I have heard that Green Day brought American Idiot to the stage of Broadway. Congrats, Green Day! I still remember when "American Idiot" was playing constantly on every radio station. "American Idiot" was so popular that everybody has it on their Ipod.
"American Idiot" is a very political song. It was written to criticize the mainstream media which controls Americans' thoughts and behaviors. ("one nation controlled by the media") Through media, the politicians tell us what to believe, what to do, and how to spend our money. Fox is very conservative while CNN is quiet liberal. They are two extremes. The audience has to choose either black or white and there is no middle ground in between. The sad thing is that there is no TV station only reports the facts of the news without adding in their own opinions.
From "I'm not a part of a redneck agenda", we can see the anti-Bush rhetoric in Green Day's words. Redneck is a derogatory word for people from the country and Bush is from Texas, which is often regarded as the home of country. Green Day doesn't want to be part of Bush’s plan. The underlining meaning may reveal their opposition to the Iraq War.
This song is a wake up call for Americans. To follow is easy, while to lead is challenging. We have to challenge ourselves to understand our surroundings and to think about our reactions to the issues in our society. That's what Americans should do and that's what makes America a great place to live.
I almost started to believe that patriotism doesn't exist in rap music because I had an extremely hard time to find a patriotic rap song. Rapping about the social issues seems to be the only thing rappers do. Eminem's "White America" almost fooled me. "America, hahaha, we love you, how many people are proud to be citizens of this beautiful country of ours...The women and men who have broke their neck's for the freedom of speech the United States the government sworn to uphold..." This beginning of "White America" is obviously patriotic. We can also hear the sound of the Blue Angel F-16’s in the background.
Soon Eminem asks everybody to listen to his words carefully. He tells everybody that he is in trouble with the government because of the message and the impact of his songs. He starts to question his right--the freedom of speech. According to our constitution, freedom of speech is one of many rights that Americans are born with. It is unconstitutional to deprive that right from anybody. The government's job is to protect our rights instead of censoring everybody and everything. Eminem is watched by "somebody up in the office" (FBI?) that makes him want "to spit liquor in the faces of in this democracy of hypocrisy". He is upset about the problems he sees within our society.
In the chorus, we hear "Eric" and "Erica". They are actually in the word "America". He tries to make a point that he is also a common American man. The government shouldn't treat him differently. I understand where he comes from, but I do believe that the government should censor the media which may significantly impact a child's development. Eminem is very influential in many ways and if he is not responsible for the impact of his songs on children then it is the government's job to protect our innocent young listeners. Sorry, Eminem, on this matter, I can't be on your side!
Two years ago I went to U2's live at 360 degree tour in Atlanta with friends. I was only excited about "With Or Without You" and "Beautiful Day" and didn't know what was there waiting for me. U2 brought me a huge gift. It was a beautiful encounter with Politics. What moved me the most was when Bono asked everyone to pray for Burmese pro-democracy activist Aung San Suu Kyi. Aung San Suu Kyi was arrested after winning the national election and became the prime minister of Burma. She was given the opportunity to leave Burma and be reunited with her family. But she chose to stay until freedom falls on the land of Burma.
"You're packing a suitcase for a place none of us has been
A place that has to be believed to be seen
You could have flown away
A singing bird in an open cage
Who will only fly, only fly for freedom"
Freedom is one of our inborn rights in the States. But it is not the case in many other countries, especially when politics is involved. U2 opened my eyes to the world and introduced me to many people who were inspiring. They also made me understand that this earth is not revolving only because of me. It is revolving for greater reasons.
"Know Your Rights" is brilliant! As a person who can't understand Punk, I have to say this song is brilliant! Let's first look at the lyrics:
"This is a public service announcement
With guitar
Know your rights all three of them
Number 1
You have the right not to be killed
Murder is a CRIME!
Unless it was done by a
Policeman or aristocrat
Know your rights
And Number 2
You have the right to food money
Providing of course you
Don't mind a little
Investigation, humiliation
And if you cross your fingers
Rehabilitation
Know your rights
These are your rights
Wang
Know these rights
Number 3
You have the right to free
Speech as long as you're not
Dumb enough to actually try it.
Know your rights
These are your rights
All three of 'em
It has been suggested
In some quarters that this is not enough!
Well..............................
Get off the streets
Get off the streets
Run
You don't have a home to go to
Smush
Finally then I will read you your rights
You have the right to remain silent
You are warned that anything you say
Can and will be taken down
And used as evidence against you
Listen to this
Run"
You have three rights. You have the right to live unless you get killed by a cop. You have the right to make money and buy food. But you have to be prepared for all the harassment in the work place. Free speech is your right, but everything you say will be used against you in court. So you lose no matter what. The only solution is to escape from all this nonsense. You'd better run. At the end of the day, we don't have any rights according to the Clash. I found this song very entertaining but I can't take it very seriously. Only a coward chooses to escape. If we are smart and we are willing to change the world, we should think about who created the law. The law makers! They are like the "Remote Control" that controls all of us. We don't have to be their chess. We can learn to be smarter and become the law makers ourselves. That is the art of politics.
Women's Liberation Movement was not mentioned in the assigned reading of "33 revolutions per minutes" by Lynskey. But I did find a song which represented that period of time in our syllabus. Helen Reddy's "I am Woman" was written in 1972. The impact of this song is enormous. It was also chosen by United Nations as the theme song for the International Women's Year (1975).
"I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore
And I know too much to go back and pretend
'Cause I've heard it all before
And I've been down there on the floor
No one's ever going to keep me down again
Whoa, yes, I am wise
But it's wisdom born of pain
Yes, I've paid the price
But look how much I gained
If I have to, I can do anything
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman
......
I am strong (strong)
I am invincible (invincible)
I am woman"
There is an old Chinese saying,"mediocrity is the virtue of women". In traditional Chinese society, women are not encouraged to get higher education or pursue a career. They are expected to stay at home and take care of the children. These expectations for women were very common around the world until the Women's Liberation Movement. "And I've been down there on the floor. No one's ever going to keep me down again". I cannot describe how much I admire the activists for this movement. "But it's wisdom born of pain. Yes, I've paid the price,
But look how much I gained." Without them, I might still be a man's accessory with minimal education. I wouldn't be able to express my own opinion or pursue my dream. Today I don't have to pretend to be mediocre and I can act like myself. "I'm strong, I'm invincible, "I am proud to be a woman.
Chaotic is the word i choose to describe the 60's and 70's. From that chaotic world, many artists wrote songs to criticize the world around them. Other artists like Stevie Wonder wrote songs to comfort many wounded hearts. "Heaven Helps Us All" is full of wishes and hope.
"Heaven help the black man if he struggles one more day
Heaven help the white man if he turns his back away
Heaven help the man who kicks the man who has to crawl
Heaven help us all
Heaven help the boy who won't reach twenty-one
Heaven help the man who gave that boy a gun
Heaven help the people with their backs against the wall
Lord, Heaven help us all, oh all right
lay me down before I go to sleep
In a troubled world, I pray the Lord to keep
Keep hatred from the mighty and the mighty from the small
Heaven help us all"
"In God we believe" is the message I got from Stevie. Facing threats like bombing, Stevie encourages us to pray for peace. While many young men are facing a fate which forces them to be a soldier and go to war, Stevie encourages us to pray for them. He even encourages us to pray for "the people with their back against wall" and to "keep hatred from the mighty and the mighty from the small". I really do hope his prayers will be answered. But I'm somewhat skeptical about it. I remember during one of many psychology classes, my professor made a valid point. He said praying is a lot like gambling. You pray everyday. If one day one of your prayers is answered, you will keep praying. A gambler plays the slot machine. If one day this gambler gets lucky, he or she will keep playing. I'm not trying to encourage everyone stop praying. My intention is to warn you that if your prayer doesn't get answered, please don't get disappointed and lose faith. Always look at the positive side and keep your faith.
I bet everyone in the universe knows John Lennon, no matter where they are from. One of the many reasons that John was so well known worldwide is that he was highly involved in many political events. His most famous piece of protest music is "Give Peace a Chance". I only listened to it once during our class, but it replayed in my mind for the entire day. This song is freaking powerful! During the class discussion, many of my peers expressed their disapproval towards the way that John and Yoko protested. Lying in bed for days does sound pretty ridiculous, but one thing we should keep in mind is that they are artists and their job is to entertain the listeners and the audience. I call it the "Eyeballing Effect". Besides "Give Peace a Chance", I would also like to mention another protest song written by Lennon called "Working Class People". This is also a very simple song, but to interpret this song is not an easy job. Let's look at the lyrics first:
"They hurt you at home and they hit you at school
They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool
Till you're so fucking crazy you can't follow their rules
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be
Keep you doped with religion and sex and TV
And you think you're so clever and classless and free
But you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be
There's room at the top they are telling you still
But first you must learn how to smile as you kill
If you want to be like the folks on the hill
A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be
I first relate this song with the Civil Rights Movement since it was written in 1970. It's obvious to me that the working class people are African American people. At that time, all the hard work and dirty jobs were given to African Americans. I imagine a portrait of one Black family. The father shines shoes for businessmen on the street. The mother is unemployed. They cannot afford to send their two children to school and they have to frequently worry about where the next meal will come from.
"They hurt you at home and they hit you at school. They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool". Many African Americans were living in danger because of the KKK. This line describes how they were treated. They were surrounded by disrespect, hatred, and abuse. If you were an African American, you had to work extremely hard to get approval and respect from others.
That's my interpretation but apparently it's not what Lennon meant. To my surprise, this song is about class struggle according to Wikipedia. "The folks on the hill" represents the rich who control the majority of the wealth in the United States. Working class people are conditioned by the machine and become the labor of the machine. I can also see this interpretation in this song, "Keep you doped with religion and sex and TV. And you think you're so clever and classless and free. But you're still fucking peasants as far as I can see".
Songs can be interpreted in different ways by listeners. This is what makes music interesting. The same song can invoke very different thoughts and feelings in each listener. The same song can also be used for different political purposes. A protest song can be converted into a patriotic song and vise versa.
"Feel good, feel good, I got you!" When James Brown starts performing, just like he said, "I got you!" You can't help moving with him. The Godfather of Soul is one of the most hardworking artists. Born in the ghetto, he built his empire with blood, sweat, and tears. He is also an activist for the Civil Rights Movement. Partially because of his friendship with Vice President Hubert Humphrey, many people call him "Uncle Tom". As the most influential Black artist at the time, he wrote "Say it loud, I'm black, I'm proud" after MLK's assassination. This song helped African Americans regain confidence but also made many people furious. People were confused about which side he was on. Let me tell you, he is on America's side. He loves his country as a whole. This can be seen from the song "Living in America":
"Eye to eye, station to station Living in America
Hand in hand, across the nation "
His intention is quite obvious. He wants everybody hand in hand, no matter if you are white or black. We are united and we are one! America is great because of its diversity and its acceptance of all races and cultures. This is a big vision and it requires respect, understanding and compassion.
Bob Dylan and I were like parallel lines finally colliding at one point. Before the collision, he was him, I was me. His voice was not attractive to me. I couldn't listen to him for more than 10 seconds until I demanded to skip the song. The melody of his songs quiet frequently put me to sleep. And his song are so LONG(don't you agree?). He looked like a villain with a dangerous grin. I could only look at him in the distance.
The collision happened during one of our Music and Politics classes. Dr. DeWitt made me watch Dylan's interviews. He was hilarious and entertaining. I saw the big heart behind that villain face. Then we each were handed with the lyrics of his "It's Alright, Ma (I'm Only Bleeding)".
"You lose yourself, you reappear
You suddenly find you got nothing to fear
Alone you stand with nobody near
When a trembling distant voice, unclear,
Startles your sleeping ears to hear
That somebody thinks they really found you"
To Dylan, he seeks nobody's understanding and nobody can ever understand him. He speaks for himself and his emotion. Unlike many protest singers, he claims that he was not a protest singer. He doesn't want to be anybody's hero and he is no saint. Dylan is wise enough to realize that HE is not the solution to the problems in the world. That's what I like the most about Dylan.
If you listen to the lyrics of "What Did You Learn in School Today" closely, you will not laugh. Let's first look at the lyrics and get a taste of its sarcastic undertone.
I learned that Washington never told a lie.
I learned that soldiers seldom die.
I learned that everybody's free,
And that's what the teacher said to me.
That's what I learned in school today,
That's what I learned in school.
What did you learn in school today,
Dear little boy of mine?
What did you learn in school today,
Dear little boy of mine?
I learned our Government must be strong;
It's always right and never wrong;
Our leaders are the finest men
And we elect them again and again.
My favorite part is "Our leaders are the finest men. And we elect them again and again". As part of our rights, we are allowed to cast our vote to whoever we choose. But the reality is that the media greatly influences our perception of the candidates. I suspect that there are a lot of people vote for the candidate who spends the most on national advertising. I am either a republican nor a democrat, here I am solely talking about the ad spending and its impact. According to CNN, Obama's spending was over a quarter billion dollars, while McCain's spending was less than 150 million. This is also why the 2008 Presidential Election become such a national spotlight. Comparing to 2004 Election, The total spending of Bush AND Kerry was less than 10 million dollars. A 4000% increase! Geez! The battles between Clinton and Obama and between McCain and Obama were ugly. As a foreigner, it almost looked like a reality show to me. The melody and rhythm of this song reminds me of how I felt about the whole 2008 Election.
Woody Guthrie was born in a tiny village in Oklahoma. Fortunately, that little village didn't get to keep him forever. Otherwise, we wouldn't be lucky enough to know him and his songs. After the Great Dust Storm devoured Texas and Oklahoma, Woody took his guitar then hit the road just like many other "Dust Bowl Refugee".
At one point in my life, I was desperate and saw nothing in the future. I decided to travel by myself and to find the true meaning of life. I can see the purposes of Woody's get-away. It is somewhat similar to the situation that I was in. On my road trip, I found myself. On Woody's road trip, although he wasn't be able to find his political association, he created something he could deliver to every American person - "This Land is Your Land".
"This Land is Your Land" is one of the most well-known patriotic songs. But the original version of Woody's is not all about the love toward our country, it shows frustration toward the government and the society after the Great Dust Storm.
"As they stood there hungry, I stood there asking Is this land made for you and me?"
"All You Fascists Bound to Lose" caught my attention as well. This song is simple and straightforward with no hidden meaning. Woody expressed his hatred toward Fascism. He even made a label on his guitar declaring "This Machine Kills Fascists".
I’m gonna tell you fascists
You may be surprised
The people in this world
Are getting organized
You’re bound to lose
You fascists bound to lose
Race hatred cannot stop us
This one thing we know
Your poll tax and Jim Crow
And greed has got to go
You’re bound to lose
You fascists bound to lose.
All of you fascists bound to lose:
I said, all of you fascists bound to lose:
Yes sir, all of you fascists bound to lose:
You’re bound to lose! You fascists:
Bound to lose!
People of every color
Marching side to side
Marching ‘cross these fields
Where a million fascists dies
You’re bound to lose
You fascists bound to lose!
I’m going into this battle
And take my union gun
We’ll end this world of slavery
Before this battle’s won
You’re bound to lose
You fascists bound to lose!
In my household, we barely talk about politics. The country in which I was born and raised, we are not encouraged to talk about politics. In this country, which I now call home, we try to avoid political discussions due to the fear of controversy among family members. So what makes politics the forbidden fruit?
By nature, politics is often controversial, because it determines the allocation of a society's values. Allocation is the key. If the allocation is not fair then there is an issue. The issues are usually related to American society's values. Our values and beliefs change over time. One generation differs from the other. American society's values include freedom, equality, family, faith and many more. When these fundamental values are taken away from us, we must protest (for example, civil rights). Many people speak up in public, but others choose to use music to express their ideas and opinions.
The very first protest song, "Strange Fruit", was sung by Billie Holiday. Her deep voice goes perfectly with the melody and lyrics. We can easily sense the pain from the lines - "blood on the leaves and blood at the root". "Then the sudden smell of burning flesh" intensify the undertone of the song. It implies the KKK's atrocity in the South. The black and white video on Youtube makes us sob together with Billie Holiday...
