Try to Remember the First of December

Greetings infidels. Today is the 1st day of December. The year is almost over and another trip around the sun begins. We will end the week with my last installments on the death of popular music in the 21st century. I will again show you via contrast, the lyrics of some contemporary songs with some from yesteryear. Again, in all other fields, be it science or medicine, as the years go by, there are advances in those areas. Progress is made. In our history, one saw the advances in literature, art, and music. Compare a Gregorian chant to a Beethoven Symphony. Compare a 12th century painting to one of the 18th and 19th century and then to the modernist paintings of the 20th century. While different, each period shows its genius. Now let's look at popular music in the 20th and 21st century. The popular song evolved into works of art in different genres: the great American Songbook (Gershwin, Porter, Arlen, Rodgers and Hart, etc.) and into Jazz, Blues, Country, Rock, and Pop. Being on the bottom of the artistic pyramid, popular music evolved from the 1950's through the 1970's. Melodies were important. And to some writers, the lyrics became important too. Some lyrics could be simple, such as a Hank Williams song, or deep such as a Hal David or Beatle or Paul Simon lyric. So with this as a base, one would think that here today in the 21st century, the art of composition would have evolved further. Sadly, it has not. It has degenerated into a filthy, abysmally ignorant cesspool of noise and tawdry vulgarities. While this is more prevalent in popular music, as compared to country music, but as you will see, country music has suffered too. It is not the country music of yesteryear. There is some great stuff out there, but it is being flooded with mediocrity.

Since I mentioned country, let's start with these 2 examples from Hank Williams. While some may think of him as some hillbilly, his lyrics were quite powerful, even in their simplicity. For example, in "I'm so Lonesome", these lyrics make you feel that loneliness and makes you want to down a few whiskeys. Pay close attention to the line about the robin. Pretty powerful stuff from a drinking cowboy:

Hear the lonesome whippoorwill
He sounds too blue to fly
The midnight train is whining low
I’m so lonesome I could cry

I’ve never seen a night so long
When time goes crawling by
The moon just went behind a cloud
To hide its face and cry

Did you ever see a robin weep
When leaves begin to die
That means he’s lost the will to live
I’m so lonesome I could cry

The silence of a falling star
Lights up a purple sky
And as I wonder where you are
I’m so lonesome I could cry

Now in "Your Cheating Heart", Hank lays it out on the line but never gets tawdry or outright lowlife. Check this out:

YOUR CHEATING HEART WILL MAKE YOU WEEP
YOU'LL CRY AND CRY AND TRY TO SLEEP
BUT SLEEP WON'T COME THE WHOLE NIGHT THROUGH
YOUR CHEATING HEART WILL TELL ON YOU

WHEN TEARS COME DOWN LIKE FALLING RAIN
YOU'LL TOSS AROUND AND CALL MY NAME
YOU'LL WALK THE FLOOR THE WAY I DO
YOUR CHEATING HEART WILL TELL ON YOU
***
WHEN TEARS COME DOWN LIKE FALLING RAIN
YOU'LL TOSS AROUND AND CALL MY NAME
YOU'LL WALK THE FLOOR THE WAY I DO
YOUR CHEATING HEART WILL TELL ON YOU

Now let's contrast the lyrics by Hank Williams with the lyrics of the number one country song this week "Before He Cheats" by Carrie "American Idol" Underwood. The Underwood song also talks about someone cheating (popular subject in country music), but in this song, there's a violent low-life twist which is being glorified:

"Right now he's probably slow dancing with a bleach blonde tramp,
and she's probably getting frisky...right now,

he's probably buying her some fruity little drink

cause she can't shoot whiskey...

Right now, he's probably up behind her with a pool-stick,

showing her how to shoot a combo...
And he don't know...

That I dug my key into the side of his pretty little suped up 4 wheel drive,
carved my name into his leather seats...
I took a Louisville slugger to both head lights, slashed a hole in all 4 tires...
Maybe next time he'll think before he cheats."

Really deep stuff no? This is what is glorified. Now, let's take a look at the number 2 pop song this week, which also deals with the same subject, Beyonce's "Irreplaceable". Frankly, this song is not only vulgar, it has racially derogatory words which emasculate proper English grammer:

"Everything you own in the box to the left
In the closet that's my stuff - Yes
If I bought it nigga please don't touch
And keep talking that mess, that's fine
But could you walk and talk at the same time
And It's my mine name that is on that Jag
So remove your bags let me call you a cab.

***

So go ahead and get gone

And call up on that chick and see if she is home

Oops, I bet ya thought that I didn't know

What did you think I was putting you out for?

Cause you was untrue

Rolling her around in the car that I bought you

Baby you dropped them keys hurry up before your taxi leaves

Standing in the front yard telling me

How I am such a fool - Talking about

How I'll never ever find a man like you

You got me twisted."

Now in contrast, let me show you an example of what well written lyrics when combined with well written music can produce. I present the song Alfie by Hal David and Burt Bacharach. The music is outstanding, and the lyrics make you think: something that the above contemporary examples do not:

What’s it all about, Alfie?
Is it just for the moment we live?
What’s it all about when you sort it out, Alfie?
Are we meant to take more than we give?
Or are we meant to be kind?
And if only fools are kind, Alfie,
Then I guess its wise to be cruel.
And if life belongs only to the strong, Alfie,
What will you lend on an old golden rule?
As sure as I believe there’s a heaven above, Alfie,
I know there’s something much more,
Something even non-believers can believe in.
I believe in love, Alfie.
Without true love we just exist, Alfie.
Until you find the love you’ve missed you’re nothing, Alfie.
When you walk let your heart lead the way
And you’ll find love any day, Alfie, Alfie.

Once again, today's contemporary society and its music thrives on the dumbing down of the culture. Rather than make people think, it glorifies stupidity, lousy English, violence, and the dehumanization of love and life.

In the meantime, have a great weekend folks. I'm signing off from the insomniac cafe.