“Books are like seeds. They can lie dormant for centuries and then flower in the most unpromising soil.” (Carl Sagan); “Nothing ever dies on the Internet.” (anon.); “This is not your father’s Oldsmobile.” (Madison Ave. [m]adman). My posts amalgamate these three philosophical elements into one novel experience; they champion critical thinking, human dignity / equality, levelheaded / even-handed / liberty-based governance and solid environmental stewardship. C’mon in!
Our clip, above and offsite, features Bob Dylan’s released on March 27, 2020, composition, Murder Most Foul; his lyrical assessment of American culture and, of course, the John F. Kennedy assassination; the shots heard around the world, on this very day in 1963. I’ve linked us to detailed accounts of this tragic event, which had influenced the songsmith’s lyrical analysis.
My having witnessed, in real time, the disturbing, gruesome reportage “hemorrhaging” from Dealey Plaza / Dallas TX to my family’s Black and White Zenith™ TV, I can say, with certainty, that assassin had not only shot JFK, he had also blown away my childhood; i.e., my blessed, blissful naiveté.
And tears still welled up my decades older eyes, today, as I reviewed the clip, below, and offsite.
Yep, I had been forced to grow up way too soon; in real time, too; so much so that as my glance averted from that bygone television screen to the living room window; to behold the daylight dissolving into the literal and metaphorical darkness, I wound up concluding:
America will never be the same, again!
Quite the pessimistic (albeit prescient) assessment from a once-upon-a-time, carefree boy, huh?
Regrettably, my prediction of America’s demise has been coming true, too.
Post JFK, a hefty percent of the contemporary American electorate no longer expects excellence in governance; has actually begun to bank on mediocrity; so much so they routinely embrace and empower crooks, cronies and crazies. With many a régime change, we’ve been witnessing an increasingly perilous procession of un-presidential profligates.
Of course, there have been two notable exceptions, namely, the learned and honorable Presidents Jimmy Carter and Barack Obama.
Hmm, were there such a thing as locatable, alternate realities, it would not be surprising to discover one where JFK had survived; where an alternate electorate had never, ever installed Donald J. Trump; where Americans would’ve booed and hissed at the mere whiff of that asshat and aspiring Fascist; so much so that, back in 2015, he’d have promptly done an about face and scampered back up that downward moving escalator.
Hmm, considering how words such as “promptly” and “scampered” would hardly describe Donny, in any reality, that certainly would’ve been a rare treat to behold!
Spirited lyrics once “served” by John Prine,
Could be “chased” with mere beer or fine wine,
His wry wit prompts our guffaws,
Profound thoughts give us pause,
His new stage, lit with heaven’s star shine.
When I first heard John Prine’s eponymous, debut album back in 1971, his vocal and lyrical qualities instantly invited comparisons to yet another singer/songwriter… namely, Bob Dylan. And, in our vast world of music, what better compliment could we ever pay him?
John’s death, yesterday (04/07/2020), was both tragic and ironic. This star magnitude country music folkie had fought, so valiantly, to become a cancer survivor… to reclaim the stage spotlight…only to be upstaged by coronavirus, which promptly, heartlessly, brought down the curtain on his show.
Even though he had attained star status, I think that most of his fans (I among them) could also sense his humble, down to Earth vibe.
Keeping that in mind, what better song for him “to go out on” than Quiet Man?
We, who came of age in the Sixties… an era seething with military madness, political unrest and societal upheaval… had no shortage of songs interwoven with antiwar, political and social commentary. These TIMELY and TIMELESS song lyrics pointed squarely at (in some cases with the middle digit) the aggression and injustices, which were sullying and degrading humanity all across America and throughout our world.
Throughout the decades that followed, when liberal minded presidents were at the helm, we did manage to take some baby steps towards extricating ourselves from such ills. But… to keep it real… there were also conservatives who would not stand for any part of what we stood for… who were (still are) hell bent on undoing any and all progress. Which means…
There still is so much of our work that remains undone.
More recently, Barack Obama, our nation’s very first biracial President, did offer average Jane and Joe Americans that sunny ray of hope. But his plan to effect change we could all believe in head-on collided with political gridlock… “courtesy” of his obdurate opponents. Net effect, these archconservatives had been the political equivalent of an endless, total eclipse of the sun.
And considering how the present-day, backward, reptilian brained, Tyrant-o-saurus Rex has been on a national and international rampage… making his primary ongoing mission to muddy and cover up each and every forward moving footprint his predecessor had left… well… now more than ever, there is an ever-growing need to “air” this month’s BlogCast songs.
On a more positive note, if such lyrical sentiments are ever, truly taken to heart by the powers-that-be, we could wind up with an energizing soundtrack that’ll, eventually, fight and win the war against aggression, oppression and discrimination in all of their grotesque, deplorable forms. Well, at least we can dream about it, right?
You likely noticed those two capitalized and italicized “T” words at the outset of this blog. The TIMELY and TIMELESS quality of this music has the capability of engaging critical thinkers wherever we may be… at the very least… inspiring a far greater liberal turnout at the polls this midterm election year.
On a more technical note: Admittedly, choosing between featuring original recordings vs. cover versions was a tough call. To resolve this, I’ve formatted the covers to appear onsite and link to the originals offsite over @YouTube. For any of you, who choose to click onto the smaller font’s artist/song names beneath each vid’s main title, you’ll be treated to a comparative study of the earlier artists’ interpretations / renditions.
So, sans any further delay, let’s all ear and eyewitness how all of these recording artists have so adeptly and passionately infused their heart and soul into the musical mix. Be these songs Sixties era or more recent, they’ve kept my hope alive… and hopefully yours too… hope for a better global society and better tomorrows.
As consequential, expressive and inspirational this program’s timeless songs have been, what a shame that the political wasteland we are presently slogging through has made them so desperately needed and damned relevant. Maybe someday they’ll be played purely based on their musical merits. Someday…
Thank You for listening, viewing and reading. I’ll be posting my next monthly BlogCast during the first week of May ’18.
To access past programs, click onto my BlogCasts and Music categories.
If you’ve found our musical get-together enjoyable, don’t forget to like, comment and share. Those options can be accessed by clicking onto each blog title.
My warm welcome to all WordPress bloggers, followers and visitors!
This time around, our monthly musical get-together features 3 different compositions with 3 similar sentiments and only 1 song title… Forever Young.
Oh… to be immortal… (long sigh)… or to at least remain forever young in one’s head and heart throughout our walk upon life’s path…
Suffice to say, I’m not the only human to have ever mulled over such notions… be that while traipsing through the real world or upon the world wide web… in my dream world or during my wide awake hours.
Oh… To Be Immortal
To timelessly dwell as a citizen of our universe
To freely pursue and fulfill one’s righteous passions
To seek, meet up with and warmly embrace one’s soul mate
To, hand in hand, walk the Earth through eternity
To set forth on an ambitious, grand goodwill tour
To rein in war, famine, affliction, discrimination and all suffering
To let reign our love, friendship and peaceful coexistence
That said… this amateur poet / mere opening act now yields the world stage to the professional Top Billers.
A few NoteWorthy items prior to tracking these tunes…
I’ve supplied Wikipedia links to provide the backstory to each song.
Fast Fun Fact: keenly aware that his “Forever Young” closely… perhaps too closely… resembled Bob Dylans’, Rod Stewart actually asked him if he’d have any problem with this. Ultimately, Dylan and Stewart agreed to share the song credit and royalties.
Since it was tough to choose whether to feature Bob Dylan’s original or the Pretenders’ cover, I’ll leave it fully up to you… play either or both.
Considering the frequent vanishing acts of YouTube vids, you’ll find complete lyrics to each song by blog’s end.
I’d be remiss not to laud the fine YouTube videographers for so stunningly enhancing the music… and my BlogCasts.
My apologies, in advance, if YouTube advertisements ruin these segues. I suppose this can best be summed up thusly… if one dances to the music one must pay the piper.
Let’s now let the music speak for itself… after a few words from our sponsors? ENJOY!
Back in the Sixties, Bob Dylan wrote the song Subterranean Homesick Blues where he lyrically and politically opined…
“You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows.”
Well folks, more recently, the devastating winds of change have certainly been blowing out from DC’s far right field. Worse yet it’s been with a fury that would max out at #12 on the Beaufort Wind Force Scale.
The particulars? You’ll be sorry you asked…
At a press conference, we’ve witnessed the irate #45 practically telling a journalist to shut the F up… that same gathering staffed with claqueurs and tricked out with a tabletop loaded with stacks of (probably fake) stuffed, folders.
His congressional cronies have been rubberstamping his wildly unqualified and/or unethical cabinet appointees.
He’s been incessantly whining and Tweeting to (erroneously) claim his Inaugural crowd was the biggest ever and that (nonexistent) voter fraud prevented him from winning the popular vote last November.
An interview with one of his toadies was akin to a tossed word salad, loaded with Orwellian doublespeak / meaningless verbiage (e.g. “alternative facts”).
He’s now gagged and muzzled EPA workers… prevented them from talking about the perils of climate change.
Last but not least, #45’s campaign promises coming true are dismantling All Things Obama, which IN THE END, will bulldoze and bury our civil liberties, civil society, fragile ecology and smartly regulated economy.
Well folks, just like humidity makes summertime intolerable to humans and makes each and every sweltering day seem to drag on and on and on… this political oppression is having a similar temporal effect.
Even though #45 has barely been in power for 5 days… it already seems like it’s been an unbearable 8 LONG YEARS!
Hmmm… it’s a damned shame that Constitutional term limitations cannot kick in along about now!
CommonSenseTom 