See Steve Harvey Explain Why White People Love Country Music
Country music has a relationship with race that is, to put it mildly, somewhat complicated. With a few notable exceptions, its performers are mostly white and the listening audience, while undoubtedly more diverse, is still a majority-white group. One audience member at talk show Steve Harvey wanted to understand why that is and posed the question to the comedian host during the show’s “Ask Steve” segment.
The woman, who is black and Filipino, says she’s married to the “whitest white guy you’ll ever meet” and he loves country. She personally can’t get into it because of the depressing subject matter and because the beat won’t allow her to “drop it down low and bring it back up.” While this statement suggests she may not be up on the sounds of Florida Georgia Line and Sam Hunt, it’s definitely true of the more traditional Eighties and Nineties.
Turns out Harvey’s a country fan and, while he hedges on answering specifically for white people, his own reasoning may shed some light. “I like the words. I like the lyrics. They’re lyrically correct,” he says. “You say it’s too slow, but sit your ass down. Learn yourself something. The stuff be true.”
Citing “All My Ex’s Live in Texas,” Harvey notes that an ex of his does live there and that resonates with him. But like many of life’s little problems, dancing to George Strait might be the cure for this relationship disconnect. “Get your ass some George Strait and get on out there, learn how to two-step,” he urges.