Daddy's Got His Blue Jeans On: A Deep Dive Into Country Music's Pants

Blue jeans are ubiquitous in country music. Yet dads (and kids) often choose the comfort and flexibility of "soft pants" over the rich history and unforgiving fit of denim. In this episode, the dads explore how blue jeans fit in our kids' active lives, on dads' expanding waistlines and in country music tropes. They're joined by author James Sullivan (who literally wrote the book on blue jeans) to dive deep into the history of blue jeans in America, culture and music. If you've ever wondered where our blue jeans obsession comes from, or whether you'll ever fit into your suddenly "tight-fitting jeans" again, this is the episode for you.

To wrap things up, Dave spends the "Change My Mind" segment trying to convince Donnie that even aging dads should embrace the discomfort (read: suffering) of country music festivals in pursuit of growth and, perhaps, the fountain of youth.

Show Notes

3:32: Should Our Kids Wear Jeans? In a Scary Mommy article, a pediatric occupational therapist suggested that kids should not wear jeans. The dads discuss the merits of blue jeans in the lives of active, knee-skinning children.

7:17: Should Dads Wear Jeans? When the size of your pants is a moving target, pants selection gets tricky. The dads weigh the requirements for “dad pants” from ruggedness and cool-factor to flexibility and comfort.

9:44: The History Of Blue Jeans: Donnie kicks off an initial history lesson by reading the Levi’s website with the voice of an old-timey movie narrator.

13:46: Blue Jeans in Western Wear: A western wear aficionado, Donnie, weighs in on denim’s role in “the scene” and encourages Dave to check out the rancher pant (or maybe a nudie suit).

16:37: Do Stretchy Jeans Still Count? The dads discuss the current trend toward stretchy (but less rugged) jeans-like materials and whether that matters in the world of blue jeans.

20:05: Blue Jeans in Country Music: Of the many mentions of blue jeans in country music, the dads hone in on two common tropes: the funny yet often cringey sexual innuendo of “tight fittin’ jeans” and the more family-friendly images of nostalgic Americana and simpler times.

28:02: Author James Sullivan on Blue Jeans and American Culture: James Sullivan joins the podcast to share a more in-depth look at the history of blue jeans, based on his work writing Jeans: A Cultural History of an American Icon.

38:41: How the Hatred of Laundry Led to a Resurgence in Blue Jeans’ Popularity: James Sullivan tells the story of how the Denim Council reversed blue jeans’ “juvenile delinquent” reputation with a clever marketing campaign.

46:25: The Dad Life Sound Check: Donnie discovers a sad country song about laundry: Rebecca Porter’s “The Laundry Pile.” Dave looks forward to finding his “Chattahoochee” this summer, though he’d prefer not to wear jeans in the lake like Alan Jackson does in the music video.

49:06: Change My Mind: Dave changes gears and encourages Donnie to “choose discomfort” in an effort to change his mind about whether aging dads still belong at multi-day country music festivals.

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Mentioned in the Show

• Ameripolitan Awards
• Scary Mommy post about jeans on kids
• Levi's history page
• Brett Favre Wrangler commercial playing backyard football
• Jukebox Mama
• COUNTRY-Country Music podcast
• Jeans: A Cultural History of an American Icon by James Sullivan
• Chattahoochee Music Video

References:

• Theme Music: "Dark Country Rock" by Moodmode
• "Tight Fittin' Jeans" by Conway Twitty
• "Baby's Got Her Blue Jeans On" by Mel McDaniel
• "Those Jeans" by Ray Scott
• "Girl in a Country Song" by Maddie and Tae
• "Dance a Little Closer" by Emily Love
• "You Look Good in Neon" by Silverada
• "Bury Me in Blue Jeans" by Midland
• "Bury Me in Blue Jeans" by Granger Smith
• "Barefoot Blue Jean Night" by Jake Owen
• "You Never Even Called Me By My Name" by David Allan Coe (written by Steve Goodman)
• "Blue Jean Bop" by Gene Vincent
• "Cadillac Ranch" by Bruce Springsteen
• "Blue Jean Baby" by Zach Bryan
• "Black Denim Trousers and Motorcycle Boots" by The Cheers
• "L'Homme a la moto" by Edith Piaf
• "The Laundry Pile" by Rebecca Porter
• "Chattahoochee" by Alan Jackson