Where Are The Songs That Reflect Our Current Times?

[Tor Hershman]

I reckon we should organize a week a 'mass-laughter' in response to all the rioting, maybe have some live coverage of the protests on big screens in public parks and other places, and get as many people as possible to show up with their picnics and laugh at them all throwing their toys out of their prams over absolutely nothing.

At the only public, that moi knows of, viewing of me wee video


their were many "FACES" made during the vid BUT...@ the finale.....@ the fin.....EVERYONE viewing LOLly. I was most surprised & humbled, humbled 'cause I didn't think most folks would 'get it' but.....they did!

SOGS,
Tor

 

[Sunny]

How Far We’ve Come – Matchbox Twenty

 

[Aero]

And then I'm watching CNN this morning, and I'm thinking how feeble music really is as a unifying medium, because you can sing all you like about peace and unity, but nothing actually works...

I think it did a lot to put an end to the Vietnam War. The same could happen today if people sang more about the state we're in and could manage to get their message heard by the masses.

 

[Sunny]

^^^ but I don't think any kind of music will bring peace to the Middle East

 

[Khor1255]

I think it did a lot to put an end to the Vietnam War. The same could happen today if people sang more about the state we're in and could manage to get their message heard by the masses.

Unfortunately songs about plutocracy and declining morals would go right over most people's heads.

 

[Aero]

Unfortunately songs about plutocracy and declining morals would go right over most people's heads.

Yes, I'm afraid you're right. They'll have to take another angle to get through to the masses.

 

[CP/M User]

Probably depends on who you're listening to, the thing about the 60s was the vietnam war and protesters moving against other countries being involved in that war because people were being drafted to go fight in that War, one of the Australian singers to go to Vietnam was Normie Rowe and I think that went he came back from there he was singing Anti-War songs too. But I guess in these times people reflect back to September 11 2001 and say "heck we didn't start it, but we're going to finish it!", which is slightly different to Vietnam.

Some artists I found which send messages via songs I came across just recently are Pete Seeger (which is responsible for the classic "Turn,Turn, Turn"):



And a younger singer by the name of Bee Lee has this song which is a bit of a caring for the environment & planet sort of thing which sounds a bit fokey to me.



I love Pete's song cause while Pete mentions the big "G" word, it places responsibility back onto the Humans cause we Influence in what we do.
Ben's song has a bit of everything, though raises issues which need addressing which I can only image are things that he believes need to be done, but adds all this other stuff to the song to make it sound catchy and as the video puts it accumulate support and raise awareness which all kind of helps in a way.

 

[Vehicle]

The reasons are simple.


1. People don't care enough to sit down and write about what's wrong. The
war protesters back in the day were on the lookout for peace for everyone.

They wrote about, marched about it, and they sang about it. At the top of their lungs, to anyone who would listen.

2. Today, if it doesn't come right to a person's front door, for the most part, it doesn't exist for them. You know why it doesn't hit home for some people?

Technology, the advanced Art of War. We've been fighting almost non-stop since the Gulf.

Did we ever have to ration?
Did we go on recycling drives?
Did we have blackout conditions?
Did we buy war bonds?

Of course not. We're the most well stocked country in the world.

Joe Average hasn't had to make any adjustments because of war. They don't feel it.




They sit and watch the news, and hear about 20 people being killed, and they wrinkle their brow and wonder...

"Hmmm, hope this doesn't affect my stocks."

Not "Those poor people, it's senseless." Or, "Good Lord, I can't imagine what those soldier's parents are going through."

I'm not saying no one cares. There are artists out there that will speak up, but it's done carefully, because they're protecting themselves.

Look what happened to the Dixie Chicks. That was a really talented trio, and one sentence killed their entire career. And I think if they'd said it here, in their own country, I doubt it would have been more than a blurb.


But, they dumped on W. in ...London was it? That's what did it. They did manage to release another album, but it was D.O.A.. The one single was a really good cut, but the rest of it sounded like one long song. Kinda like Phil Collins or Elton John from, oh, 1990 or so.


Anyhow, I don't think it's all that big a deal that there aren't more people writing protest songs. It would be cool if they did, and maybe even turn some people's head. But, the way the times are now, they're just not gonna do it.

In the meantime, Edwin Starr's War fits nicely into any engagement we may involved in.

 

[Khor1255]

The reasons are simple.


1. People don't care enough to sit down and write about what's wrong. The
war protesters back in the day were on the lookout for peace for everyone.

They wrote about, marched about it, and they sang about it. At the top of their lungs, to anyone who would listen.

I think there is a lot of truth in that. But I think it's also that even people who share certain opinions about some issues and don't agree about others fail to make a united approach. We saw that in the Occupy Wall Street movement which had some very valid and universal points but they failed to present a coherent argument so that coupled with the media's clever tactic of just painting them as lunatics doomed the thing before it got off the ground.

2. Today, if it doesn't come right to a person's front door, for the most part, it doesn't exist for them. You know why it doesn't hit home for some people?

Yeah, it's the bad side of having such an advanced communications system as the internet. A lot of people are content with just airing their grievances on the net where presumably they reach a wider audience. The problem with that is that everyone knows the internet is full of people just saying stuff off the top of their heads so not many people take opinions here seriously.

Technology, the advanced Art of War. We've been fighting almost non-stop since the Gulf.

Did we ever have to ration?
Did we go on recycling drives?
Did we have blackout conditions?
Did we buy war bonds?

Of course not. We're the most well stocked country in the world.

Joe Average hasn't had to make any adjustments because of war. They don't feel it.

Yeah, the bad side of being in the richest country in the world. People didn't see the clout we were losing internationally until it was pretty much too late. I have been supremely guilty of this.

They sit and watch the news, and hear about 20 people being killed, and they wrinkle their brow and wonder...

"Hmmm, hope this doesn't affect my stocks."

Not "Those poor people, it's senseless." Or, "Good Lord, I can't imagine what those soldier's parents are going through."

I'm not saying no one cares. There are artists out there that will speak up, but it's done carefully, because they're protecting themselves.

Ahh, I think people are pretty much like they've always been. Some care about every human life lost everywhere others not so much. With the greater access to unfiltered information that the internet provides the dynamic will eventually shift away from mainstream news propaganda machines to more home spun and objective sources...I hope. It hasn't happened yet but that doesn't mean it won't ever.

Look what happened to the Dixie Chicks. That was a really talented trio, and one sentence killed their entire career. And I think if they'd said it here, in their own country, I doubt it would have been more than a blurb.


But, they dumped on W. in ...London was it? That's what did it. They did manage to release another album, but it was D.O.A.. The one single was a really good cut, but the rest of it sounded like one long song. Kinda like Phil Collins or Elton John from, oh, 1990 or so.

Well, I think what they said was in extreme bad taste and am glad they payed the price in a decidedly populist fashion. People just didn't want to hear them talking about politics and their career suffered. I feel the same way about some entertainers on the other side of the political spectrum. Some, you can take that sort of thing from because you assume they have some knowledge about what they are talking about. Others....

Anyhow, I don't think it's all that big a deal that there aren't more people writing protest songs. It would be cool if they did, and maybe even turn some people's head. But, the way the times are now, they're just not gonna do it.

In the meantime, Edwin Starr's War fits nicely into any engagement we may involved in.

I don't necessarily need it to be a protest song. Any clever song that captures a current topic or trend would be welcome to me.

 

[Aero]

I think there is a lot of truth in that. But I think it's also that even people who share certain opinions about some issues and don't agree about others fail to make a united approach. We saw that in the Occupy Wall Street movement which had some very valid and universal points but they failed to present a coherent argument so that coupled with the media's clever tactic of just painting them as lunatics doomed the thing before it got off the ground.

They actually do have a coherent agenda (several different topics on their website) but it's hard to express them all at once. Not like "End The War" signs during Vietnam where those groups had only 1 focused agenda. And of course when the media did report on the Occupy movement, they painted them as lunatics, like you said.

Well, I think what they said was in extreme bad taste and am glad they payed the price in a decidedly populist fashion. People just didn't want to hear them talking about politics and their career suffered. I feel the same way about some entertainers on the other side of the political spectrum. Some, you can take that sort of thing from because you assume they have some knowledge about what they are talking about. Others....

I don't have a problem with what they said or where they said it (who cares if it's here in the US or overseas?) However, it was a bad business decision to criticize the president because now you're alienating everyone who voted for him. They should've just said they were against the war.

I can't help but wonder though, would the American public have had the same reaction if Springsteen had said it? I think not. Then again, Bruce is smart enough to let his music do the talking for him (i.e.-Born In The USA).