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| [ 录入者:admin | 时间:2007-09-14 16:54:04
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WEARING a big hat and playing a guitar, a country music singer is using his rising and falling voice to tell the audience about his love, hope and loss. Few people could avoid getting caught up in his feelings.
乡村音乐歌手戴着一顶大帽子，弹着吉他，用他那抑扬顿挫的歌声为听众歌唱着他的爱情、希望和失落。没有人不会被他的情绪所打动。
This is the appeal of country music, which speaks to the basic emotions of human life. Throughout the 20th century, it has grown into one of the most original and lasting American musical forms.
这就是乡村音乐的魅力所在，它直指人类生活中最基本的一些感情。在整个20世纪，乡村音乐逐渐成为最具独创力也是最持久的美国音乐类型之一。
Country music's roots are in the songs of the American South, brought over by early immigrants from England. Those songs expressed the hardships of rural life and deep religious beliefs. In the 1920s, country music came into being as its first recordings were made. Early stars like Jimmy Rodger, known as "The Father of Country Music", and the Carter Family established its strong traditions － good song-writing, singing and playing.
乡村音乐的根源是早期英格兰移民带来的南美歌曲。这些歌曲表达了艰苦的乡村生活和深切的宗教信仰。在20世纪20年代，录制出了最早的乡村音乐唱片，乡村音乐随之形成。早期的歌星诸如号称为“乡村音乐之父”的吉米·罗杰以及卡特家族为乡村音乐奠定了牢固的传统——即一流的写歌、演唱、弹奏水平。
Much of this music was written for and brought to the American public through the cowboy (牛仔) films of the 1930s and 1940s. It was widely popular then and many singers turned up on stage wearing Western fringe and cowboy hats.
这些音乐大部分是写给美国大众的，通过20世纪30年代和40年代的牛仔电影带到了他们之中。此后乡村音乐广为流行，很多歌手在登台演唱时都戴着饰有流苏的西部牛仔帽。
In the 1950s, the country music recording industry was set up in Nashville and moved away from its rough roots. But singers like John Denver, with his hit track "Take Me Home, Country Roads", insisted on the originality and emotions of "real" country music.
到了20世纪50年代，乡村音乐唱片工业在纳什维尔建立起来，摆脱了起源时的不成体系。但像名曲《村路带我回家》的演唱者约翰·丹弗这样的歌手仍然坚持着“真正”乡村音乐的独特性和情感表达。
Though the Nashville sound did produce some big names and hits, many people complained that the music was becoming too manufactured. Younger artists in the 1990s turned to older country styles and mixed them with elements of rock 'n' roll. Steve Earle, with his song "The Devil's Right Hand", is typical of this so-called "alternative country music".
虽然在纳什维尔确实产生了一批响亮的名字和主打歌曲，但很多人抱怨乡村音乐变得太有人工制造的痕迹。20世纪90年代，年轻一代的艺术家转向了古老的乡村音乐，在其中混入了摇滚乐的元素。史蒂夫·艾尔以及他的歌曲《魔鬼的右手》，成为这种所谓的“另外一种乡村音乐”的典型代表。
Country music continues to speak to Americans of all ages and backgrounds. And it has a more profound influence: giving the nation an identity.
乡村音乐一直在为各个年龄段各种背景的美国人而写。它产生的更深刻影响就是：为这个民族赋予了它独特的符号。
Unlike pop music, largely a European invention, country music was American, and only American. During its development, it continued to emphasize that "American" element and sounded completely different from its English ancestors. It may even be said that its sound and story tell the history of the United States.
流行音乐在很大程度上产生于欧洲，但乡村音乐与之不同，它不仅是而且只是美国的。在它的发展过程中，乡村音乐始终高扬它的“美国”元素，和它那英国祖先的音乐已经迥然不同。甚至或许可以这样说，它用音乐和故事讲述了美国的历史。
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