Lyrics in Focus #4: "(These are the) Good Old Days" (2007)

A few days ago, my friend Bryan and I were kvetching about the state of music today, particularly about the type of music that mp3 blogs specialize in--that ubiquitous but semi-amorphous musical category, "indie rock." These sorts of conversations happen when, like us, you're approaching forty but you still somewhat pathetically cling to the last modicum of your youth by making sure you keep abreast of what's happening in music today. Sad, I know, but I can't help that it's true (and yes, I am excited about the new White Stripes album). Besides, what's the alternative--listening to the radio? No thank you.

Anyway, Bryan and I both agreed that the proliferation of mp3 blogs makes it nearly impossible to keep up with all of the new music being released every week. We also agreed that the type of indie rock these blogs promote has become homogeneous. Same old same old, you know? What really rankles me is that some of these artists take themselves so seriously, almost to the point of self-parody. Isn't fun what good music is all about?

So I've been hunting for fun music. What's more, I've been looking for music that is not only fun, but innovative as well.

Enter Josh Dolgin, the Canadian musician better known as Socalled. Last week, Socalled released his second album, Ghettoblaster, on the consistently excellent JDub label (once home to Matisyahu). Ghettoblaster contains Socalled's unique melding of hip-hop, soul, Balkan gypsy music, traditional klezmer, and calypso. Socalled even throws down rhymes in Yiddish. Further, the album has to feature one of the most diverse rosters of guest artists, from underground rapper C-Rayz Walz to octogenarian actor and Yiddish folk singer Theodore Bikel to Montreal country singer Katie Moore.

While this mix sounds like it would be a musical disaster, it works well--astoundingly well. And even when Socalled slips into social criticism, he still does it only half-seriously. Take, for example, the second track on the album, "(These are the) Good Old Days." In this song, Socalled takes a clever lyrical swipe at modern Western culture:

One, two, one two ready go!

These are the good old days
La la la la la, la la la la la

My God’s gonna kick your god’s ass
You’re too dumb and I’m the head of the class
Stop waitin’ around for something better
The boys think it’s better the tighter the sweater
F*** it, take what’s hers, don’t sweat it
You can own it all, just pay on credit
Two to the left then four to the right
You’ve got to fight for your right to fight

Forever never better than late
Sharpen up blades to obfuscate
You can own it all right now, why wait?
Eat what’s on your plate then eat the plate
Say what you can while you’re still allowed to
Every silver lining’s got its cloud too

These are the good old days
La la la la la, la la la la la
These are the good old days
La la la la la, la la la la la

Truly these are the good old days
Where man, woman, and child can log onto the Internet and text message each other across their own house
Where there is any form of contraceptive from solid to liquid to gas
We have reached the point of civilization like the Incans reached when they had gold roads and the Egyptians reached when they had, like, magical buildings and secret things
So, what you do is you go kiss whoever you kiss, grab whatever you grab
Because these truly are the good old days and it does not get any better than this
And when it does you wake up and you’re dead

These are the good old days
Na na na na na, na na na na na
These are the good old days
Na na na na na, na na na na na

These are the good old days
Na na na na na, na na na na na
These are the good old days
Na na na na na, na na na na na

My dog’s gonna sniff your dog’s ass
I’m too dumb and you’re the head of the class
Stop waitin’ round for something better
The boys think it’s better the tighter the sweater
F*** it, take what’s hers, don’t sweat it
You can own it all, just pay on credit
Two to the left then four to the right
You’ve got to fight for your right to fight

Forever never better than late
Salivate, never satiate
You can own it all right now, why wait?
Eat what’s on your plate then eat the plate
Say what you can while you’re still allowed to
Every silver lining has its cloud too

These are the good old days
Na na na na na, na na na na na
(C’mon now)
These are the good old days
Na na na na na, na na na na na …

Socalled conveys these lyrics over a rollicking klezmer beat, backed by Moore's silky vocals and occasional interjections by a choir of schoolchildren. It is this addictive song that sets the tone for the whole album, which is ripe for repeated listening by the listener just to catch all of the album's layered nuances.

Check out the song for yourself.

"(These are the) Good Old Days" mp3

Sample more tracks from Ghettoblaster at L.A. Weekly. Highly recommended is "Ich Bin a Border by Mayn Vayb," which is the third track provided for listening and which features 92-year-old lounge legend Irving Fields.

Lyrics in Focus: "Thou Shalt Always Kill" (2007)

I know virtually nothing about Dan Le Sac and Scroobius Pip. Here is, however, what I do know:

• The video for their song, "Thou Shalt Always Kill," has become the viral video of the moment.
• Scroobius Pip, who is the MC on the track, looks a lot like Matisyahu and sounds vaguely like Ali G.
• The song bears a strong resemblance to LCD Soundsystem's "Losing My Edge."
• The lyrics are a baffling combination of banalities and riffs on pop culture. When listening to the song, I don't know whether to laugh at the artists or laugh with them.
• This is not a "meh" song. In other words, you'll either love it or hate it.

The lyrics:

Thou shalt not steal if there is direct victim.
Thou shalt not worship pop idols or follow lost prophets.
Thou shalt not take the names of Johnny Cash, Joe Strummer, Johnny Hartman, Desmond Dekker, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix or Syd Barret in vain.
Thou shalt not think that any male over the age of 30 that plays with a child that is not their own is a peadophile.
Some people are just nice.
Thou shalt not read NME.
Thall shalt not stop liking a band just because they’ve become popular.
Thou shalt not question Stephen Fry.
Thou shalt not judge a book by its cover.
Thou shalt not judge Lethal Weapon by Danny Glover.
Thall shalt not buy Coca-Cola products.
Thou shalt not buy Nestle products.
Thou shalt not go into the woods with your boyfriend’s best friend, take drugs and cheat on him.
Thou shalt not fall in love so easily.
Thou shalt not use poetry, art or music to get into girls’ pants. Use it to get into their heads.
Thou shalt not watch Hollyoakes.
Thou shalt not attend an open mic and leave as soon as you're done just because you’ve finished your shitty little poem or song you self-righteous prick.
Thou shalt not return to the same club or bar week in, week out just ’cause you once saw a girl there that you fancied but you’re never gonna fucking talk to.

Thou shalt not put musicians and recording artists on ridiculous pedestals no matter how great they are or were.

The Beatles - Were just a band.
Led Zepplin - Just a band.
The Beach Boys - Just a band.
The Sex Pistols - Just a band.
The Clash - Just a band.
Crass - Just a band.
Minor Threat - Just a band.
The Cure - Just a band.
The Smiths - Just a band.
Nirvana - Just a band.
The Pixies - Just a band.
Oasis - Just a band.
Radiohead - Just a band.
Bloc Party - Just a band.
The Arctic Monkeys - Just a band.
The next big thing - JUST A BAND.

Thou shalt give equal worth to tragedies that occur in non-English speaking countries as to those that occur in English speaking countries.
Thou shalt remember that guns, bitches and bling were never part of the four elements and never will be.

Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music.
Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music.
Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music.
Thou shalt not make repetitive generic music.

Thou shalt not pimp my ride.
Thou shalt not scream if you wanna go faster.
Thou shalt not move to the sound of the wickedness.
Thou shalt not make some noise for Detroit.
When I say “Hey” thou shalt not say “Ho”.
When I say “Hip” thou shalt not say “Hop”.
When I say "he say, she say, we say, make some noise" - kill me.
Thou shalt not quote me happy.
Thou shalt not shake it like a polaroid picture.
Thou shalt not wish your girlfriend was a freak like me.
Thou shalt spell the word “Pheonix” P-H-E-O-N-I-X not P-H-O-E-N-I-X, regardless of what the Oxford English Dictionary tells you.
Thou shalt not express your shock at the fact that Sharon got off with Bradley at the club last night by saying “Is it”.
Thou shalt think for yourselves.

And thou shalt always kill.

The video:



The MySpace page for the song.

Buy the song at iTunes.

Lyrics in Focus, Special Edition: "Push The Button" (2007)

When I began this blog, I envisioned Lyrics in Focus as a monthly feature. However, some songs are just too intriguing to pass up.

The Eurovision Song Contest is the pinnacle of musical cheese on the Continent. In short, the contest works like this--European nations enter a native musical act in the contest. Each act is selected by telephone voting in each country. After the contestants are chosen, the winner of the whole contest is again chosen by telephone vote.

The acts themselves are rarely musicians who would or should be taken seriously. Many are purveyors of syrupy techno-pop that is coupled with banal lyrics. Last year's winner, a Finnish band called Lordi, sort of broke the Eurovision mold because they're a hard rock band. However, they don't win any originality points because they're essentially a rip-off of GWAR (at least from a cosmetic standpoint).

For some reason, Israel gets to compete in the contest. The country has won three times. The last time Israel won was in 1998, when transsexual singer Dana International took the prize with her song "Diva," which typifies the type of music that rules in the contest.

For this year's contest, which will take place in May in Finland, Israelis overwhelmingly chose "Push The Button" by Teapacks as their country's entrant. In the song, the band careens through musical styles, beginning in an Israeli folk/Balkan gypsy style and then shifting to rock. The bridge of the song is done in a grimy techno-rap. The lead singer, Kobi Oz, shifts languages along with musical genres, singing and rhyming in English, French, and Hebrew.

Truth be told, I find the song to be catchy in a perpetual-mental-tape-loop way. The lyrics, however, are causing some controversy. Here's a snippet from the English portion of the song:

The world is full of terror
If someone makes an error
He’s gonna blow us up to biddy biddy kingdom come
There are some crazy rulers, they hide and try to fool us
With demonic, technologic willingness to harm

They’re gonna push the button
push the button push the bu push the bu push the button

Many are interpreting the lyrics as an inflammatory and not so veiled reference to Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who, like other leaders in the region since the State of Israel's establishment, has threatened to wipe Israel off the map. The contest coordinators have received complaints are are apparently going to discuss whether the song should remain eligible for the contest.

For those who want an excellent perspective on Eurovision, The Believer did a great piece on the contest this past summer.

More on the song from the New York Times.

Enjoy:

Lyrics in Focus: "What's Going On" and "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" (1971)

It may be trite to say that history repeats itself. But unfortunately, our world leaders rarely seem to learn from their mistakes.

When Marvin Gaye released his landmark album, What's Going On, in 1971, the United States was in the grip of turbulent times, as it is again today. Pollution, poverty, and the Vietnam War were all prevalent in the American consciousness. Gaye managed to address these issues of the time in a sonically lush collection of songs that were beautiful, sorrowful, and yet full of hope.

The songs from the album that attracted the most attention were the title track and "Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)." In the U.S., "What's Going On" charted at #2, and "Mercy Mercy Me" charted at #4. I brought the album in the car with me a few days ago and listened to both of these songs several times, soaking in the words. They are quite simple, but that simplicity does nothing to detract from the message. Indeed, if anything, the straightforward lyrics make Gaye's heart-felt pleas for social justice all the more powerful. Perhaps our leaders and those of other countries will finally listen. If only things were that easy...

"What's Going On"

Mother, mother
There's too many of you crying
Brother, brother, brother
There's far too many of you dying
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some loving here today

Father, father
We don't need to escalate
You see, war is not the answer
For only love can conquer hate
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some loving here today

Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
What's going on, what's going on
What's going on, what's going on

Mother, mother
Everybody thinks we're wrong
But who are they to judge us
Simply 'cos our hair is long
You know we've got to find a way
To bring some loving here today

Picket lines and picket signs
Don't punish me with brutality
Talk to me, so you can see
What's going on, what's going on
Tell me what's going on
I'll tell you what's going on

"Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)"

Whoa, mercy mercy me
Ah things ain't what they used to be, no no
Where did all the blue skies go?
Poison is the wind that blows from the north and south and east
Whoa mercy, mercy me, mercy father
Ah things ain't what they used to be, no no
Oil wasted on the ocean and upon our seas, fish full of mercury
Ah oh mercy, mercy me
Ah things ain't what they used to be, no no
Radiation under ground and in the sky
Animals and birds who live nearby are dying
Oh mercy mercy me
Ah things ain't what they used to be
What about this overcrowded land
How much more abuse from man can she stand?
Oh, na na...
My sweet Lord... No
My Lord... My sweet Lord

"Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)" live, 1972


Sources:

• Lyriki
• Lyrics Wiki
  

Lyrics in Focus: Rock the Casbah (1982).

Those who are fans of "The Only Band That Mattered" know that Joe Strummer, guitar player and vocalist for The Clash, had a propensity to gum up the vocals when he assumed lead vocals on some of the band's songs. You need only listen to "(White Man) in Hammersmith Palais" or "London's Burning" to hear what I mean. On the band's compilation album, The Story of the Clash, Vol. 1, there is a short excerpt of an interview with Strummer and the rest of the band in which Strummer discussed his singing style. Strummer stated that during a studio session, one of the producers urged him to enunciate more carefully the words to "White Riot." Strummer flippantly responded that he didn't want to sound like Matt Monro (who was essentially the English version of Frank Sinatra) and proceeded with his famous mouth-full-of-mashed-potatoes singing style.

So it wasn't surprising that when I heard the band's 1982 hit, "Rock the Casbah," for the first time, I couldn't determine what Strummer was singing. The song came out when I was a sophomore in high school, and I remember sitting on the bus with several members of the JV basketball team when the song came on the bus radio. One of the team members, who was sitting next to me, starting singing, "Rock the gas pump," during the chorus. So for the next month or so, I thought the song was called "Rock the Gas Pump" until a radio deejay finally announced the title of the song.

Last week, I noticed that a recent advertisement from Cingular humorously plays up this lyrical confusion, with the variations this time being "Rock the cashbox" and "Stop the catbox." If you're still not clear on what Joe Strummer was singing, here are the lyrics:

Now the king told the boogie men
"You have to let that raga drop"
The oil down the desert way
Has been shaken to the top

The sheik, he drove his Cadillac
He went a-cruisin' down the ville
The muezzin was a-standing
On the radiator grille

Sharif he don't like it
Rock the casbah
Rock the casbah
Sharif he don't like it
Rock the casbah
Rock the casbah

By order of the prophet
We ban that boogie sound
Degenerate the faithful
With that crazy casbah sound

But the Bedouin, they brought out the electric camel drum
The local guitar picker got his guitar picking thumb
As soon as the sharif cleared the square
They began to wail

Sharif he don't like it
Rock the casbah
Rock the casbah
Sharif he don't like it
Rock the casbah
Rock the casbah

Now over at the temple
Oh, they really pack 'em in
The in crowd say it's cool
To dig this chanting thing

But as the wind changed direction
And the temple band took five
The crowd caught a whiff
Of that crazy casbah jive

Sharif he don't like it
Rock the casbah
Rock the casbah
Sharif he don't like it
Rock the casbah
Rock the casbah

The king called up his jet fighters
He said, you better earn your pay
Drop your bombs between the minarets
Down the casbah way

As soon as the sharif was chauffeured outta there
The jet pilots tuned to the cockpit radio blare
As soon as the sharif was outta their hair
The jet pilots wailed

Sharif don't like it
Rock the casbah
Rock the casbah
Sharif don't like it
Rock the casbah
Rock the casbah

Sharif don't like it (he thinks it's not kosher)
Rock the casbah
Rock the casbah
Sharif don't like it (fundamentally he can't take it)
Rock the casbah
Rock the casbah

Sharif don't like it (you know he really hates it)
Rock the casbah
Rock the casbah
Sharif don't like it (he really really hates it)
Rockin' the casbah...

If you're trying to make sense of the lyrics, you're not alone. In a nutshell, Strummer, who wrote the lyrics, was inspired to write the song by the ban on pop music in Iran instituted by Ayatollah Khomeini in the wake of the 1979 Iranian Revolution (which has since been lifted, although Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad banned "Western music" from state radio and television in 2005). Here's a short glossary of some of the words used in the song:

muezzin - The person at a mosque who leads the call to prayer.
sharif - An Arab leader or ruler.
casbah - A walled citadel. Commonly used to refer to the citadel of Algiers.
minaret - A spire, usually attached to a mosque.

"Rock the Casbah" video.

The history behind the song, as told by the Minneapolis/St. Paul City Pages.

Other sources:

• Wikipedia
• Lyriki
• BBC News
• Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary