice in music?
The video makes it pretty clear what her “stance on policy” is:
1. My record? Hey, mistakes happen!
2. But I’ve got a vaj.
I don’t like country music, with limited exceptions, but why don’t we talk about her stance on policy instead of a poor choice in music?
This will play as well as Dukakis’ tank moment. It’s as out of place as that was. it will bring far more ridicule than support. Like you, I howled at how bad it was. It wouldn’t have to change a thing to be a parody. Hopefully that is it’s genius; it is so bad it is beyond parody. It’s already funnier than any parody could be.
This is meant to appeal to the “grubered white male”. It will find its mark.
Change “Hillary” to “Sarah P” and the lyrics sort of make sense.
Hillary has meet with her management team and this is what they are suggesting. She is already in trouble.
doglover – I was the house manager for the university theatre when I was working on my masters and I will never forget a guy coming out of a Shakespearean play complaining “That probably would have been a great play if they had done it in English.” 🙂
As someone who probably fits in the demographic the song is aimed at, the song and video are incredibly condescending.
“Hey, I see barns, trucks, and other rural scenery; as a voter this appeals to me, so I will therefore support the candidate whose praises they are singing!”
They really dropped the ball by not mentioning Hillary Clinton’s record as a hawk who never saw a US military operation she couldn’t support. White Southern males eat that crap up.
I sort of agree with Gary T that the song has the potential to be a decent country song, although that “We Will Rock You” bit at the start of the chorus is a huge fail. It’s so half-hearted it’s like they knew it wouldn’t work, but kept it in there anyway.
What scares me is that the only thing that can possibly be worse than this song is the neo-con parodies that will eventually surface.
If Hillary Clinton’s campaign wants to use a country song, here’s the perfect song for her:
http://youtu.be/aILGaYsv_bc
A Hillary immigration action policy song, like “El Paso” might work.
Hopefully this works right. If not, string me up by my own petards and boil me in figgy pudding.
What I first thought of when I heard about this song.
http://whativelearnedthisweek.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/bf5drrz.png
Why can’t we have a politician who doesn’t try to make us believe they are some some greater being and not just a flawed person running for office?
Professor Turley – don’t give up on your family yet! Dad tortured us for years with country music and put up with all our moaning and groaning. However, my brothers got to be country music fans and I can even listen to it now, even though the songs all sound the same to me. It’s just not guite up there with Clapton.
It’s the best country song that money can buy.
It is always a weird, unsettling feeling that accompanies a song designed to tug at your emotions, and artificially associate archetypally good feeling images, e.g. mothers and children, wide open farmlands, good looking guys and their guitars, etc, juxtaposed with subliminally quick flashes of hideous Hillary, almost like they don’t want you to dwell too long on the latter and consciously register what they saying.
Unlike JT, I thought the skeleton of the song is superficially appealing, and could actually be good with a few minor tweaks: remove all images of Hillary, and make the song about his beautiful wife pictured there, remove the references to 2016 and what his wife could do for the country.
Just make it an appreciation and love song for his wife, and it all fits perfectly.
The song needs to be re-edited by someone on youtube, and it could actually be good. Unfortunately seconds after someone does that the Clintonistas will demand it be taken down for copyright infringement.
Please–make it stop–that sound in my head….
Hillary should steer clear of this Flying Burrito Brothers song, “She’s A Devil In Disguise”
If you’re gonna lip sync, at least try to match the music with the lips!
I’m just glad they had subtitles because I don’t understand Texas-southern twang. I might actually be able to understand country music if they would try singing in English.
It is unlistenable. One tired cliche and riff after another. Aaaaaarg!