Nashville Anthems: Dissecting 80s & 90s Country Music

Dissecting "Here in the Real World" by Alan Jackson

One episode after exploring Brooks & Dunn's explosive debut, we turn our ears to Alan Jackson's more toned down entrance onto the scene, 1990's "Here in the Real World". As we'd expect, Jackson writes the book here on Jones-inspired neotraditionalism, as melody, harmony, instrumentation, lyrics, and phrasing all work together on this heartbreaker. But how does all that combine with the very idea of neotraditionalism, to give this one a nostalgic feel that seems to break the fourth wall?