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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2016 17:44:58 GMT -5
.indulgecountry If it was like that shouldn't the lyrics be more self-aware. There's no self awareness in this song. Michael Ray just lists a bunch of clichés (Football, Calling Home, Outlaws, Saturday Nights,). This also brings up this point I want to make if I don't believe in Jesus or any male who doesn't believe in Jesus isn't a real man. That's a very shallow look on what makes a person a real man. Also I'm sorry but I have to say this. Just cause this song sounds a little more traditional than your average radio song doesn't excuse terrible lyrics these are. Ok I know I'm in the minority with this song but I just can't stand it anymore.
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zaclord 🌈
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Post by zaclord 🌈 on Jan 31, 2016 22:17:29 GMT -5
I quite agree with raylatch98 here. I hated Michael's first single because it was annoying, but I don't think I've really hated a song this much ever - not for any other reason than the fact that this is reinforcing gender norms that are flat-out false. I gave this song one listen when it first was released and have largely ignored it until clicking on the thread just now, but I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that shares my opinion on this song. Anyone telling you that you need to act a certain way or do certain things in order to be a real man or woman is just reinforcing gender norms, which there are plenty of studies that show how harmful this can be to the development of children and adults. This song does nothing more than extend the stereotype that boys shouldn't play with dolls, girls can't play sports, men shouldn't be emotional, a woman's place is in the kitchen, etc., etc. I know that most fans of country music are too conservative to give a shit about something like gender norms, but I would still love to see this get the same type of backlash that Meghan Trainor's (far less gender norm enforcing) "Dear Future Husband" received. As a man, who does happen to in fact love Jesus, I find no that being a man and loving Jesus have no correlation to one another. Loving Jesus certainly has an affect on my identity, but it by no means has any indication on the authenticity of my gender. I know some people will defend it by saying "I just like the melody of the song" or "I don't think the song was intended in that way", but the fact is that millions of people hear this song each week, and if even one of those millions who heard the song was a man or young boy who does not happen to love Jesus, or fishing, or football, or a cold beer, or pretty girls, and they subsequently start to question whether or not they are a "real man" the potential side effects of that are quite dangerous. No one's identity should be dictated by what society says you should or should not do, and songs like this do not help that case. I desperately hope this one stalls out soon and that Michael Ray becomes a one (unfortunate) hit wonder.
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dm2081
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Post by dm2081 on Jan 31, 2016 22:58:02 GMT -5
I'm not a religious person myself, but I think its pretty offensive to say that only real men love Jesus. I don't have a problem with any songs that are about a specific religion or religious theme, but implying that non-Christian religions are somehow sub par is pretty offensive, and I think this is the type of song that will be extremely off-putting to new listeners. If someone from another country moved to the United States and practiced a different non-Christianity religion turned onto a country station and THIS was the first song they heard, I would be pretty embarrassed for the genre. The song almost creates some form of isolationism IMO. Songs like "Something In The Water" and "I Saw God Today" prove that religious beliefs/themes can be used in a way that even non-Christians can appreciate or relate to. I understand that the writers weren't trying to be offensive, but get with the freaking times. There couldn't be a worse time for a song like this to be getting lots of airplay with all of the political/religious turmoil going on in the world.
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ethanhunt
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Post by ethanhunt on Jan 31, 2016 23:08:56 GMT -5
This song just makes him come across as all kinds of dumb. Dude can believe whatever he wants but don't go preaching you're not a real man because you don't believe the same thing as me. Absolutely disrespectful
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Post by Deleted on Jan 31, 2016 23:41:42 GMT -5
In other words, I think "Real Men Love Jesus" is talking more about real men who exist (multiple ones), not a superiority "this my laundry-list definition of the definitive singular man." Obviously we're all allowed to interpret songs differently, but I just don't see how this interpretation makes sense. Obviously Michael is singing about real people, not fictional people who don't exist. I mean, I don't see how there's a need for the inclusion of the term "real men", because I think everybody in America knows that the type of guy Michael is singing about does, in fact, exist. So, in my opinion, the songwriters' decision to include that phrase implies that a man isn't a "real man" unless he likes all the things in this song's lyrics, including Jesus. And, like zaclord 🌈 said, saying that a man must behave a certain way or like certain things in order to be a "real man" is all kinds of wrong.
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.indulgecountry
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Post by .indulgecountry on Jan 31, 2016 23:59:14 GMT -5
In other words, I think "Real Men Love Jesus" is talking more about real men who exist (multiple ones), not a superiority "this my laundry-list definition of the definitive singular man." Obviously we're all allowed to interpret songs differently, but I just don't see how this interpretation makes sense. Obviously Michael is singing about real people, not fictional people who don't exist. I mean, there's no need for the inclusion of the term "real men", because I think everybody in America knows that the type of guy Michael is singing about does, in fact, exist. So, in my opinion, the songwriters' decision to include that phrase implies that a man isn't a "real man" unless he likes all the things in this song's lyrics, including Jesus. I think the lyrics (however cliche they are) definitely do describe a lot of blue-collar, conservative men, particularly from the Midwest (at least in my experience), and so I don't see why they felt the need to include the phrase "real men" when it's plainly obvious that these type of men exist. I guess I'm having trouble conveying what I mean by my interpretation of the song. But basically how I view it when I hear this song is that I envision a bunch of different men doing these things (fishing, football, being cowboys, w/e) and then all of those people convene in the chorus, as if all those people in the verses are separate but then bound together by being in the same bar on Saturday night and the same church on Sunday using the small town mentality. Obviously not everyone believes in Jesus, not everyone man is a football fan, etc., but I just don't interpret personally this song being a "be-all-end-all" list of what makes a definitive, singular real man. The song relies on pretty typical "male" characteristics which could be seen as a flaw (i.e. they could've used some non-traditional ideas), but I think it does what it intended to do quite well. Personally, I identify with few of the things listed in the song, but my reaction to this song isn't to think "Damn, I must not be a real man then." Instead I think it's a very effective song. (I thought the same thing about "God Made Girls" and "Beer with Jesus," fwiw.) This song just works for me, but I certainly understand if someone else doesn't view it the same as I do. /shrug
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zaclord 🌈
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Post by zaclord 🌈 on Feb 1, 2016 10:03:19 GMT -5
Obviously we're all allowed to interpret songs differently, but I just don't see how this interpretation makes sense. Obviously Michael is singing about real people, not fictional people who don't exist. I mean, there's no need for the inclusion of the term "real men", because I think everybody in America knows that the type of guy Michael is singing about does, in fact, exist. So, in my opinion, the songwriters' decision to include that phrase implies that a man isn't a "real man" unless he likes all the things in this song's lyrics, including Jesus. I think the lyrics (however cliche they are) definitely do describe a lot of blue-collar, conservative men, particularly from the Midwest (at least in my experience), and so I don't see why they felt the need to include the phrase "real men" when it's plainly obvious that these type of men exist. I guess I'm having trouble conveying what I mean by my interpretation of the song. But basically how I view it when I hear this song is that I envision a bunch of different men doing these things (fishing, football, being cowboys, w/e) and then all of those people convene in the chorus, as if all those people in the verses are separate but then bound together by being in the same bar on Saturday night and the same church on Sunday using the small town mentality. Obviously not everyone believes in Jesus, not everyone man is a football fan, etc., but I just don't interpret personally this song being a "be-all-end-all" list of what makes a definitive, singular real man. The song relies on pretty typical "male" characteristics which could be seen as a flaw (i.e. they could've used some non-traditional ideas), but I think it does what it intended to do quite well. Personally, I identify with few of the things listed in the song, but my reaction to this song isn't to think "Damn, I must not be a real man then." Instead I think it's a very effective song. (I thought the same thing about "God Made Girls" and "Beer with Jesus," fwiw.) This song just works for me, but I certainly understand if someone else doesn't view it the same as I do. /shrug Ahh I definitely see where you're coming from now. I can understand that point of view, however I think there could have been some better phrasing of the lyrics of that was the intended purpose. What I have a problem with is that the words "real men" are used in this song in any context. Even if each line is talking about a different man, such as you suggested, it is still excluding groups of men. If the song's intent was to identify different men with each quality, a more appropriate title would have been "some men love Jesus" (which would have almost certainly stirred up more controversy than the song actually is...). "Some men love fishing. Some men love football, etc" would play to your theory much better in my opinion. Which brings me back to the point that the real issue is using the term "real men". I feel like anything following those two words in any context can be dangerous. I just feel like the song could have been written in a much better way if that was the intended purpose of it. And I hope you know that I'm not personally attacking you and your opinion - you're obviously welcome to listen and enjoy any song you choose. Also I know that you're not someone who is championing that "all real men must love Jesus", but there certainly are people out there that do have that mindset, which is why I have a problem with this song existing. At least we can all agree "Kiss you in the morning" was awful
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kw9461
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Post by kw9461 on Feb 1, 2016 12:45:38 GMT -5
Obviously we're all allowed to interpret songs differently, but I just don't see how this interpretation makes sense. Obviously Michael is singing about real people, not fictional people who don't exist. I mean, there's no need for the inclusion of the term "real men", because I think everybody in America knows that the type of guy Michael is singing about does, in fact, exist. So, in my opinion, the songwriters' decision to include that phrase implies that a man isn't a "real man" unless he likes all the things in this song's lyrics, including Jesus. I think the lyrics (however cliche they are) definitely do describe a lot of blue-collar, conservative men, particularly from the Midwest (at least in my experience), and so I don't see why they felt the need to include the phrase "real men" when it's plainly obvious that these type of men exist. I guess I'm having trouble conveying what I mean by my interpretation of the song. But basically how I view it when I hear this song is that I envision a bunch of different men doing these things (fishing, football, being cowboys, w/e) and then all of those people convene in the chorus, as if all those people in the verses are separate but then bound together by being in the same bar on Saturday night and the same church on Sunday using the small town mentality. Obviously not everyone believes in Jesus, not everyone man is a football fan, etc., but I just don't interpret personally this song being a "be-all-end-all" list of what makes a definitive, singular real man. The song relies on pretty typical "male" characteristics which could be seen as a flaw (i.e. they could've used some non-traditional ideas), but I think it does what it intended to do quite well. Personally, I identify with few of the things listed in the song, but my reaction to this song isn't to think "Damn, I must not be a real man then." Instead I think it's a very effective song. (I thought the same thing about "God Made Girls" and "Beer with Jesus," fwiw.) This song just works for me, but I certainly understand if someone else doesn't view it the same as I do. /shrug I certainly understand your viewpoint, and I wish I subscribed to it given how enjoyable the melody is on this. But the problem I have is that every single thing he lists is one of a stereotypical southern country boy. There just isn't anything there for a counterpoint about what makes a real man. Maybe if the verses were more detailed like the chorus I would find it more plausible, but they're not.
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.indulgecountry
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"You left a mark on my face // And brought a dozen red flags in a vase"
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Post by .indulgecountry on Feb 1, 2016 13:13:38 GMT -5
I guess I'm having trouble conveying what I mean by my interpretation of the song. But basically how I view it when I hear this song is that I envision a bunch of different men doing these things (fishing, football, being cowboys, w/e) and then all of those people convene in the chorus, as if all those people in the verses are separate but then bound together by being in the same bar on Saturday night and the same church on Sunday using the small town mentality. Obviously not everyone believes in Jesus, not everyone man is a football fan, etc., but I just don't interpret personally this song being a "be-all-end-all" list of what makes a definitive, singular real man. The song relies on pretty typical "male" characteristics which could be seen as a flaw (i.e. they could've used some non-traditional ideas), but I think it does what it intended to do quite well. Personally, I identify with few of the things listed in the song, but my reaction to this song isn't to think "Damn, I must not be a real man then." Instead I think it's a very effective song. (I thought the same thing about "God Made Girls" and "Beer with Jesus," fwiw.) This song just works for me, but I certainly understand if someone else doesn't view it the same as I do. /shrug Ahh I definitely see where you're coming from now. I can understand that point of view, however I think there could have been some better phrasing of the lyrics of that was the intended purpose. What I have a problem with is that the words "real men" are used in this song in any context. Even if each line is talking about a different man, such as you suggested, it is still excluding groups of men. If the song's intent was to identify different men with each quality, a more appropriate title would have been "some men love Jesus" (which would have almost certainly stirred up more controversy than the song actually is...). "Some men love fishing. Some men love football, etc" would play to your theory much better in my opinion. Which brings me back to the point that the real issue is using the term "real men". I feel like anything following those two words in any context can be dangerous. I just feel like the song could have been written in a much better way if that was the intended purpose of it. And I hope you know that I'm not personally attacking you and your opinion - you're obviously welcome to listen and enjoy any song you choose. Also I know that you're not someone who is championing that "all real men must love Jesus", but there certainly are people out there that do have that mindset, which is why I have a problem with this song existing. At least we can all agree "Kiss you in the morning" was awful I can totally get behind this idea of swapping out "some men" to remove that ambiguity from happening, but I also personally interpret "real men" as more of an existential thing than a measure of character, which is what feeds into how I view the song and its intentions. In other words, I take "real men" to mean "various men who exist," so I take the use of the word 'real' in this song to mean something different than what many others have expressed (which is that a man isn't "real" if he doesn't like x, y, and z). The song just doesn't come across to me (in lyric, in delivery, in feel, etc.) as someone saying "You aren't a real man," and obviously there are so many characteristics in this world that make people different that would prevent a song from covering all of them, but I just think the intent was to cover some of the major bases of these characters who I've envisioned through this song and it isn't meant to be offensive towards people who don't identify with football and Jesus, i.e. The way others view the song doesn't strike me as all that appealing so I understand the issues people are having with it, but using the lens that I'm viewing it with, I actually think it's a pretty compelling, genuine song and it certainly doesn't hurt that I absolutely love everything about the melody, vocals, production, and general feel of the song beyond those lyrics, too.
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Kentucky25
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Post by Kentucky25 on Feb 1, 2016 15:27:53 GMT -5
Ahh I definitely see where you're coming from now. I can understand that point of view, however I think there could have been some better phrasing of the lyrics of that was the intended purpose. What I have a problem with is that the words "real men" are used in this song in any context. Even if each line is talking about a different man, such as you suggested, it is still excluding groups of men. If the song's intent was to identify different men with each quality, a more appropriate title would have been "some men love Jesus" (which would have almost certainly stirred up more controversy than the song actually is...). "Some men love fishing. Some men love football, etc" would play to your theory much better in my opinion. Which brings me back to the point that the real issue is using the term "real men". I feel like anything following those two words in any context can be dangerous. I just feel like the song could have been written in a much better way if that was the intended purpose of it. And I hope you know that I'm not personally attacking you and your opinion - you're obviously welcome to listen and enjoy any song you choose. Also I know that you're not someone who is championing that "all real men must love Jesus", but there certainly are people out there that do have that mindset, which is why I have a problem with this song existing. At least we can all agree "Kiss you in the morning" was awful I can totally get behind this idea of swapping out "some men" to remove that ambiguity from happening, but I also personally interpret "real men" as more of an existential thing than a measure of character, which is what feeds into how I view the song and its intentions. In other words, I take "real men" to mean "various men who exist," so I take the use of the word 'real' in this song to mean something different than what many others have expressed (which is that a man isn't "real" if he doesn't like x, y, and z). The song just doesn't come across to me (in lyric, in delivery, in feel, etc.) as someone saying "You aren't a real man," and obviously there are so many characteristics in this world that make people different that would prevent a song from covering all of them, but I just think the intent was to cover some of the major bases of these characters who I've envisioned through this song and it isn't meant to be offensive towards people who don't identify with football and Jesus, i.e. The way others view the song doesn't strike me as all that appealing so I understand the issues people are having with it, but using the lens that I'm viewing it with, I actually think it's a pretty compelling, genuine song and it certainly doesn't hurt that I absolutely love everything about the melody, vocals, production, and general feel of the song beyond those lyrics, too. I see what you're saying in the lyrics like: "Real men love Jesus/They don't believe in leavin'/When the goin' gets tough/They just keep on keepin'" This just speaks to someone's character as a human, while I see the issue many have with this song...as a man who actually does enjoy things like cowboys and outlaws, football, and Jesus I find this song being one of my favorites on radio. This song also doesn't confirm or deny my identity as a man, it just speaks to how I grew up and the things I like.
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sabre14
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Post by sabre14 on Mar 14, 2016 19:38:33 GMT -5
I think the WEA promotion staff will have to put some muscle into "Real Men Love Jesus" to get it into the top 10. It's been gradually dropping in spins and audience gains the past 4-5 weeks, which has culminated to gaining just 1.0 million in audience over the past 10 days and has gained just 250k in Mediabase audience over the past eight days. Its the second worst selling song in the Mediabase top 25 ("Little Bit Of You") and went for adds over 20 weeks ago.
It's interesting the dislike on Mediabase's Call-Out service has went down (currently 11%), considerably since its release but I still think a top 10 peak will end up being the max for this one, if that.
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.indulgecountry
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"You left a mark on my face // And brought a dozen red flags in a vase"
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Post by .indulgecountry on Mar 14, 2016 22:39:41 GMT -5
I can't escape this one on the radio right now; I went out today and I heard this one three times, and I can only even recall hearing a couple of other songs twice. I love that it's been doing well on country radio despite less-than-stellar digital sales, but I'm pulling for this one to eek out of a Top 10 finish before it's finished. This is one of my absolute favorites out there currently and the opening chords trigger great excitement for me to crank it up. <3
I really want "Wish I Was Here" to be the third single. after this one's done. <3
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Kentucky25
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Post by Kentucky25 on Mar 20, 2016 13:04:21 GMT -5
I really want "Wish I Was Here" to be the third single. after this one's done. <3 100% agree.
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sabre14
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Post by sabre14 on Mar 20, 2016 14:02:29 GMT -5
This one might stall out. "Real Men Love Jesus" broke even in both spins and audience this week, if we factor out the panel change update on Saturday. Its gained only gained 300k in audience over the past +2 weeks (minus the panel change) and Michael's song hasn't gained more than 300k in audience in a single day since the first week of March.
Maybe Warner can rally this for a top 10 finish but this one's performance since the start of March is quite indicative of a song that stalls out in the teens. Its not selling well. Its nearly 30 weeks old and I can see the song itself rubbing some folks the wrong way. Perhaps radio says this is the max they would like to convert it (top 20-top 15).
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Post by Deleted on Mar 22, 2016 12:27:13 GMT -5
This one might be done, as Michael lost 50 spins today and a little over 200k in audience today. I'm pretty sure that even if this isn't done, this one probably won't go up any higher. So it does look like Michael Ray will probably lose a good amount of momentum he got from "Kiss You In The Morning".
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Post by countryman87 on Mar 23, 2016 7:34:52 GMT -5
I'm about 90% sure it's done. Its bullet is now -215 which is a good indicator that a song is done. Agree about WIWH being hopefully the next single.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 23, 2016 7:44:12 GMT -5
I'm about 90% sure it's done. Its bullet is now -215 which is a good indicator that a song is done. Agree about WIWH being hopefully the next single. It's done, "Real Men Love Jesus" lost about 200 spins today and 1.5 million in audience today so it's done.
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sabre14
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Post by sabre14 on Mar 23, 2016 10:17:15 GMT -5
I'm about 90% sure it's done. Its bullet is now -215 which is a good indicator that a song is done. Agree about WIWH being hopefully the next single. 100%, lol. Kworb's daily radio updates is the best indicator, not the bullet, although -215 is a high enough indicator of a song's demise.
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.indulgecountry
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Post by .indulgecountry on Mar 23, 2016 10:39:21 GMT -5
It's a bummer that this couldn't have at least snuck into the Top 10 or even the Top 15 before the bottom fell out on it. It sucks seeing Chase Bryant's team continue to be able to keep his non-selling song going way, way past its expiration date and we've seen the same happen with many other singles recently, so I was hoping that Warner Bros. could've at least pushed this a bit higher and maybe secured like a single week at #10 or something. Granted, I don't think what's going on with Chase Bryant is right at all and that single should've definitely been done awhile ago, especially if they aren't even going to put his album out on the back of it, but I have been enjoying hearing "Real Men Love Jesus" on the radio a lot and wish it could've gone at least a little higher. Oh well, it wasn't selling, so I suppose it's fair. I am ready for "Wish I Was Here" though if that's coming next... *fingers crossed*
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