2014
Essay One: Culture Analysis of The Truth
By Jason Aldean
KAYLEE SWEARINGEN
I argue that Jason Aldean’s music video, The Truth, shows that there are gender roles in
an intimate relationship such as: (1) men have issues with communicating, (2) men are supposed
to be emotionless and finally, (3) men need a woman to stay grounded.
Jason Aldean. Aldean is a highly well-known artist in the country music world. All of his
albums have gone platinum with one of them being certified triple platinum. He has also had
numerous songs top the charts. He received an American Country Music Award of the Top New
Male Vocalist in 2005. He has been nominated and won many honors with his most recent award
being Male Vocalist of the Year in 2013 by the American Country Music Awards. Aldean has a
large fan base with 8,437,576 likes on his Facebook and he has 2,119,814 followers on Twitter.
The music video The Truth has 12,194,234 views.
Men Have Issues with Communicating
“Just don't tell 'em I've gone crazy
That I'm still strung out over you
Tell 'em anything you want to
Just don't tell 'em all the truth
Yeah, don't tell 'em all the truth”
These lyrics are the chorus of the song. This is a plea to someone. The lyrics are telling
the receiver that he is actually this way but does not want people to see that. He is clearly upset
about a break up and would rather not have to admit these feelings. This could possibly be
because of embarrassment from friends or family. Outside pressures create this anxiety for men
to express their feelings. He might think that if I express these feelings to someone they might
think I am less of a man. This song reinforces that thought process. The lyrics to The Truth are
showing how he would rather lie about doing anything else other than being upset and hung up
on this woman. Aldean is showing people who watch this video that it is a manly thing to do, not
to explain how you feel.
Men are Emotionless
Throughout the music video, the imagery shows Aldean to be in a neutral mood. He is
not overtly upset or happy. He just seems emotionless. Guys are always being told to suck it up,
be a man, boys don’t cry and so on. Society has created that the ideal man is one of no emotions.
Men have this external force that tell them, women are the ones who cry and get depressed over
a break up not men. Men are not supposed to show any form of vulnerability. They are to just
continue on with their lives. Because of this notion, men try to seem emotionless. This music
video reinforces that idea. The images of the video show that the main character, Aldean, was
leaving and not dealing with the emotions of this break-up. It shows him getting on a bus and
going to a hotel. He does not even go in the hotel room, he goes to the pool to have a break from
his reality but cannot escape due to the couples he has seen through the video.
Men Need a Woman to Stay Grounded
Tell 'em all I'm out in Vegas
Blowin' every dollar I ever made
Tell 'em that I must be into somethin' bad for me
'Cause I sure lost a lot of weight
Tell 'em I'm out on the road
With some old rock and roll band
Living like a gypsy can
These lyrics are just saying to tell these people who are asking about them anything.
People clearly know him well enough to believe this. That might be because of his own
personality or that this is what males do after a break up. Which explains why men need a
woman to sty grounded. This video portrays Aldean as being impulsive and just leaving the
situation on what seems like a whim. He also is telling people to saying anything like that he is
blowing all of his money in Las Vegas. If he had this girlfriend that would not be the case. The
way the lyrics are makes it seem like this is a something crazy that he is doing, that he does not
just leave spontaneously on a regular basis. Because of his break up he needs to escape reality.
This video’s lyrics suggest that without her he is doing things he does not normally do and needs
her to keep him in check.
In conclusion, I believe that the Jason Aldean music video is suggesting that there are
gender roles within a relationship which are: (1) men have issues with communicating, (2) men
are supposed to be emotionless and finally, (3) men need a woman to stay grounded. These are
seen throughout the lyrics and imagery of the video.
Jason Aldean is a famous country singer who has won multiple awards and has a huge
fan base. People who view this music video would learn those gender roles from it. This is why it
is important to analysis what we watch even if it is just a music video because it can still
persuade you and attempt to explain the “norms” of our American culture.