Those 9/11 Songs: Are you with Springsteen or Keith?

National Review Online ^ | August 27, 2002 | Stanley Kurtz

[Arkinsaw]

Springsteen's album is fairly apolitical. Its pretty obvious that it is for the families of the victims and not to promote political objectives. That is one reason the left is disappointed in it.

I find it to be a painting of average America on Sept. 11 with some patriotism, some desire for revenge, some desire for peace, shock, sadness, feelings of duty, sacrifice, and mainly resurrection and regeneration. I think that everyone attempting to tie political ideas to the album are going to hate it whether they are on the right or the left. I like it for what it is.

[Burkeman1]

I want to hear this Keith song. I live in Massachusetts and we don't get much Country Music played on the radio.

[T Lady]

The Liberal Left have made a virtual industry of hating America and all it once stood for. So why does it come as no surprise that Bruce Springsteen is unwilling to pen any pro-American lyrics in his songs?

For many years, the music industry has given us anti-establishment and hip icons that usually encourage the young to rebel against any type of authority ( remember the John Cougar Mellencamp song "I Fight Authority (And Authority Always Wins"?). And of course, the critics just love it. It never fails to read an ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY music review in which a Gangsta Rapper or Hard Rock artist is being applauded for spewing forth misogynist or anarchist rantings on their latest album. Heaven forbid if an artist should dare express anything good or positive about his or her country, or even life itself. It's just not acceptable in Liberal elitist circles. You're either a sex tart, a thug, or a dope head. But NEVER a patriot.

[bankwalker]

Toby Keith all the way.

The boss sux big time (he's a stinkin' commie bastage).

[heylady]

Sept 1, Sunday night at the Tweeter Center..Toby Keith and Rascal Flats. And don't you get Cat Country 98.1 FM?

[Burkeman1]

I knew we had one- just didn't know the number. Used to have three about 5 years ago- but two changed their format- one to talk- the other to "easy listening".

[MissMillie]

I don't think the left is as disappointed with the Springstein album as The Spectator would have you believe.

[What Is Ain't]

The left in this country is walking on very shaky ground thanks to Bin Laden. Another, similar attack, on our soil will be their undoing.

[MissMillie]

"I want to hear this Keith song. I live in Massachusetts and we don't get much Country Music played on the radio."

Proof of the existence of a divine being! ;-) (from a fellow Bay-stater)

[MissMillie]

Sounds like you're glad it happened.

[Aquinasfan]

Unfortunately, it's been pretty much downhill for the Boss since The River, although a bad Springsteen album is better than 90% of the stuff that's out there.

I agree with the author. The right tone for the one year anniversary is defiance, not sitting around singing kumbaya. I'm not going to want to be around a TV in a couple of weeks.

[ItisaReligionofPeace]

When I was in Boston a few years back they had a great Country station. Look for it.

[CAPTAINSUPERMARVELMAN]

Toby Keith all the way. Springsteen's seems to suggest that our rising will be moreso you can hurt us but we will rise up strong and do nothing even if you do it again instead of you hurt us then you best be ready for the can of whoop*** that's going to be poured out on you.

[southern rock]

Toby Keith all the way.

Yep.

Toby Keith
Charlie Daniels
Hank Jr.
Aaron Tippon

All these guys recorded really great, patriotic, post- 9/11 songs.

(I'm slightly less enthusiastic about Alan Jackson's downbeat tune, but i'm sure it's better than anythin Springsteen could do.)

[Larry Lucido]

Listen here

[Burkeman1]

Thanks. I mean that. I am a from Massachusetts and a cynical bastard. But I lost a co-worker on 9/11 and know several others through first hand friends who were murdered as well that day. That song made me tear up. Thanks again. I loved Confederate Railroad some years back- now I have a new country music idol.

[dubyagee]

Even Time's laudatory cover story on the Boss couldn't help but knock, "Into the Fire" and the album's title song, "The Rising" (the most open celebrations of 9/11 heroism on the disk) as "rousing and redemptive" but "a little shallow."

I hate to agree with the Time's on anything, but I think they're dead on here. To be fair, I've only heard "The Rising" but it sounded to me like something thrown together quickly, with no real meaning whatsoever.

[Revolting cat!]

This is an excellent discussion of the divide between the two political sides in this country and the two recording artists whose output represents it and illustrates it. I think that perhaps McCartney and Young tried just a little to not offend anyone with their works and offended the Left anyway. Bruce tried harder and succeeded so well that a diehard fan on the right can claim the album is apolitical. It isn't. (I think the author addreses the issue in the article.) Toby, like the authentic folk artist that he is, didn't try nothing, he just told it how it is and how it felt.

Feel sorry for those three others who, to a lesser or greater degree, weren't quite sure what they were supposed to feel, awaiting instructions from the chattering NYC-LA classes or from the Central Committee of the Politburo, I dunno...

[Revolting cat!]

Mark Steyn said it best a few days ago in his one sentence review inside an essay on another subject:

"Bruce Springsteen’s inert, equivalist wallow of a 9/11 album, The Rising, is a classic example of how even a supposed ‘blue-collar’ icon can’t bring himself to want America to win."