Sad songs bring us together. Here at Whiskey Riff, we often say “sad country songs make me happy,” because they do. Of course, it’s one thing to hurt your own feelings, but the connection you feel to a complete stranger when you listen to the gut-wrenching lyrics they have penned is oddly comforting to most. But there might be a deeper reason country fans love a heartbreaking tune, according to Chris Stapleton.
Chris Stapleton joined the latest episode of Dax Shepard’s Armchair Expert podcast. If you’ve never listened to the podcast, Shepard’s show mainly focuses on celebrity interviews. Generally, he gets pretty deep on topics like family, mental health, struggles and shortcomings, and other more vulnerable points of conversation.
The 51-year-old has previously shared that he has a passion for speaking with others, learning more about them, and hearing stories that could potentially help others in similar circumstances. He’s been at it for over six years, and Dax rarely ever passes up the opportunity to talk with someone interesting. He’s actually been on quite the kick of country music artists as guests, with Luke Combs, Jason Aldean, and now Chris Stapleton all joining his show in just a matter of months.
During the conversation, Stapleton touched on how a sad song can connect music listeners as a whole. Stapleton explained to Shepard that without having a conversation with someone, hearing lyrics that embody a shared experience of heartbreak, sadness, or loneliness instantly creates a sense of community.
“People like sad songs so they don’t feel alone. And I think maybe all songs are that way, and then we want to feel those emotions together. There’s a communal thing in that. Even if you’re driving in the car by yourself, listening to a song, and it’s hitting you in a certain way—it’s still that communal thing. You’re like, ‘Oh, there is somebody else in the world that understands this other thing that I’m going through.’ And so I’m not alone all of a sudden.
And I think that is the magic of music. It’s not some mysterious thing. That is the magic of music is that it helps us all be connected in ways that maybe even a conversation, or a look, or touch doesn’t provide.”
I can’t help but instantly think about Stapleton’s “What Are You Listening To?” as he describes this feeling. Even if you don’t know someone at all, there is a strong chance that you two both love a similar heartbreak anthem—for what could be different reasons. After Stapleton bestows this insight on Shepard, Shepard shares that he believes lyrics and music are the quickest way to convey emotion from one human to another. It’s like an instant transfer, if you will.
Stapleton agrees with that notion—to an extent.
“It’s efficient… I don’t think that’s true for everybody, though. I think there are people that I’ve met in my life that are like, ‘I’ve never been to a concert. I don’t listen to music.’ You don’t do what? I think that’s not a value in everybody’s household or…”
I mean, that is true. Music connects us all, but it might not connect some people in the same ways it connects others. Some folks might prefer visual art to audio art, making music pack less of a punch. To that, Shepard hilariously shares that people who don’t enjoy music are bad in the sack. HA! Non-music lovers mean bad lovers in his eyes, clearly, which is a topic that I am sure can be studied in itself. Honestly, it would be interesting to see what the correlation is…
Check out the entire interview while you’re here:
