The True Narrative Behind Country Music's Timeless Affection for Pickup Trucks

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      Pickup trucks are ubiquitous in America, not only on our highways. Country music, arguably the most distinctly American genre, is just as closely tied to mud tires as the parking lot of your local Walmart. The genre is saturated with references to four-wheel drives and tailgates, making it nearly impossible to listen to a country station or playlist without encountering them. It's easy to note these artists' fascination with Bowties and Blue Ovals, yet pinpointing the origin of this obsession is more complex.

      And it is indeed an obsession. Take a look at Hardy’s discography, a modern hitmaker, boasting chart-toppers like “Truck,” “Truck Bed,” and “4×4.” He also has a top collaboration with country artist Lainey Wilson titled “Wait in the Truck.” Wilson’s breakthrough moment arrived with her 2022 single, “Heart Like a Truck.”

      Perhaps that sheds light on what I'm indicating.

      Many artists predate them, like Lee Brice with “I Drive Your Truck,” Tim McGraw and his energetic “Truck Yeah,” and Rhett Akins’ “That Ain’t My Truck,” one of my favorites. This is not merely a trend from the “Bro Country” era, despite the somewhat exaggerated portrayal of today’s artists.

      While some may argue that these songs are overly simplistic, dismissing them outright would ignore not only the creators and listeners of country music, but the reasons behind it. The long-standing tradition among rural individuals (myself included) to sing about their trucks and what they signify is certainly worthy of exploration.

      I sought to understand the historical connection between country music and pickup trucks, two cultural and commercial powerhouses that have forged a relationship as lucrative as it is personal for their admirers. To learn more, I contacted three experts deeply familiar with these songs: Bill C. Malone, the foremost country music historian and author of the pivotal book Country Music USA; Jocelyn Neal, music department chair at the University of North Carolina and director of UNC’s Center for the Study of the American South; and Aaron A. Fox, associate professor of music at Columbia University.

      What I discovered was captivating.

      (If you’d like to listen along with this story, check out the Spotify playlist embedded below, including every song referenced!)

      Pickup Trucks: A Recognizable Form of Identity

      We begin with the intricate concept of music and identity. In many respects, country music is America’s genre. However, defining what that precisely entails is more challenging. To which America does country music belong? Is there more than one? This dilemma isn’t new, and it shapes the genre's history.

      We will delve deeper into this as we progress, but for now, I wish to highlight Dr. Jocelyn Neal’s insights. A musician herself, she teaches courses on music theory, country music and culture, songwriting, and more at UNC. She noted that references to pickup trucks in pop country surged during a transformation around 30 years ago, marked by the widespread “southernization” of American culture.

      “This shift in country songwriting and lyrics in the early ’90s transformed driving a pickup truck into a shorthand for songwriters to evoke the entire essence of the song’s protagonist—a celebration of southern masculinity and independence,” Neal shared.

      “Within this broader context, the pickup truck embodies a specific identity characterized by a deep respect for working-class life tied to a rural heritage, akin to an agrarian past. This association arises from the practical connections of trucks as tools for farming or ranching, which becomes represented in song lyrics. Therefore, when someone sings a line like ‘I drive a truck’ or ‘I drive an old truck,’ that phrase not only provides an image of a person operating a vehicle but also symbolizes a deeper expression of identity, condensed into the notion of a truck."

      This is particularly evident in two songs from that period: Garth Brooks’ “Ain’t Goin’ Down (’til the Sun Comes Up)” (1993) and Joe Diffie’s “Pickup Man” (1994). Neal highlighted Brooks’ song for its subtlety:

      “There’s a powerful imagery in the lyrics that conveys, ‘Going around the world in a pickup truck.’ This suggests that wherever you go, your identity is literally encapsulated in a pickup truck.”

      The power of that imagery is clear. It contributed to the song’s success, making it a number one hit and propelling Brooks’ album “In Pieces” to Diamond status with over 10 million copies sold. This level of commercial success is undoubtedly linked to Brooks’ ability to resonate with his audience through familiar imagery, allowing people to feel a connection with him.

      That shared identity continued to cultivate throughout the 1990s. Fox, a passionate country music lover and performer