Tuesday, January 28, 2014

This Land Is Your Land

When Macklemore's Same Love started getting a lot of play on the airwaves, a blogger I follow tweeted that politics don't belong in music.  To be honest, I think she just disagreed with the message of the song; she might not have been so against it if the lyrics had matched her beliefs and so there was no point in arguing with her.  But I responded to her tweet anyway because one of the things I've always loved about music is how it reflects the culture of its time and, at best, provides provocative social commentary.  From William Byrd, a prolific composer who tread a delicate balance in his work between the conflicting theologies and musical styles of Catholicism and Protestantism in 16th century England, to popular songs of the Depression like "Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?" and much of the O Brother, Where Art Thou? soundtrack, which includes lyrics of anger, desperation, and hope from the 1920s and '30s, social and political issues have always had a voice in music.

This topic is especially dear to my heart as my family has long taken an active interest in liberal politics and their related social and cultural movements.  My paternal grandparents were very active in left-wing causes of the 1950s and '60s, inspiring passion that still drives my father today, and my mother came down to Washington with her parents to protest against the Vietnam War in one of the earliest marches.  My sister and I were raised on the musicians of those crusades - The Weavers, Peter, Paul, and Mary, Woody Guthrie, and Pete Seeger - and we both have fond memories of being sung to sleep with "Blowin' in the Wind" as children, Mom sitting on the floor between our twin beds in the room we shared and holding our hands as we drifted off.

As I'm sure you've seen by now, Pete Seeger died yesterday.  When I read his obituary, I remembered visiting Grandma in the hospital in January 2012, a few months before she passed away.  She was very sick and mostly unresponsive, and the only time I saw her engage consciously and coherently with her family and the hospital staff was when a man with a guitar came by.  He was part of a music therapy program and he sat with us for half an hour, singing Grandma's favorite union songs as my father requested them one after another.  Dad and Aunt Emily and I sang along, too, and Grandma was more alert than she'd been before; she even hummed and mumbled along to "If I Had A Hammer," so much more comfortable surrounded by the music she loved.  I flew back to London very soon after that visit and didn't see her again but, despite the pain of her decline, I treasure the memory of having enjoyed those songs together near the end.

"For Mr. Seeger," the New York Times writes, "folk music and a sense of community were inseparable, and where he saw a community, he saw the possibility of political action. [...] 'My job,' Pete Seeger said in 2009, 'is to show folks there’s a lot of good music in this world, and if used right it may help to save the planet.'" I can't of a better reason to make music political, can you?

11 comments:

  1. I agree with you. I was actually so touched the other night on the Grammy's with the rendition of Same Love and wrote my Valentine's day post somewhat based on it actually, but like you said those are my beliefs. I belief in marriage equality very passionately. But like you said, music and politics have always gone hand in hand, and have chronicled many important moments in our history as a country and a world. Just like art does, music will always reflect the feelings of the time and just because you don't believe in what the singer is singing, doesn't make it wrong or any less important.

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  2. I heard a great NPR story this summer about the song "Dancing in the Street" and how it turned into a rally song for riots when it came out in the 60s. Even songs that aren't meant to be political can end up that way. Could be why we all love music--it can mean something different to each person.

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  3. People are always more willing to support the right of free expression when they are on the same side of an issue. Compare the freedom of expression of Macklemore playing Same Love and the freedom of expression of the Duck Dynasty guy (that we've heard too much about and I'm sorry for bringing him up, even if I need the example to make a point). Freedom of expression didn't protect said Duck guy from hearing just what people thought of his opinion, and it shouldn't. The blogger you mentioned has every right to say she disagrees with the message of the song, but not that the message doesn't belong in the song. We don't get discussions started if people can't talk about issues.

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  4. ABSOLUTELY! do you watch The Good Wife? one of their recent (maybe the most recent?) episodes is about the satirical cover of a hip hop song by indie artists and they have this whole debate about what constitutes as satirical/transformative artwork - it's fascinating! http://youtu.be/tsJDIE0f8Lw

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  5. "The blogger you mentioned has every right to say she disagrees with the message of the song, but not that the message doesn't belong in the song."

    yup! though, in her defense, I don't think she really thought through her text before she posted it...

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  6. honestly... I thought the Grammys mass wedding was a bit of a stunt. I mean, I'm thrilled that it could happen! but I'm really looking forward to the day when gay marriage isn't something to be celebrated because we just take it for granted, you know?

    that being said, I thought it was INCREDIBLY powerful that both gay and straight couples were married there that night! we ARE all the same - it's the same love, no question :)

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  7. Yes, I thought the same thing, I loved that it was couples of all gender, race and culture there, that to me was actually more powerful than the whole thing, showing that we really are the same and why should some be denied what everyone else takes for granted.

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  8. Probably not. I don't unless it's a topic I'm crazy about, and then I overthink it for four hours. And I just realized that I'm guilty of saying that she doesn't have the right to state her opinion on songs and politics. Just talked myself into a debate circle. :p

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  9. I think that music would not speak to our souls the way it does, without some kind of message. I've seen a lot of those "keep politics out of it" kinds of posts, and I agree--many times, the person is just mad that it goes against their own personal beliefs (of course, I don't mean to generalize that to everyone who makes that statement, but that has been the case in most of my own experiences). Was the Grammy wedding a stunt? Of course it was! But you're right--if marriage equality was the norm, we would not have to bother with attention-seeking stunts like that to bring the issue into focus. Lastly, that little stunt had me sitting on my couch in tears, because it was SO beautiful to see all these happy couples--gay and straight--making one of the biggest, most sacred commitments of all to their spouses, side by side.

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  10. Betsy, this post has made me cry in public. The intertwining of social and political issues with music is a natural blend. My childhood was filled with Latin American folk songs of the 1970s, and reconnecting with those messages and stories of tumultuous times has helped me form a greater understanding of my own sense of identity. Pete Seeger shared much through his music, and he was an inspiration to many to listen to and care about their communities. I was in the Hudson River valley earlier today, and I will forever associate that land with him.

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  11. Although I'm unfamiliar with some of the songs that you listed (and as a music lover I know that's blasphemy!) I absolutely love "Same Love." I think it so perfectly captures the political environment right now. Music is all about what's in your heart, and the message of the song is such a huge issue for so many people. I'm absolutely in agreement with you. Music and politics are the perfect bedfellows and those that disagree likely disagree because they don't like what's being said. And that makes me angry almost more than anything else in this world!

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