In the past few weeks, two (quite arguably) pro-life country songs have risen to the top of the charts in country music.“One of them Girls” and “One Beer” are numbers 4 and 6 on the Hot Country Billboard chart.
“One of them Girls”: A fast-paced song about a supermom: single, mom of a little girl, and a firefighter saving lives each day. She is admired by every man, but won’t let any of them take her out. She’s, “One of them girls that ain’t trying to get nobody, you’re just here for the party.” The music video expands on the pro-life perspective of this song, featuring the woman swinging her daughter around the kitchen and laughing with her as they color a picture. This song idealizes single motherhood and makes it seem realistic, doable, and even admirable.
“One Beer”: Another upbeat, catchy country song with a beautiful message. It is no surprise that this song is high on the hot country billboard chart. This song takes the listener into the life of two terrified teenagers. It begins with their mission to find a pregnancy test, “Weak knees in a CVS,” a feeling that anyone who has been through a teenage pregnancy scare can identify with. The anticipation and anxiety beyond telling of waiting the three minutes for the results, all of this is expressed in the song and the music video that goes along with it.
The power of these songs being pushed in the main-stream media cannot be underestimated. We look to role models as celebrities in culture, whether we realize it or not, and both of these songs don’t undermine the role of women, they don’t make teen pregnancy taboo, they actually glorify the sacrifices these teenagers made for their children.
In “One Beer,” some of the lyrics state, Felt like the end of the world, Now the world don’t spin without ’em.” There is possibly no phrase that better describes the impact of teen pregnancy, Devin Dawson, one of the singers, is explaining that the pregnancy of the girlfriend and boyfriend was terrifying; they would never have expected for their lives to get so shaken. However, looking back there is not one bit of regret. They don’t think, late at night, that they should have killed their child. Their child is now their whole world, “The world don’t spin without em.”
“One of them Girls” has a similar message, although it might not be as apparent in the lyrics as it is in the music video. The music video is extremely powerful and potent in explaining how vital the mother’s daughter is to her life. As was explained above, this song is about a single mother who no man can catch. There’s so much more to the song than this, however. The mother is depicted saving lives as a firefighter, but always coming home to her little girl, spinning her around the house, and doing crafts with her. One can see from the admiration in the little girl’s eyes that her mother is her world, and one can see from the mother’s tender care that her little girl is also her whole world.
In a world where motherhood is demeaned, femininity is scoffed at, and teenage pregnancy and single motherhood are looked down upon, it is very empowering to see two songs glorifying these things make it to the top of the country music charts. No one looks to get in a situation where they can’t support their child, and no woman wants their man to leave them, but when these horrible situations do occur, the best thing we can do for these women and children is support, glorify, and acknowledge them and all they sacrifice for their children and their futures.