You'd sing sad songs too if you had to dress like that. If I lived in Nashville, I'd volunteer for the Porter Wagoner Suicide Prevention Line. Take two sequins and call me in the morning.
I spent 25 years in radio management and of those 25, 18 had a country station involved and I hated country music because I'd never really let myself embrace the soul of it. And a lot of country music is soul music. Life is hard and country music is reflective of some of that and I am not talking about all of this stealing rock riffs from the 50's and 60's going on today.
There are songs that reach inside if you allow that to happen and while it may be depressing, makes us feel alive. "He Stopped Loving Her Today" while that certainly fits the sad and depressing actually made me think about the depth of my love for my wife. "You Were Always My Mind" might just be the greatest love song of all time. And while I loved Aretha for her soulful voice, that is also matched by Patsy. And I could nominate "I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry" as the original American song. How many have listened to Hank sing that and connected?
Alternative is my music of choice over the last 10-15 years followed closely by Jazz and Rock but there are times I have to hit the patio with a few longnecks and George, Jones and Strait, Hank, Johnny, Merle, Patsy, Waylon and Willie, real country. Something odd happens when I am feeling blue and listen to real country, someone is singing about how I feel, someone else has felt my pain, my loneliness and I feel the connection. After some of that, I feel better, not so alone. I use Rock to numb the pain but real Country can soothe the pain.