Queens of Country (And Economic Duress)

You’ve heard of recession pop, but what about recession country?

These days, everything is a “recession indicator.” You’ve seen the memes - all pointing to Lady Gaga’s return to the charts, the popularity of knee high converse, and Snooki being photographed at the club as telltale signs of an impending economic downfall. And, while laughing through the pain is well and good, it can also serve as a distraction from the very real situation at hand: most Americans can barely afford their rent and groceries. A May 2025 article from CNN even claims that these viral memes can have tangible economic consequences. If people are fed constant content about how the economy is terrible, they will actually start to feel like the economy is terrible, and begin divesting from the market, causing a self-fulfilling prophecy of sorts. But, armchair economy and meme culture aside, are there such things as real recession indicators (aside from negative real GDP growth, the Sahm rule, and the inverted yield curve)? And is the rise in popularity of country music, especially from female artists, one of them?

“If you can’t already tell by our award winners and our performers, the music business is going country. We’re going country. It’s happening,” - Lana Del Rey, NMPA Awards - January 31st, 2024.

Whether you love her or hate her, Dear Lana was absolutely right about this. As of today - April 22nd, 2026 - there are two county songs in the Billboard Hot 100’s top five songs. Number one, “Choosin’ Texas” and number five, “Be Her,” are both performed by Nashville sweetheart, Ella Langley. And while the pendulum swing to boots and bolos began well before Lana’s prophetic declaration - including a 20.3% year over year increase between 2022 and 2023 - something about this year feels like it might be peaking, with the women of country leading the charge.

Historically, country music has thrived in times of economic turmoil. Some observations have noted that while pop and other genres lean towards escapism during hard times (“Low” by Flo Rida was the most popular song in 2008), country musicians - especially the older ones - tend to tackle economic and societal issues head on. A Today article from May 15th, 2009 mused, “Despite the sour economy, radio has been remarkably free of songs about tough times….Country seems the lone exception,” citing John Rich’s blue-collar anthem “Shuttin’ Down Detroit” (ok but why do they have southern accents in the music video lol) and “Red White and Pink Slip Blues,” Hank Williams Jr.

With the chorus lyrics of, “Yeah while they’re living up on Wall Street in that New York City town / Here in the real world they’re shuttin’ Detroit down,” “Shuttin’ Detroit Down” peaked at No. 75 on the Billboard Hot 100. Not exactly a hit, but enough to show it was resonating with many Americans at the time. “Red White and Pink Slip Blues” only made it to #45 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, but still served as a stamp in time and a cry into the void during an excruciating socioeconomic time for the American public (It also just wasn’t as good of a song as “Shuttin’ Detroit Down” in my opinion).

All that’s to say, while these poignant songs by middle-aged male country stars certainly resonated, they didn’t break chart records by any means. Actually, a study conducted by the APA in 2015 - Gone country: An investigation of Billboard country songs of the year across social and economic conditions in the United States - found that female country artists tend to thrive when the social and economic environment is threatending, especially when the songs are more positive and musically upbeat. The reason given was that working people tend to lean towards voices that feel comforting, and even maternal, in trying times. Cue Miss Ella Langley, our current Billboard Hot 100 chart Queen. Not only has Langley dominated the country charts, she has made the coveted leap into mainstream number one success, and stayed there for twenty six weeks and counting. Soooo, is it giving recession country?

I’m not an economist, but from my personal viewpoint and that of many of my peers - it’s looking pretty bad. Buying a home has turned from an aspirational milestone to a distant dream of the past. Gas is almost $6/gallon (in LA). The job market sucks. Gen Zers apparently aren’t having sex? There’s a fucking war going on. So, listening to Ella Langley sing about how her boyfriend is leaving her for a gal with his same Texan roots - but in the cheerful key of D flat major!! - seems a lot better than facing the reality that the world is crumbling around us.

Langley’s music sits between the acute observations of old-head country songwriters and straight up feel-good female country (a la “I Feel Like a Woman). While the lyrical subject matter of her #1 hit, “Choosin’ Texas,” is morose, the tone of the song is comforting, predictable, and even somewhat upbeat if we’re talking strictly musical theory (it uses a common upbeat country chord progression). While the lyrics touch on loss, it doesn’t feel like true heartbreak, but acceptance that she’s lost the battle and resigned to moving on. Maybe that’s the shift that’s happening with this specific generation of listeners experiencing trying times. Rather than moving towards full toxic-positive escapism, we want to hear stories of imperfect heroines, moving through adversity (but let’s keep it light) and coming out the other side in one piece. Like the musical form of “A Girl Who’s Going to be Okay.”

If this is true, Langley isn’t the only artist tapping into this perfectly balanced dichotomy of existential dread and apathy written to a comforting melody. Artists like Kasey Musgraves (arguably walked so Langley could run), Sierra Ferrell, Laci Kaye Booth, and Goldie Boutilier have penned similarly two-steppable tunes of despair. Not to mention, they’re all women. And while they may not all be currently charting (Musgraves recently touched the charts with her new single “Dry Spell,” but didn’t top them), they certainly have their fair share of devoted fans clinging to their words in a blur of aspiration and ennui. And, let’s be real, I’m one of them.

So, are these chart topping cowgirls a concrete sign of a recession ahead, or just another meme-able coincidence? I am absolutely unqualified to give an answer to that, but I can make you a playlist and let you decide.

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Sources:

“Country Music Taps Recession Blues.” Today, www.today.com/popculture/country-music-taps-recession-blues-1c9484348.

“The Commercial Rise of Country Music During the Great Depression.” Bunk History, www.bunkhistory.org/resources/the-commercial-rise-of-country-music-during-the-great-depressi on.

“Record 2014-12882-001.” APA PsycNet, psycnet.apa.org/record/2014-12882-001. “Eric Church: Recession-Era Country Star.” Rolling Stone, www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/eric-church-recession-era-country-star-40251/.

Billboard Bulletin, July 7, 2023. Billboard, www.billboard.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/july-07-2023-billboard-bulletin.pdf.

“CMTs: Morgan Wallen Leads Country Streaming in March.” Variety, variety.com/2023/music/news/cmts-morgan-wallen-country-streaming-march-1235573629/.

“Recession Pop Benefits.” Time, time.com/7276586/recession-pop-benefits-essay/.

“Recession Indicators, Tariffs, Memes.” CNN, www.cnn.com/2025/05/04/tech/recession-indicators-tariffs-memes-cec.

“IF12774.” Congress.gov, www.congress.gov/crs-product/IF12774.