6 Days: Election Soundtrack #4

Posted by MightyToyCannon on Wednesday, October 29, 2008
I've been watching the TV reporters interview voters from the "real America" -- you know, those decent folks from small towns who are convinced that Obama is a Islamo-Marxist, terrorist-friendly, turban-donning, Joe Plumber-hating, America destroyer. I just don't get it and, suddenly, this song seems fitting. Perhaps my faith will be restored a week from now. Here's David Bowie and "I'm Afraid of Americans."

2 comments:

shobiz said...

Ooh... nice! A decidedly darker choice this day, MTC. I appreciated the inspirational tone of your first few songs, starting with the perfect choice of "Get Up, Stand Up," and I admit I'd been a little afraid to post the kinds of things I've been listening to over the past several angry years. Despairing songs like 4 Non Blondes' What's Up, why-can't-we-all-just-get-along songs like The Black Eyed Peas' Where is the Love and incendiary songs like Rage Against the Machine's Testify. (Incidentally, I note with some amazement that a touch of rap/hip-hop has entered the "political" wing of my music library during the Bush years... but I digress.)

I held back posting choices like those, not wanting to focus on the negativity at a time when we're all riding a wave of hope. However, I think it's worth remembering why we're here: because our swelling collective anger at the injustices and lies finally crested to the point where a majority of Americans are ready to embrace real change. While we inspire each other to rise above the negativity, I think it's important carry that anger in our back pockets to keep us from losing our way.

In the spirit of inciting revolution with a dash of hope, I offer another Rage Against the Machine song, Take the Power Back, which, while still an angry call for revolution, also includes the following lines of inspiration:

We need a movement with a quickness
You are the witness of change
And to counteract
We gotta take the power back

The song ends with an earnest, repeating refrain of "No more lies." As an added bonus, the track features some very funky slap-bass, and some seriously crunchy guitar work by Tom Morello, who has himself become something of a musical activist for our times in the vein of Woodie Guthrie.

And one final suggestion, because it's eternally inspirational and also eternally funky: Fight the Power.

10:47 AM
MightyToyCannon said...

Thanks for the great suggestions Shobiz. I hope to vary the mood in these posts over the remaining days, so a little raging against the machine would be appropriate. With your helpful suggestions and recommendations from other readers, I am now fully confident that I won't run out of material too soon! So keep an eye on the site for updates throughout the day. (Although with a day job keeping me busy, I may be busy teeing these up late at night for release the next day).

12:03 PM

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