I'm a fan of "Southern Rock," but sometimes the lyrics make me wonder if i should drop it. Generally I listen more for music than message, but I don't want my kids hearing "be proud you're a rebel..."
“…cuz the South’s gonna to do it again.”
But man, that song rocks, especially the end. In a, you know, country way.
You gotta listen to what you like. Should I not listen to Matisyahu or Mos Def because they’re religious? Should I ditch Nas because of the homophobia or JayZ because of the capitalism?
Jesus Christ if I got strict about misogyny, I’d have to stick to instrumental.
Idk how old your kids are, but if/when they’re old enough to have a conversation with nuance, just talk with them about the myth of the Lost Cause. Maybe watch some Checkmate Lincolnites videos on YouTube to help. This applies to all sorts of topics of discussion, by the way. Have a fact-based conversation once they are ready, and land on your opinions and show that you arrived there based on the facts as you understand them, encouraging them to take the same sort of approach to any nuanced conflict. In this way, you can still enjoy the music you like without necessarily condoning the message. But keep in mind that unless you’re pirating that music, you’re still financially supporting the artist, so do with that information what you will.
If they aren’t ready for such a complex discussion, you can still make it clear that you like the guitars, drums, etc but not the lyrics, and you can say that the song is about people being mean to people who don’t deserve it and tease that you can talk about it more when they get a little older.
Idk if it’s relevant to you at all, but I rediscovered the Southerner album by Trent Dabbs recently and it’s pretty solid if you want something a little country-ish without being so problematic. Paper Trail in particular is a fucking vibe.
I sing R-kelly, MJ, and Garry Glitter songs all the time. I don’t support them financially though, since I’m a kid of the 90s and we grew up when music was freely shareable for the low low price of an internet connection to Kazaa
Bit late to this, OP, but you might want to check out Jim White, and especially his first album The Mysterious Tale of How I Shouted Wrong Eyed Jesus. It’s not rock exactly, more alt-folk, but it’s definitely Southern and it’s thoughtful, fun stuff.
Just listen to it when you’re alone. That’s what I do. Good point not to play some things to your (young) kids. But I sometimes like to listen to music which lyrics I don’t necessarily agree with. Or from artists that haven’t been exemplary humans. If I like the song and it touches me emotionally and I’m able to differentiate between that and real life, I don’t think it’s bad (for me).
Edit: I’m not sure how ‘controversial’ the song you mentioned is. It celebrates southern music. And country, bluegrass, rock etc had a good amount of impact on the world. Same with the bands they sing about who have influenced music as we know it today. I don’t see an issue with this song.
And if you ask me, let your kids be rebels against injustice and outdated and narrow perspectives on the world.
There are great recommendations already in this thread, so I’ll add one for Jason Isbell. Formerly of Drive-by Truckers, Southeastern is a good place to start with his solo work.
Put these in your music queue and let the streaming service find music based on them, there is a lot of newer southern rock and also country music that doesn’t have the baggage. I love that style of music too.
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