Music for Objectivists?
Posted by davidmcnab 9 years, 9 months ago to Culture
One of the greatest bonding and energising agents for a culture is its music. However, I'm scratching my head to think of music in the 20-21st centure popular repertoire that promotes Objectivist identity, at an intellectual, emotional or spiritual level.
So much of the pop repertoire is taken up by X wants to mate with Y, X is overjoyed at being with Y, X is pissed off an leaving Y, X got left by Y and is feeling blue, X feels ripped off by Y, etc. How many songs are there which glorify the individual human spirit?
One very vague possbility I can think of is Bob Marley's classic Get Up, Stand Up, whose lyrics exort people to give up their afterworldly dreams and focus on bettering themselves here on Earth.
Can anyone suggest any songs? Yeah, there's a ton of great classical music which promotes the good feeling, but what about the contemporary genres? Surely there's gotta be some good folk, pop, metal, reggae, techno etc pieces which put across those beautiful lifted liberated feelings.
So much of the pop repertoire is taken up by X wants to mate with Y, X is overjoyed at being with Y, X is pissed off an leaving Y, X got left by Y and is feeling blue, X feels ripped off by Y, etc. How many songs are there which glorify the individual human spirit?
One very vague possbility I can think of is Bob Marley's classic Get Up, Stand Up, whose lyrics exort people to give up their afterworldly dreams and focus on bettering themselves here on Earth.
Can anyone suggest any songs? Yeah, there's a ton of great classical music which promotes the good feeling, but what about the contemporary genres? Surely there's gotta be some good folk, pop, metal, reggae, techno etc pieces which put across those beautiful lifted liberated feelings.
C'mon, the call is for music, not poetry with a anti-establishment message and a clashing dissonant background.
Inspire me, dammit. Make me want to make it better than it is and to live up to the ideals.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRUjr8EV...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2112_%28alb...
Nazi'ism because of AR!
(And if I started shooting the lousy liars I'D be the bad guy!)
Everybody knows 2112 was based on Anthem. Side 1 is straight from the plot. They even CREDITED her.
Oh, OH! OHHHH!
Did you do the whole re-work? I'd swear when I saw it yesterday they we're trying to say it was based on another work - completely short-shifting AR.
I didn't make proper note of it because I was so PO'd.
The only thing missing now is the undeniable fact that all three members of the band are virtuoso's of their instruments.
I don't suppose they consider themselves OBJ's but they are kindred spirits to be sure.
Thank you, CG. I really needed to see something set right.
Way too many disappointments these days.
So few victories against the encroaching dark.
I know that doesn't mean they'll do the right thing. Fortunately no one has touched it so far.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=04854Xqc...
and the A is A
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rFugRFKq...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auLBLk4i...
All this machinery making modern music
Can still be open hearted
Not so coldly charted
It's really just a question of your honesty, yeah
Your honesty
One likes to believe in the freedom of music
But glittering prizes and endless compromises
Shatter the illusion of integrity
http://liberty.me/create-music/snowdens-...
Snowden bringing truth to light
Exposing dark lies for us to see
All our lives
We’ve been told we’re living in
The land of the free
Snowden bringing truth to light
Exposing the State’s hypocrisy
Land of spies
Will you stand and fight
For your liberty?
Thank you Ed
Thank you Ed
For risking your life to open our eyes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSav51fV...
forty-five minutes forty-three seconds
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3R3aWKhw...
http://youtu.be/gQmPXLJ8IKo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aOiB00AP...
http://youtu.be/7xEwbzEBw14
It's my life
It's now or never
I ain't gonna live forever
I just want to live while I'm alive
(It's my life)
My heart is like an open highway
Like Frankie said
I did it my way
I just wanna live while I'm alive
It's my life
'Cause I've got faith of the heart
I'm going where my heart will take me
I've got faith to believe
I can do anything
I've got strength of the soul
No one's going to bend nor break me
I can reach any star
I've got faith
I've got faith
Faith of the heart
Even though it uses the word "faith", which might prickle some objectivists, in context it is talking about faith in yourself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z_KDPUTy...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0CFuCYNx...
Very superstitious, writings on the wall,
Very superstitious, ladders bout' to fall,
Thirteen month old baby, broke the lookin' glass,
Seven years of bad luck, the good things in your past.
When you believe in things that you don't understand,
Then we suffer,
Superstition ain't the way.
Very superstitious, wash your face and hands,
Rid me of the problems, do all that you can,
Keep me in a daydream, keep me goin' strong,
You don't want to save me, sad is my song.
When you believe in things you don't understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition ain't the way, yeh, yeh.
Very superstitious, nothin' more to say,
Very superstitious, the devil's on his way,
Thirteen month old baby, broke the lookin' glass,
Seven years of bad luck, good things in your past.
When you believe in things that you don't understand,
Then you suffer,
Superstition ain't the way, no, no, no.
Mr Young sadly isn't very objective though.
Some more recent songs:
Am I Wrong?
http://youtu.be/VBmEJZofz2s
Welcome to the Future
http://youtu.be/Y0Yg9wjctRw
Follow Your Arrow
http://youtu.be/kQ8xqyoZXCc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oyu5sFzW...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ib9N7L9...
Inspector Javert would be a great Cuffy Meigs.
Not all...still some good music out there
In Classical I would look for anything that matched the ability of Sibelius' Finlandia.
Listening to music like reading has nought to with Y the X Generation ends sentences with a question mark and makes zero impact.
For your quest go to the beginning, the roots and follow them through the changes. Folk, Blues, the originals and the trend setters like Alan Lomax, Leadbelly, and Dylan. At some point they all were people individuallyl struggling for an emotional, spiritual and intellectual expression. And it's generational. My Dad always asked why I listened to rock'n'roll'even though my classical, folk, and blues collections were equally as large. One day i sang to him a song from his generation Oop Oop Diddim Daddum Waddum Chew... three fish swimming over a dam.
I started to say the same thing to my daughter then bit my tongue. Of course that was before MTV and when a singer became an instrument not a voice.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EaPTweZ2...
I'm guessing that that rubber tree plant wouldn't be much of a challenge ;-)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XA3ranss...
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