Country Song

Album: Holding On to Strings Better Left to Fray (2011)
Charted: 72
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Songfacts®:

  • This Country-Rock track is the first single from the South African alternative metal band Seether's fourth album, Holding On to Strings Better Left to Fray. "We wanted to do something different again," Seether bassist Dale Stewart told Gun Shy Assassin. "We don't want to keep rehashing the same stuff over and over again. I wouldn't say that song is a good indicator of what the rest of the album sounds like; that song is definitely a standout. But I think the song still sounds like Seether… there's just a different twist on it."
  • The song got it's title from its swampy verse riff. Frontman Shaun Morgan explained the track's meaning in a Seether newsletter: "In some ways I guess I was dealing with growing up and having to make better life choices. It's definitely not Country, but we recorded the album in Nashville, and felt like it was a small homage to such a wonderful city."
  • Morgan explained the inspiration for the album title to Artist Direct: "Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray was a paraphrase that I read in a book somewhere which I thought was just an amazing visual. It stuck with me, and I changed it a little bit to fit our title, but I really did like the imagery of the book."
  • Seether scored their highest position on the Billboard 200 when Holding Onto Strings Better Left to Fray debuted at #2. The band's previous chart peak was in 2005 when Karma and Effect reached #8.
  • "What's in a name?"

    That's what Shaun Morgan thinks of song titles, and it's why this track is simply called "Country Song" (a phrase not mentioned in the lyrics) instead of something more descriptive. At least the title has some bearing on the song - Seether's 2005 track "Burrito" has nothing to do with Mexican food, and was named after watching a scene in Ozzy Osbourne's reality TV show.

    Seether's record label wanted a different name for this song, but the band wasn't willing to acquiesce. "We actually said, No, we want to keep it 'Country Song' because that's what we've gotten used to calling it and that's what we're going to keep calling it," Morgan told us in 2013. "It just doesn't feel right changing the name after we'd had this song for 8 months before the album came out. That's like changing your kid's name when he becomes a teenager. That's the name, it's ridiculous. So we just stuck with our guns. And the band that in 2004 didn't have any say in their career certainly isn't the same in 2012, so we had the ability to keep that the way we wanted it to be."

Comments: 4

  • June from East Gwillimbury, OntarioK I have to ask...is the guy dressed up as bride in country song video Dave Grohl by any chance...I swear it is and husband thinks I'm nuts.
  • Dynama from Cincinnati, Ohi like this song a lot. very complicated musically. what do they call the way the lead singer sounds on the verse? it sounds like we're hearing him on the phone. lots of rock songs use this device. i think Three Days Grace also uses it on one of their songs.
  • Gladys from Chicago, IlOh, yes, by all means, let's make sure everyone stays in their little box. Music has just progressed SO VERY FAR since the olden days when you could actually hear a rock band, a pop song, and--heavens, no!--a SOUL song...ALL on the SAME station!!! It's absolutely CRITICAL that we don't allow one genre to influence another...that would just lead to ANARCHY!

    It's that "pick a genre" thinking that's driven rock to the point it's at now--reductive, repetitive, boring as hellIn the early to mid 90's, bands experimented with different sounds and they were applauded for it....the bands that didn't fit in, the kids who couldn't instantly find a box to crawl into, were FINALLY taken seriously...for a minute. Then the jock-ocracy reasserted itself and started crushing the experimenters, and here we find ourselves today. When pop music is the most experimental category out there, the world is clearly upside-down.

    As for Seether: "Country Song" is not my favorite, partly because of the title; but I'd rather listen to my least-favorite Seether song than anything Coldplay ever released.
  • Rebecca from Sanford, NcI thought it was kinda stupid because it was on the country channel and the rock station. Pick a genre!! :(
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