Wednesday!

Jaybird 27 Comments

I played Jimi’s National Anthem last year, it feels like it’d be cheating to do it again *ALREADY*… but I’m stuck wondering about music and patriotism without wandering too far into political territory and it’s tougher than I’d like. I want to do something quintessentially American but also something quintessentially Universal. Something that captures much of the good but there’s a reminder, in the back, that that’s not everything there is… but, at the same time, that stuff in the back isn’t everything there is either.

Happy Independence Day and if you don’t celebrate that, Happy 4th of July.

So… what are you listening to?

Jaybird

Jaybird is Birdmojo on Xbox Live and Jaybirdmojo on Playstation's network. He's been playing consoles since the Atari 2600 and it was Zork that taught him how to touch-type. If you've got a song for Wednesday, a commercial for Saturday, a recommendation for Tuesday, an essay for Monday, or, heck, just a handful a questions, fire off an email to AskJaybird-at-gmail.com

More Posts Twitter

27 Comments

  1. I admit, I love me some JPS on the fourth.

    Biologically, part of my brain is wired to respond to nationalistic, booming, brassy, militant marching music. I think it comes from the German side.

  2. Freebird! (holding up a lighter, yes dating myself but so much more romantic than an Iphone)

    • Kansas does too much telling and not enough showing, if you ask me.

      Then again, that’s an issue with prog in general (though there are exceptions).

      • I understand where you’re coming from.
        The lyrics aren’t everything we could have hoped for. (Problem Bears by the Tragically Hip is one of my favorites in this regard; it conveys action through evocation– WARNING: cheesy video).
        With Kans., the music itself is evocative; perhaps the lyrics suffer as a measure of (unintended) compensation.

        It’s the old issue of listening to Rush, but having to hear Geddy Lee do the singing.

  4. A Simon/Bach collaboration seems the most appropriate for this year’s Independence Day.

    • Up in Steamboat Springs, there was a bridge that grew old (called “the cow bridge” since time immemorial or something like that) and they tore it down and built a new one and had a contest to name the new one. The two finalists were something like “The North Bridge” and “The James Brown Soul Center Of The Universe Bridge” (one of the high school kids submitted that one). Everybody in town voted and the latter won.

      James Brown showed up for the ribbon cutting ceremony.

        • I was in London many years ago. I took the tube to Waterloo station and watched the sun set there, because how could you not?

  6. I make a point of listening to Fourth of July themed songs. None of them are actually about the holiday itself, as such, though. I’m particularly partial to Robert Earl Keen’s rendition of “Fourth of July.” Introspection while surrounded celebration.

    Aimee Mann also has a Fourth of July song, though that one includes a more explicit rejection of the fervor (“What a waste of gunpowder and sky…”).

    • I thought, for a second, about playing Soundgarden’s Fourth of July but… well. It’s a better song in September than today.

Comments are closed.