Posted on 05/23/2006 11:11:37 AM PDT by pissant
The world is full of bad songs and horrific singer-songwriters. Just tune in to any radio station, be it country, top 40, "classic rock", or alternative and you are bound to have your ears offended in short order.
But there is NOTHING more irritating than hearing some lunatic, left-winger try to elevate the pop song into some kind of overt, intellectual commentary on the evils of America or the glory of being a hippie. Sure, some artists managed to cut a decent song. I still like the Mommas and the Poppas "California Dreaming", for example. But the whole genre wreaks to high heaven.
The List:
7. We are the World -- Various Artists. An utterly hideous attempt to feed starving Biafrins. If these idiots would have just given the money it took to assemble, to produce, and advertise this turd and donated it to the charity, it would have saved us alot of misery.
6. White Bird -- It's a Beautiful Day. Sappiness, your name is White Bird. Don't even know what the song is about exactly. I turn the station too fast.
5. Sky Pilot -- Eric Burden and the Animals. While I generally liked this band, this song is unlistenable, and unintelligible.
4. What's Goin On -- Marvin Gaye. In my estimation, this was the beginning of the downfall for a talented Motown star. It was apparent that he had no clue of "what's goin on".
3. Big Yellow Taxi -- Joni Mitchell. I liked Joni's early, breezy brand of folk pop. Her album Blue is still likable. The problem is not the tune here, it's the insipid lyrics. Uhg.
2. Eve of Destruction -- Barry McGuire. Complete idiocy. Apparently influenced Algore and John Kerry. Apparently that was a long "eve" he was carterwauling about.
1. Imagine -- John Lennon. This was proof to me that Paul McCartney was the real talent in the Beatles.
Gotta run for now. See ya'll soon. Cheers
Hard to believe that Randy Bachman is actually a devout Mormon.
Abraham, Martin, and John.
I reached the saturation point about twenty years ago, now everytime I hear it I barf up a little.
I was re-reading Eve of Destruction, and it struck me how much the world is the same place it always has been, even with all the young ones who listened to this growing old and gray now, and the solutions they pushed for haven't cured much of anything, if not making some things worse...
The eastern world, it is exploding
Violence flarin’, bullets loadin’
You’re old enough to kill, but not for votin’
You don’t believe in war, but what’s that gun you’re totin’
And even the Jordan River has bodies floatin’
But you tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
of destruction.
Don’t you understand what I’m tryin’ to say
Can’t you feel the fears I’m feelin’ today?
If the button is pushed, there’s no runnin’ away
There’ll be no one to save, with the world in a grave
[Take a look around ya boy, it's bound to scare ya boy]
And you tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
of destruction.
Yeah, my blood’s so mad feels like coagulatin’
I’m sitting here just contemplatin’
I can’t twist the truth, it knows no regulation.
Handful of senators don’t pass legislation
And marches alone can’t bring integration
When human respect is disintegratin’
This whole crazy world is just too frustratin’
And you tell me
Over and over and over again, my friend
Ah, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
of destruction.
Think of all the hate there is in Red China
Then take a look around to Selma, Alabama
You may leave here for 4 days in space
But when you return, it’s the same old place
The poundin’ of the drums, the pride and disgrace
You can bury your dead, but don’t leave a trace
Hate your next-door neighbor, but don’t forget to say grace
And… tell me over and over and over and over again, my friend
You don’t believe
We’re on the eve
Of destruction
Mm, no no, you don’t believe
We’re on the eve
of destruction.
Of course, nowadays, the destruction we're worrying about isn't from Russia, necessarily. The hatred isn't whites supressing blacks, but of people who play the victim as an organizational principle.
But this line is still true:
This whole crazy world is just too frustratin’
I always chuckle when I hear Merle sing "Leather boots are still in style for manly footwear."
It loses everything in the translation.
It works both ways; Bobby Darin's "Mack the Knife" is a pale copy of the original German "Mackie Messer".
I like a lot of Sting's music, but "Russians" is pure crap.
The only good bagpipe solo is on AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock and Roll)"
excuses, excuses...
"Und die minderjährige Witwe
deren Namen jeder weiß
wachte auf und war geschändet -
Mackie, welches war dein Preis?"
That's going to be a hard line to get past the program directors NOW, let alone those in the 50s.
I don't know where this one would fit -
Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore
John Prine
While digesting Reader's Digest
In the back of a dirty book store,
A plastic flag, with gum on the back,
Fell out on the floor.
Well, I picked it up and I ran outside
Slapped it on my window shield,
And if I could see old Betsy Ross
I'd tell her how good I feel.
Chorus:
But your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.
They're already overcrowded
From your dirty little war.
Now Jesus don't like killin'
No matter what the reason's for,
And your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.
Well, I went to the bank this morning
And the cashier he said to me,
"If you join the Christmas club
We'll give you ten of them flags for free."
Well, I didn't mess around a bit
I took him up on what he said.
And I stuck them stickers all over my car
And one on my wife's forehead.
Repeat Chorus:
Well, I got my window shield so filled
With flags I couldn't see.
So, I ran the car upside a curb
And right into a tree.
By the time they got a doctor down
I was already dead.
And I'll never understand why the man
Standing in the Pearly Gates said...
"But your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more.
We're already overcrowded
From your dirty little war.
Now Jesus don't like killin'
No matter what the reason's for,
And your flag decal won't get you
Into Heaven any more."
LOL...You have a point there...
We kicked his ass out of the South quite a few years ago to the tune of Sweet Home Alabama.
John Prine sounds like a bona fide scumbucket.
For being a canadian puke, he sure does blab about America alot. As Zappa would say: "shut up and play your guitar"
Yeah, well it was a long time ago. Maybe he's grown up. He's written some great songs, too.
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