Skip to main content
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Arts & Culture
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
Sections
  • All News
  • Arts & Culture
  • Business & Economy
  • Campus & Community
  • Health & Society
  • Media, Law & Policy
  • STEM
  • Veterans
  • |
  • Alumni
  • The Peel
  • Athletics
  • Home
  • About
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Topics
    • Alumni
    • Events
    • Faculty
    • Students
    • All Topics
  • Contact
  • Submit
Arts & Culture

Why ‘Old Town Road’ Strikes a Chord with Listeners

Tuesday, July 30, 2019, By Daryl Lovell
Share

Rapper Lil Nas X’s song “Old Town Road” is now the longest-running No. 1 single in Billboard Hot 100 history. “Old Town Road,” featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, has been No. 1 for 17 consecutive weeks, bumping Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee’s “Despacito” and “One Sweet Day,” by Mariah Carey and Boyz II Men, from the top spot.

There are many reasons why “Old Town Road” has struck a chord with so many listeners, says popular music expert Theo Cateforis. “It’s a perfect example of today’s digital remix culture – and thus distinctly different from say the single version of 1995’s ‘One Sweet Day’ that held the Billboard chart record for so long,” Cateforis says.

Cateforis is an associate professor of music history and cultures in the Department of Art and Music Histories in the College of Arts & Sciences at Syracuse University. Author of “The Rock History Reader,” Cateforis’ research is in the areas of popular music, American music, and film music, with a specific focus on the history of rock music.

 

Here’s what Cateforis says about “Old Town Road” and why it’s “a perfect example of the flexible and collaborative nature of contemporary pop:”

“It has enjoyed great success not only because of its unique crossover (uniting two of the most popular American musical mainstreams of the past three decades), but because of its seemingly endless array of different versions – each of which has elongated the song’s popularity.

“It is at this point no longer simply a Lil Nas X song featuring Billy Ray Cyrus, but a track into which various voices have been inserted, ranging from the YouTube yodel sensation Mason Ramsey to RM of the South Korean boy band BTS. It’s a song that invites parodies (through such pop cultural tie-ins as The Avengers – there are both Thanos and Thor versions), creative lyric alterations, dance routines and active participation.

“It should also be noted that ‘Old Town Road’ is a strongly intergenerational recording – and not just in the way that it brings together a ‘90s country star with a young rapper, but more significantly in how the song has captivated a young, pre-teen audience. It’s impossible to calculate the song’s success without factoring in its novel singalong appeal to grade school kids, an often widely underestimated and underappreciated audience, but one that has pumped up the song’s streaming success through platforms such as YouTube and Spotify.”

 

For more information or to request an interview with Prof. Cateforis, please contact:

 

Matt Michael
Media Relations Specialist
Division of Marketing and Communications

T 315.443.2990   M 315.254.9037
mmicha04@syr.edu

  • Author

Daryl Lovell

  • Recent
  • Good Reads: School of Education’s Summer Literacy Clinic Takes an Inquiry-Based Approach
    Tuesday, October 3, 2023, By Martin Walls
  • Maxwell Professor Kristy Buzard Explores Gender Disparities in Economics
    Tuesday, October 3, 2023, By News Staff
  • ‘Norton Guide to Equity-Minded Teaching’ Co-Author to Give Public Talk and Faculty Workshop Oct. 11-12
    Tuesday, October 3, 2023, By News Staff
  • What’s Happening in CNY: Your Fun Fall Activity Guide
    Tuesday, October 3, 2023, By Christine Weber
  • Syracuse University Press Participating in Path to Open Program
    Friday, September 29, 2023, By Cristina Hatem

More In Arts & Culture

‘Guys and Dolls’ Opens Syracuse University Department of Drama 2023/24 Season

The Syracuse University Department of Drama begins the 2023/24 season with “Guys and Dolls,” directed by Banji Aborisade, reviving the classic musical–with a twist. Performances will be held Oct. 6-15 in the Storch Theatre at the Syracuse Stage/SU Drama Complex,…

Cool Class: Mona Awad’s Art of the Fairy Tale

From an early age, fairy tales enter our lives and shape our view of the world. The classics like “Cinderella,” “Rapunzel” and “Beauty and the Beast” help to build literacy and expand our imagination. But young children aren’t the only…

Annual Lecture Honoring Physics Professor Kameshwar C. Wali to Be Held on Oct. 5

The Wali Lecture is an annual event where the sciences and humanities converge, fostering dialogue and new perspectives on current topics for all who attend. The 2023 Kashi and Kameshwar C. Wali Lecture on Thursday, Oct. 5, will honor the…

University to Hold Public Symposium Exploring Role of Monuments in Society

Scholars, artists, curators, activists, local historians and members of the public will convene at Syracuse University Oct. 6-7 to discuss the rightful place of monuments in our society and the increasing complexity they represent today in terms of their cultural,…

Human Rights Film Festival: Changing the World, One Conversation at a Time

From the rural landscape of Michigan, to the devastated landscape of Bucha in the Ukraine, to the virtual landscape of the African diaspora, filmmakers address social issues and the fight for human rights around the globe at the 21st annual…

Subscribe to SU Today

If you need help with your subscription, contact sunews@syr.edu.

Connect With Us

  • 2015-16 Remembrance Scholars
  • 25th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration
  • About
    • SU Today Publishing Schedule
  • Authors
  • Campus Email Intake Form
  • Communications Contacts
  • Connect with SU
  • Contact
  • Defenses and Examinations
  • Exhibitions
  • Faculty Experts
  • For The Media
    • Media Experts: Syracuse University Researchers on COVID-19
  • Home
  • Inside SU Landing Page
  • Lawrence B. Taishoff Center Q&A
  • Media Coverage
  • Orange Appreciation Days/Winter Break Information
  • Past Stories
  • Resource Library: Blogs
  • Resource Library: Crisis Management
  • Resource Library: Media Relations
  • Resource Library: Media Training
  • Resource Library: Op-Eds
  • Resource Library: Research
  • Resource Library: Social Media / Social Networking
  • Resource Library: Useful Web Links
  • Sections
  • Statement from Syracuse University Vice Chancellor and Provost Eric Spina Regarding Law School Student Blog Matter
  • Student Spotlights
  • SU News Services Resource Library
  • Submit an Announcement
  • Submitting News and Events
    • Submit an Announcement
    • Submit an Event
  • Subscribe
  • Syracuse Views
  • Topics
  • University Community Harvest Farmers’ Market
  • Videos
  • What’s New
  • Yearly Archive
  • ’Cuse Conversations Page With Subscription Box
  • ’Cuse Conversations Podcast
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Youtube
  • LinkedIn
  • @SyracuseU
  • @SyracuseUNews
  • @SUCampus
  • Social Media Directory
  • Accessibility
  • Privacy
  • Campus Status
  • Syracuse.edu
© 2023 Syracuse University News. All Rights Reserved.