Hats and hay in the land of Europe

[koganbot]

Xhuxk asked this question on Rolling Country:

though countryish schlager songs are all over those '70s comps that I write about on that other thread, is such music still being made now?

I confused matters by claiming that cowboy hats are an "ongoing trope on Eurovision," by which I meant I'd seen a Texas Lightning vid and someone else's vid, that for me qualifying as an "ongoing trope" (not that this has anything to do with schlager, necessarily). But for all I know cowboy hats are an ongoing trope, as I tend not to see many of the Eurovision entries.

So, any of you have knowledge of (1) cowboy hats on Eurovision, (2) countryish schlager music that postdates the 1970s, (3) Europop that's country, or at least dresses like it, or (4) what country music and/or cowboy hattage there is in general on the continent? I've heard a track or two by Jill Johnson, not much else other than Texas Lightning and whatever that other band was.

because it's been awhile since i wrote anything truly mad here

[piratemoggy.livejournal.com]

hello, i wrote this in my journal first which is why it doesn't have any capital letters. it is (more than) a bit mad, standardly sweary and mostly about depeche mode but kat said i should put it here. it is about as accurate as you'd expect from the mod that can't remember what the categories are for the 'a year in pop' polls.

( and then she embarked on one of her occasional pop-reconnaissance missions, warning: tl;dr )