COUNTRY CULTURE AND CROSSOVER: Narrative Representations of Gender and Genre Through Lyric, Music, Image, and Staging in Carrie Underwood’s Blown Away Tour Krisandra Ivings A Thesis Presented In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree Master of Arts in Music with Specialization in Women’s Studies University of Ottawa © Krisandra Ivings, Ottawa, Canada, 2016 Abstract This thesis examines the complex and multi-dimensional narratives presented in the work of mainstream female country artist Carrie Underwood, and how her blending of musical genres (pop, rock, and country) affects the narratives pertaining to gender and sexuality that are told through her musical texts. I interrogate the relationships between and among the domains of music, lyrics, images, and staging in Underwood’s live performances (Blown Away Tour: Live DVD) and related music videos in order to identify how these gendered narratives relate to genre, and more specifically, where these performances and videos adhere to, expand on, or break from country music tropes and traditions. Adopting an interlocking theoretical approach grounded in genre theory, gender theory, narrative theory in the context of popular music, and happiness theory, I examine how, as a female artist in the country music industry, Underwood uses genre-blending to construct complex gendered narratives in her musical texts. Ultimately, I find that in her Blown Away Tour: Live DVD, Underwood uses diverse narrative strategies, sometimes drawing on country tropes, to engage techniques and stylistic influences of several pop and rock styles, and in doing so explores the gender norms of those genres. ii Acknowledgements A great number of people have supported this thesis behind the scenes, whether financially, academically, or emotionally. I cannot name all of them here, but I am indebted to each of them. First and foremost, I owe huge thanks to my advisor Dr. Lori Burns, whose academic rigor makes her an outstanding example to follow, but also whose excellent teaching, valuable emotional support, and genuine care for her students make her an invaluable mentor. It has been a privilege to learn from her. My thesis is also greatly improved thanks to the valuable feedback of my committee members, Dr. Christopher Moore and Dr. Kathryn Trevenen. Thank you both for sharing your insights on my work. I am also extremely thankful for the input of Dr. Jada Watson, who has enthusiastically coached me and my work since its inception. I also owe many thanks to all of the faculty and staff at the School of Music and the Institute of Feminist and Gender Studies for their support, and to the School of Music and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada for their generous financial support. Finally, I owe so much to my friends and family that have supported me throughout this project, and in all stages leading up to it. You are all invaluable to me. This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. iii Table of Contents ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................................................ II ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .................................................................................................................... III CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION .............................................................................................................. 1 PREFACE .................................................................................................................................................... 1 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM ................................................................................................................. 3 Genre Classifications and Popularity ..................................................................................................... 4 The Critical Reception of Genre Blending ............................................................................................. 7 Research Questions: Carrie Underwood and Genre ............................................................................. 11 CONTEXTS .............................................................................................................................................. 12 Contexts of Carrie Underwood’s Career .............................................................................................. 12 Contexts of Country-Pop Divas .......................................................................................................... 15 Contexts of Country Music: Genre and Gender .................................................................................. 20 Contexts of Gender in Popular Music ................................................................................................. 23 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK ................................................................................................................... 26 Interlocking Analysis ........................................................................................................................... 26 Genre Theory ...................................................................................................................................... 27 Gender theory ..................................................................................................................................... 29 Narrative in Popular Music ................................................................................................................. 33 Happiness Scripts ................................................................................................................................ 37 Summary ............................................................................................................................................. 40 ANALYTIC METHODOLOGY .................................................................................................................... 40 CHAPTER ORGANIZATION ...................................................................................................................... 45 CONVENTIONS ADOPTED ....................................................................................................................... 49 CHAPTER 2. “GOOD GIRL”: INTERSECTIONS OF GENRE AND GENDER IN ACT ONE: STORM WARNING ................................................................................................................................. 52 CONTEXT ................................................................................................................................................ 53 ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................................. 54 Song .................................................................................................................................................... 54 Music Video ........................................................................................................................................ 66 Tour Video .......................................................................................................................................... 73 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................... 77 CHAPTER 3. “JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL”: RELIGION AND GENDER ROLES IN ACT TWO: LIGHTNING ................................................................................................................................. 79 CONTEXT ................................................................................................................................................ 79 ANALYSIS ................................................................................................................................................. 80 Genre .................................................................................................................................................. 81 Gender ................................................................................................................................................ 88 Tour Video .......................................................................................................................................... 92 CONCLUSION .......................................................................................................................................... 96 CHAPTER 4. “BEFORE HE CHEATS”: HARD COUNTRY AND HORROR IN ACT FOUR: TWISTER .................................................................................................................................................. 98 CONTEXT ................................................................................................................................................ 99 iv ANALYSIS ............................................................................................................................................... 100 Genre ................................................................................................................................................ 100 Gender .............................................................................................................................................. 108 Tour Video .......................................................................................................................................