The election is bearing down hard upon us all and I think it's reflected in our song selections. Either we're picking songs that allow us to discuss our frustration and anger with the candidates and the campaign and the system - or we're choosing songs that provide some sort of release from the madness.
Oh, and unlike Jack Schultz, who is a kind and noble soul, I hate everyone who is in New Orleans without me this week.
Sonny Landreth, Congo Square
Bruce Springsteen, The Promised Land, and Drive-By Truckers, Puttin' People on the Moon
I blame this weeks selections and commentary on neuroscience. In my Concepts of the Self class my students read Linden's The Accidental Mind, and one of the facts they learn (or are supposed to learn) is that the narrative-making part of the brain never shuts down. And so, when I was at the gym the other day, lifting weights and listening to music to distract me from how much I hate working out, my brain, unbidden, produced this narrative. Obviously, this is a narrative based on the characters - and my own addled mind, and not the song writers themselves who, doubtless, would probably disagree (and they are both very left-ward leaning which is one of the things that makes me love their music so much). In my mind the two characters flowed together and formed an arc that ran across decades and reflected the destruction of an American way of life. I imagined the character, younger, as expressed in Springsteen's song, as still believing in the American dream, even as it is starting to slip away from him. He would have voted for Carter in 1976 and probably in 1980, but even by the latter election he was beginning to feel that despite his suspicions about Reagan, that maybe the Republicans had a clearer vision of the "promised land." By 1984 he would have voted for Reagan as part of his landslide reelection, and broke with many of his relatives, who had union jobs when such things existed, and voted GOP. Through the dream logic that we associate with David Lynch films the two characters coalesced in my mind; then the economic situation continued to get worse, but the protagonist's political views continued to spiral right-ward, even as he complained "the goddamn Reagan's in the White House, and nobody gives a damn." He might have voted for Clinton, although Bill's successes from a humble origins would have only made him recognize his own failures all the more clearly. Voting for George W. Bush in both elections was a no-brainer and a no-brainer, and the break is complete as he finds himself, against his better judgment and in denial of his former belief in a promised land, begins to blame the nameless "other" for his problems. In this way he's emblematic of the struggles of the GOP itself as it has increasingly become the angry party. There's no way in hell he would have voted for Obama and happily voted for McCain, but sat out the second campaign because he couldn't make himself vote for Romney. At night he begins to suspect that maybe these rich candidates don't really have his best interest at heart, but he can still vote for them, as long as they aren't from some funny religion. Finally, the Clintons are back, but this time it's a nasty woman, who has become richer than shit from selling herself to the highest bidder, and what you really need is a true outsider who can't be bought, who says what no one else will say in this politically correct age which favors everybody but him - and so he makes the decision to vote for Trump, although, in the end, he probably won't actually get around to going to the polls after all.
Oh, and unlike Jack Schultz, who is a kind and noble soul, I hate everyone who is in New Orleans without me this week.
Nate Bell
Blind Willie Johnson, Nobody's Fault but Mine
I've been thinking lately about the small truth that
helps propagate a larger lie.
The root idea of of both this version, Robert
Johnson's version, and Led Zepplin is that all the wicked ways, all the
sinfulness one gets into is ultimately one's own fault.
Blind Willie is very direct that if he doesn't follow the teachings of the Bible, his soul is lost--nobody's fault but his own.
Blind Willie is very direct that if he doesn't follow the teachings of the Bible, his soul is lost--nobody's fault but his own.
Nobody's fault but mine,
Nobody's fault but mine
If I don't read it my soul be lost
I have a bible in my home,
I have a bible in my home
If I don't read it my soul be lost
Mmm, father he taught me how to read,
Father he taught me how to read
If I don't read it my soul be lost, nobody's fault but
mine
The Blind Willie version is pure, classic and perfect
Delta Blues, a growling, low vocal style with fantastic slide guitar work.
Willie worked a bass line with his thumb, and used a bottle neck for the slide,
or a jackknife. The music and styling is the very heart of blues.
This selection had me thinking about the concept of how a
small truth hides a larger lie. While on the small scale, it is completely true
that your immediate actions can lead to personal misery. For the boys in
LedZepplin, any monkey on their back is certainly nobody's fault but their own.
But when I think of Blind Willie Johnson, I think of his
life as a poor street corner singer, who never found financial success or
security his whole life. I start to think that if he had fallen into bad
habits due to grinding poverty and prejudice, perhaps it's not only his fault
and his fault alone. Yes, on the small scale, chasing the drink, addictions,
gambling--all the terrible effects these vices bring are the direct and
immediate effect of poor choices. However, for people that have been hopeless
and downtrodden for generations, can we really say falling into these traps is
truly "nobody's fault but theirs", or does some fault lie in a society
that creates for a class of people life of narrow choices, little hope for
advancement, and a broad menu of causes for despair.
It's times like these that I love the blues, but I
hate what created them. I think of the big lie that we have sold to a
people by encouraging and celebrating the small but immediate truth. Getting
over your failings, and "pulling yourself up by your bootstraps" into
success is the big lie that just isn't so easy or even possible for some. And
we sell it by blaming the same bad habits we all seem to have. That's when it's
time to think its maybe not just the same poor choices---in which we all indulge---but
something else.
Jack Schultz
Sonny Landreth, Congo Square
In honor of the “lucky dogs” enjoying the weekend in NOLA
(remember to get your parade license), I’m going with Sonny Landreth’s Congo
Square. Never
been to New Orleans, but the city reminds me of the song and vice versa. I saw
Landreth warm up for the Shaun Murphy-fronted Little Feat in the 90s. He was
intense for his entire show, then joined Little Feat for most of their
set. I
only own one of his albums, South of I-10, and I heartily recommend it.
This clip shows Landreth and Derek Trucks wailing
together. They
are joined by some bass player who I assume was pulled out of the crowd.
Gary Beatrice
Charlie Rich, Life's Little Ups and Downs
If Charlie Rich is remembered today it's for the mid-seventies MOR country pop like The Most Beautiful Girl In The World, which is a shame, because he made some fantastic songs on Sun Records.
Listen to Rich's vocals on this deceptively simple song and hear how well he captures the complex emotions that I never would have thought could be captured in a song. The singer expected a promotion and he and his wife, who had barely been getting by, had big plans. But he didn't get it and now he deals with the guilt and the heartbreak of knowing that he let her down and he has to be the one to break that news to her. And her answer? A very sincere, it's ok, no one wins the brass ring every time.
What a relationship, what a whirlwind of emotions, and it's all captured in a beautiful three and a half minute song.
If Charlie Rich is remembered today it's for the mid-seventies MOR country pop like The Most Beautiful Girl In The World, which is a shame, because he made some fantastic songs on Sun Records.
Listen to Rich's vocals on this deceptively simple song and hear how well he captures the complex emotions that I never would have thought could be captured in a song. The singer expected a promotion and he and his wife, who had barely been getting by, had big plans. But he didn't get it and now he deals with the guilt and the heartbreak of knowing that he let her down and he has to be the one to break that news to her. And her answer? A very sincere, it's ok, no one wins the brass ring every time.
What a relationship, what a whirlwind of emotions, and it's all captured in a beautiful three and a half minute song.
Dave Wallace
Liz Phair, Polyester Bride
Liz Phair's lost female protagonist gets a reality check
from the wisdom of her bartender. (And then he said, "Do you want to
be a Polyester Bride?/Or do you want to hang your head and die?/Do you want to
find alligator cowboy boots they just put on sale?/Do you want to flap your
wings and fly away from here? . . Because you've got time.") For
some reason, the conversation just feels real to me. And the power chords
at the end of the song bring it on home.
Dave Kelley
My theme this week
is either "whistling past the graveyard" or "try to look on the
bright side of life" depending upon the moment. I won't bother to
describe my revulsion at the election and what it is revealing about America and
many of the people in it. Miranda did a better job of that last week than
I can do, so I will just second her comments. The following selections
make me feel happy and just a bit more positive about a world that has seemed
darker and colder than I want it to be. I have been listening to these
songs as an antidote to my feelings of anger, fear, and sorrow to these hard
times. I choose music over polls and political analysis.
The Eurothmycs, I Saved the World Today
I am rewatching The Sopranos, and this song is featured prominently in an episode. I love the arrangement and of course Annie Lennox's voice. It really seems like it could have been written by Burt Bacharach in the sixties. The chorus is catchy as hell, and I just feel better after I listen to it.
The Bottle Rockets, I Love My Dog
No surprise here. I love this band and cannot wait to see them live the night before the election. We all have ways of experiencing the beauty of this world, and anyone who knows me understands that dogs are one of the ways of doing this for me. This song is just so Zen, and the attached video just makes my heart happy. And if you don't like it, that's OK, they are my dogs.
The Impressions, People Get Ready
Curtis Mayfield was a great songwriter, and this song is his masterpiece in my opinion. Religion is a double edged sword and can be used to give great solace and to cause great pain. This is just a beautiful song that conveys a wonderful message. It inspired "Land of Hopes and Dreams" which is in my opinion the best Springsteen song since he reunited The E Street Band. When he plays it live, he ends the song with a brief reprise of "People Get Ready." Gives me goosebumps every time. Mayfield wrote a song that makes me happier every time I hear it.
The Eurothmycs, I Saved the World Today
I am rewatching The Sopranos, and this song is featured prominently in an episode. I love the arrangement and of course Annie Lennox's voice. It really seems like it could have been written by Burt Bacharach in the sixties. The chorus is catchy as hell, and I just feel better after I listen to it.
The Bottle Rockets, I Love My Dog
No surprise here. I love this band and cannot wait to see them live the night before the election. We all have ways of experiencing the beauty of this world, and anyone who knows me understands that dogs are one of the ways of doing this for me. This song is just so Zen, and the attached video just makes my heart happy. And if you don't like it, that's OK, they are my dogs.
The Impressions, People Get Ready
Curtis Mayfield was a great songwriter, and this song is his masterpiece in my opinion. Religion is a double edged sword and can be used to give great solace and to cause great pain. This is just a beautiful song that conveys a wonderful message. It inspired "Land of Hopes and Dreams" which is in my opinion the best Springsteen song since he reunited The E Street Band. When he plays it live, he ends the song with a brief reprise of "People Get Ready." Gives me goosebumps every time. Mayfield wrote a song that makes me happier every time I hear it.
Gary Scudder
Bruce Springsteen, The Promised Land, and Drive-By Truckers, Puttin' People on the Moon
I blame this weeks selections and commentary on neuroscience. In my Concepts of the Self class my students read Linden's The Accidental Mind, and one of the facts they learn (or are supposed to learn) is that the narrative-making part of the brain never shuts down. And so, when I was at the gym the other day, lifting weights and listening to music to distract me from how much I hate working out, my brain, unbidden, produced this narrative. Obviously, this is a narrative based on the characters - and my own addled mind, and not the song writers themselves who, doubtless, would probably disagree (and they are both very left-ward leaning which is one of the things that makes me love their music so much). In my mind the two characters flowed together and formed an arc that ran across decades and reflected the destruction of an American way of life. I imagined the character, younger, as expressed in Springsteen's song, as still believing in the American dream, even as it is starting to slip away from him. He would have voted for Carter in 1976 and probably in 1980, but even by the latter election he was beginning to feel that despite his suspicions about Reagan, that maybe the Republicans had a clearer vision of the "promised land." By 1984 he would have voted for Reagan as part of his landslide reelection, and broke with many of his relatives, who had union jobs when such things existed, and voted GOP. Through the dream logic that we associate with David Lynch films the two characters coalesced in my mind; then the economic situation continued to get worse, but the protagonist's political views continued to spiral right-ward, even as he complained "the goddamn Reagan's in the White House, and nobody gives a damn." He might have voted for Clinton, although Bill's successes from a humble origins would have only made him recognize his own failures all the more clearly. Voting for George W. Bush in both elections was a no-brainer and a no-brainer, and the break is complete as he finds himself, against his better judgment and in denial of his former belief in a promised land, begins to blame the nameless "other" for his problems. In this way he's emblematic of the struggles of the GOP itself as it has increasingly become the angry party. There's no way in hell he would have voted for Obama and happily voted for McCain, but sat out the second campaign because he couldn't make himself vote for Romney. At night he begins to suspect that maybe these rich candidates don't really have his best interest at heart, but he can still vote for them, as long as they aren't from some funny religion. Finally, the Clintons are back, but this time it's a nasty woman, who has become richer than shit from selling herself to the highest bidder, and what you really need is a true outsider who can't be bought, who says what no one else will say in this politically correct age which favors everybody but him - and so he makes the decision to vote for Trump, although, in the end, he probably won't actually get around to going to the polls after all.
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