I will say something that could be controversial- I like “Old Town Road”. I think it’s a fun song that got overplayed but essentially it’s good. However I do not like “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” by Shaboozey. I think it’s annoying even though both “Old Town Road” and “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” are essentially siblings in my opinion, meaning that they draw many parallels. They both fuse the ever joining worlds of pop, country, and rap. But many people don’t like when these genres collide, as seen with Lil Nas X, but why is it so well received? Why does it always seem to be trending? And is A Bar Song (Tipsy) actually bad….  Or is it just overplayed? 

“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” has been on Billboard’s Hot 100 for 32 weeks, and has spent 19 weeks at number one. But it seems that everyone I talk to doesn’t like this song and actively tries to avoid it. But it’s played seemingly everywhere- from social media to department stores. So what’s the deal with that? 

The demographics are the deal. In my opinion, country music is ever growing, with more people ‘admitting’ that they actually like the genre. As with country growing, rap is also ever growing, and oftentimes getting clumped into the same genre as pop. As pop is obviously one of the most popular genres, and it is as well, in my opinion, the most broad. Pop is a huge umbrella term, with many subgenres and just as many listeners. According to Billboard’s executive director of music, Jason Lipshutz, the rise of the song is attributed with its roots in pop and country, as it appeals to both country and pop listeners. 

As someone who does not really listen to newer country, I’ve been seeing a lot about country music, with everything from Morgan Wallen, to Taylor Swift, even including Beyonce. This rise in country also leads to the fusion between country and pop, as pop is basically just whatever is currently the most popular. 

But I fear that “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” will be the new “Old Town Road” meaning that in a couple years it will find itself onto my playlists and eventually be in rotation. The song is catchy, which only adds to its success, but I feel as if it’s extremely overplayed. Maybe it will be my new “Old Town Road” meaning that I will randomly wake up in a couple years just loving the song and having it on repeat for a solid week. 

But will it continue its success and actually become the new “Old Town Road”? Or will it fall into obscurity and be forgotten? Only time will tell. Until then, we will just have to see how it fares on the charts, and if “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” will be Number 1… again.