Theme: Guns: Artists Victims of Gun Violence

During our weekly theme of "Guns" I think it is important to remember those artists who were injured and/or killed because of gun violence.

Sam Cooke, 1931-1964. Shot and killed by hotel manager, Bertha Franklin.
Bob Marley, shot, but not killed in 1976.
John Lennon, 1940-1980. Shot and killed by crazed fan, Mark David Chapman
Marvin Gaye, 1939-1984. Fatally shot by his own father, Marvin Gaye Sr.
Selena, 1971-1995. Fatally shot by fan club president, Yolanda Saldívar.
Tupac Shakur, 1971-1996. Killer unknown
Biggie Smalls, 1972-1997. Murder remains unsolved.
Dimebag Darrell, 1966-2004. Shot and killed by crazed fan, Nathan Gale.

Just to name a few...

Theme: Guns: Phil Spector

One person in the music industry who stands out when talking about guns is...You guessed it- Phil Spector! As a well known record producer, songwriter, and session musician, who worked with many famous artists including girl groups (The Crystals, The Ronettes, etc), John Lennon, and Ben E. King, Spector is also known for the Wall of Sound, aka, dense layers of music, usually orchestral, which created a very full sound- a wall of sound.


In the past few years, however, Spector's name has also been tied to guns and violence. Convicted of shooting and killing actress Lana Clarkson in 2003, Spector has not been able to separate himself from the words 'gun violence', especially due to testimonies of other women who claimed they had been held at gunpoint by Spector.

Theme: Guns: The Guess Who "Guns, Guns, Guns"

The anti-hunting theme of the Guess Who's "Guns, Guns, Guns" (Cummings 1972) is painfully discernible; all probably due to the fact that this band from Canada witnessed the decimation and possibly near extinction of wild animals in their country (just a guess...).

Eagle all gone, and no more caribou Guns, guns, guns You be the red king, I’ll be the yellow pawn. God speed Mother Nature Never really wanted to say good-bye.

Another Guess Who song containing an environmentalist theme is their 1970 single "Share the Land" (Cummings).
I find it interesting that a song called "Guns, Guns, Guns" in the 1970s is an anti-hunting theme and not about war.

Defiance Nutrition

Defiance Nutrition, Sports Supplements and Information

Theme: Guns: David Bowie "Running Gun Blues"

It is not unheard of for people in the Army to get a little gun crazy. I'm sure it is easy to dehumanize yourself and 'the enemy' in combat situations. "Running Gun Blues" (Bowie 1970) takes being gun crazy to another level. He calls it his 'instinct' to sneak out of bed at night and cut down the "gooks" and even a few civilians.

I count the corpses on my left, I find I'm not so tidy
So I better get away, better make it today
I've cut twenty-three down since Friday
But I can't control it, my face is drawn
My instinct still emotes it

I slash them cold, I kill them dead
I broke the gooks, I cracked their heads
I'll bomb them out from under the beds
But now I've got the running gun blues.

James Madison (The Federalist Papers) seems to think that "Americans have the right and advantage of being armed - unlike the citizens of other countries whose governments are afraid to trust the people with arms." If Bowie tells the truth, the government shouldn't trust us with arms...

Theme: Guns: The Beatles' "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"

In many cases the word 'gun' can take on multiple interpretations. This is especially true for the Beatles' "Happiness is a Warm Gun" (Lennon/McCartney 1968). One evaluation of the gun in "Happiness" has been said to be a metaphor for Lennon's 'sexual appetite' at the time. Lennon has admitted the relation between guns and sex: "that was the beginning of my relationship with Yoko and I was very sexually oriented then" (Sheff 188).

When I hold you in my arms
And I feel my finger on your trigger
I know nobody can do me no harm
Because happiness is a warm gun.

Another metaphor of the 'warm gun' or 'loaded gun' is heroin (Lennon had well documented stints with heroin, at the time); although I believe the sexual interpretation to be more likely.

Lastly, in the film Across the Universe (Julie Taymor 2007) the gun is interpreted literally. The film takes place in what we assume to be the Vietnam War era and one of the main characters, Max, is in the hospital due to war (gunshot?) injuries.

Happiness is a warm gun,
Bang, bang, shoot, shoot.

Not-so fun fact: Ironically, Lennon was shot and killed by Mark David Chapman in 1980 in the street outside of his apartment.

Theme: Vietnam War: Neil Young "Ohio"

All protesting was not peaceful back in the states. On May 4, 1970, students were protesting the American invasion of Cambodia when the Ohio National Guard were called in. At one point the guardsmen shot into the crowd of unarmed protesters and killed 4 students in what has come to be known as the Kent State Massacre (aka May 4 Massacre).
"Ohio" (1970) by Neil Young was written in response to the Kent State Massacre.

Gotta get down to it
Soldiers are cutting us down
Should have been done long ago.
What if you knew her
And found her dead on the ground
How can you run when you know?

Tin soldiers and Nixon coming,
We're finally on our own.
This summer I hear the drumming,
Four dead in Ohio.

Theme: Vietnam War: Country Joe and the Fish 'I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag'

For a song that sounds like it came from the circus, the lyrical content of Country Joe and the Fish's 'I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag' (McDonald 1967) is quite humorless and in-your-face.

Well, come on mothers throughout the land,
Pack your boys off to Vietnam.
Come on fathers, don't hesitate,
Send 'em off before it's too late.
Be the first one on your block
To have your boy come home in a box.

McDonald addresses his concerns to parents, generals, and Wall Street, in the name of Uncle Sam, and sarcastically invites young men to join the army:

Yeah, come on all of you, big strong men,
Uncle Sam needs your help again.
He's got himself in a terrible jam
Way down yonder in Vietnam
So put down your books and pick up a gun,
We're gonna have a whole lotta fun.

The childish sound of the song may deter listeners from paying attention to the lyrics, but the lyrics reel the listeners back in with the sarcastic line that ends each phrase: Open up the pearly gates...whoopie! we're all gonna die!

Fun fact: The recorded version begins with the 'Fish Cheer' ("Gimme an F! F! Gimme an I! I...). In a few live versions the band altered the 'Fish Cheer' to be the 'Fuck Cheer' ("Gimme an F! F! Gimme a U! U!...) and in 1970 McDonald was arrested for doing the altered version in public and charged with obscenity.

Found this on Yahoo!Answers…

“Grunge is like the mellow, depressed little brother of metal. Metal is like the fast, heavy, leather-clad son of hard rock. Punk is like metal’s angry, delinquent brother with ADHD, and hard rock is the father of them all.”

What do you think?

“The album uses the sun and the moon as symbols, the light and the dark, the good and the bad, the life force as opposed to the death force. I think it’s a very simple statement saying that all the good things life can offer are there for us to grasp, but that the influence of some dark force in our nature prevents us from seizing them. The song addresses the listener and says that if you, the listener, are affected by that force, and if that force is a worry to you, well I feel exactly the same too. The line ‘I’ll see you on the dark side of the moon’ is me speaking to the listener, saying, ‘I know you have these bad feelings and impulses because I do too and one of the ways I can make direct contact with you is to share with you the fact that I feel bad sometimes.’”

—	Roger Waters on Dark Side of the Moon

Theme: Vietnam War: Phil Ochs 'Draft Dodger Rag'

I find Phil Ochs to be very underrated. In my time listening and looking up information on Bob Dylan and other folk artists and protest songs of the time, I had not once come across Phil Ochs. The first time heard of Mr. Ochs was in Stephen King's novella/collection of 3 short stories 'Heart's in Atlantis'. The constant playing of Phil Ochs' "I Ain't Marching Anymore" by the characters in the story made me think I should give Mr. Ochs a try. I'm glad I did.

''Draft Dodger Rag" (Ochs 1965) is a satirical take on the extremes men would go to in order to avoid being drafted in the Vietnam war(-- literally 'dodging the draft- 'draft dodgers'):

Sarge, I'm only 18, I got a ruptured spleen,
and I always carry a purse.
I got eyes like a bat, and my feet are flat
and my asthma's getting worse.
Yes, think of my career, my sweetheart dear,
and my poor old invalid aunt.
Besides, I ain't no fool, I'm a-goin' to school,
and a-working in a defense plant.

Tens of thousands of men, with good reason, attempted to avoid the war using all types of reasoning, from allergies to homosexuality.

I've got a dislocated disc and a wracked up back
I'm allergic to flowers and bugs.
And when the bombshell hits, I get epileptic fits
And I'm addicted to a thousand drugs.
I got the weakness woes, I can't touch my toes
I can hardly reach my knees
And if the enemy came close to me
I'd probably start to sneeze.

Theme: Vietnam war: CCR 'Fortunate Son'

Ah, the Vietnam war. An obvious choice for a weekly theme, but an important one, nonetheless. Although the U.S. never officially declared war on Vietnam, the Vietnam war remains one of the most unpopular wars in American history (following behind the current Afghan/Iraq war). Nearly 60,000 (American) deaths and 350,000 casualties later, the U.S. finally decides to pull out of the Vietnam war in 1975.

Numerous artists wrote on Vietnam, though nearly all are protest/anti-war songs.


Creedence Clearwater Revival's 'Fortunate Son' (Fogerty, 1969) shows the hypocrisy of the war and, more specifically, of the draft. Fogerty sings of rich men (senator's sons) creating laws, ushering the country into war, and then buying their way out of the draft, ultimately putting someone else in their place:

Some folks are born, silver spoon in hand,
Lord, don't they help themselves, oh
But when the taxman comes to the door,
Lord, the house look like a rummage sale, yes.

I believe CCR, like many others during this time, are angry at the hypocrisy of the government and it's failure to take responsibility in addition to cold, and even violent, responses towards protesters.

CCR ain't no fortunate sons.

Yoko Ono Theme: The Beatles

Written by Lennon and recorded by John and Paul without the other 2 Beatles, "The Ballad of John and Yoko" (Lennon/McCartney1969) became the Beatles 17th and final #1 single in the UK.
This song is an obvious choice for our Yoko Ono theme, but an enjoyable one, nonetheless.

The title of the song tells us all we need to know. John and Yoko were married March 20, 1969 and this song describes all of the events surrounding their marriage: marriage arrangements, a bed-in for peace, bagism, the press' involvement, etc.

Fun fact: this song was banned in several countries for the use of the word 'Christ'.

Yoko Ono Theme: Roger Waters

This next song following the them of 'Yoko Ono' is by one of my all-time favorite artists. Roger Waters' 1984 solo album, 'The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking', follows the Floydian tradition of releasing concept albums.
This particular album, which happens to feature Eric Clapton on guitar, explores the dream of a middle-aged man having a mid-life crisis. The song titles tell you the exact time a part of the dream is occurring. For example, the first song is titled "4:30AM (Apparently They Were Traveling Abroad)", indicating that the dream begins at 4:30 in the morning.

However, an analysis of the entire album is not what I am writing about today.
Back to Yoko Ono!

I don't have much to say about this lyric from the title track "5:01AM (The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking, Pt. 10)", but I find it interesting nonetheless:

I'm standing on the leading edge
The Eastern seaboard spread before my eyes
"Jump!" says Yoko Ono
"I'm too scared and too good looking," I cried
"Go on," she says "Why don't you give it a try?
Why prolong the agony? All men must die."

And

Did you understand the music, Yoko
Or was it all in vain?
Bitch said something mystical
So I stepped back 'round the curb again.

If I remember correctly, these lyrics are based on an actual dream that Waters' drummer, Andy Newmark, had.

This post is due to a moment of nostalgia. It was the childish Beatles' song "Yellow Submarine" (of all things!) that gave me a much needed push into a whole new world of music.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MCsYDZ2M04M

Themes

Every week I will choose a theme and discuss songs/albums/artists in relation to that theme. Every song has endless interpretations. These comments are my own interpretations of songs/albums/artists' intentions. This week's theme is: Yoko Ono.

Comments, questions, and (respectful) criticisms on each weekly topic are welcome, as well as suggestions for weekly themes.




















Since the late 1960s Yoko Ono has been commonly called the person who broke up the Beatles. I do not agree with this and I do not disagree with it. Obviously John Lennon was completely enthralled by Yoko's every move, so much so that he cheated on his first wife, Cynthia, with her. Lennon brought her to the recording studio and even put a bed in the studio for to sleep on when she was sick. However annoying this may have seemed to the other Beatles, I don't believe that Yoko is what ultimately broke them up. The lads were growing up and had their own lives and families to deal with.

The first song I will discuss is "Be My Yoko Ono" by Barenaked Ladies
At first listen I thought the BnLs were making fun of John and Yoko's relationship, especially when they make fun of Yoko's singing, but after another listen I realized the BnLs were admiring their relationship (in a comical way):

"Isn't it beautiful to see two people so much in love?"

"If I was John and you were Yoko,
I would gladly give up musical genius,
just to have you as my very own, personal Venus."

Sometimes I think people forget that John and Yoko did what they did out of love, not to purposefully annoy people.

George Roger Waters v. Andrew Lloyd Webber

"We cower in our shelters
With our hands over our ears
Lloyd-Webber's awful stuff
Runs for years and years and years
An earthquake hits the theater
But the operetta lingers
Then the piano lid comes down
And breaks his fucking fingers
It's a miracle."

I've always wondered what this harsh commentary on Andrew Lloyd Webber from Roger Waters' song, "It's A Miracle", was all about. Yesterday (I think) I figured it out. Not only does Waters think Lloyd Webber's music is shallow, rubbish, and has no value, "Waters [also] asserted that Webber had plagiarized music from Pink Floyd's "Echoes" for sections of the musical The Phantom of the Opera."

Once I listened to both tracks, I realized that the similarities between the two are uncanny.
I don't know if this quote from Waters is for real, but it is amusing: "I couldn't believe it when I heard it. It's the same time signature - it's 12/8 - and it's the same structure and it's the same notes and it's the same everything. Bastard. It probably is actionable. It really is! But I think that life's too long to bother with suing Andrew fucking Lloyd Webber. I think that might make me really gloomy."

As if Waters isn't already a gloomy sort.

Music Menu

If music were a menu:

British Invasion: Tea, cakes, and meat pie.

Motown:Something processed, like a McDonald’s happy meal.

Soul: Home-cooked meal and dessert at a Mom & Pop restaurant.

Psychedelic Rock: Some exotic food you eat with your hands…followed by sex and drugs.

Progressive Rock: A fancy seven course meal with multiple spoons, knives, and forks, combined with intellectual discussions on religion, government, society, etc...

Punk: Meat and potatoes tinfoil dinner over a hobo fire.

Hardcore: Food found in a dumpster.

Death Metal: Rotting prison food with maggots.

Grunge:Your parents forgot to feed you and so you didn’t eat.

Other suggestions/genres?
Cr: Prof. Martinez

“Half of what I say is meaningless,
But I say it just to reach you”