“…cuz the South’s gonna to do it again.”
But man, that song rocks, especially the end. In a, you know, country way.
Jason Isbell
Marcus King
Blackberry Smoke
Put these in your music queue and let the streaming service find music based on them, there is a lot of newer southern rock and also country music that doesn’t have the baggage. I love that style of music too.
Will do friend
at a certain point southern rock & country changed from actual rebellion (Cops are bastards, Vietnam was a mistake, an unjust law needs a kick in the pants) to “I’m an oppressed martyr because someone told me I’m not allowed to be a dick to other people. America is great!
jihad jihad jihad”The leftist stuff goes under the name Alt Country. Bottle Rockets, Drive by Truckers, Uncle Tupelo, Steve Earl, …
What the hell is Southern Rock? You mean like midnight oil?
Or AC/DC?
Since you chose CDB, here is an interesting bit of trivia about that song in particular:
The song uses a clever play on words to promote Southern rock music. … The “it” that the South is going to do again, it is implied, is to produce additional popular rock groups.
Daniels factually bristled at more nefarious interpretations of what the “it” was. … Daniels told Billboard, “I’m damn proud of the South, but I sure as hell am not proud of the Ku Klux Klan. I wrote the song about the land I love and my brothers. It was not written to promote hate groups.”
Maybe use the songs as an opportunity for discussion … or save it for your kid-free time.
That’s so cool! Kinda like when proud Americans sing Born in the USA not realizing the actual meaning.
But. At the same time, if you need to pull up a Wikipedia article for people to not think you are a piece of shit, does it matter?
It is the Pepe the frog situation (that actually was a lot more complicated but). Some people used it because they wanted to take the meme back. Most used it to represent hate and bigotry. I know what I assumed when I saw it posted
Speaking only for myself, I generally try to contextualize before I write someone off as a “piece of shit”
I imagine you could take any popular song from today and find fault in 50 years as cultural norms change.
And if someone is listening to an anti robot anthem on the hover train, people will assume they are an asshole.
This is no different than any other media. Multiple shows have made the joke that 80s comedy films were basically nothing but rape. And that is why you have the really awkward conversations when you recommend one.
I feel the same way about a lot of modern hip-hop and pop music. I really enjoy the music but I just can’t relate in any way to the bragging lyrics about having loads of money.
Feel like I’ve heard the Lamborghini Urus casually mentioned in about a dozen UK hip-hop tracks over the past 6 months…
They’re just not timeless. If you were to go back in time to sell your ancestors on a song from the future, a lyric like “me wearing my Oaklies and taking a Polaroid selfie in Times Square” is probably not gonna translate so well. Therefore the song’s message is probably superficial.
Not all hip-hop obviously, Pharcyde are pretty solid lyrically.
I actually have a sub dedicated to calculating how timeless a song is:
For fans of Pharcyde, check out Del The Funky Homosapian, aka Deltron 3030 for some albums, and a prominent member of the Heiroglyphics crew (who are also similarly lyrically inclined.) Idk how it’ll rank on your timeless-o-meter but he’s the only dude I’ve ever heard say “lurid” in a song.
Edit: OH and fans of Gorillaz will recognize his voice, he rapped on some of their biggest tracks.
Have you had a listen to Drive-By Truckers? Southern rock without the yee haw rebel pride.
I never expected all the recommendations I’ve received, but I’m damned happy about it!
Happy jamming!
I irrationally hate the South: its music, its culture, its history, and its people.
This is tragically unfair of me and I admit that I’m embarrassed that I haven’t quite shaken myself of that, but I will keep trying
That said, I’ll listen to Johnny Cash all day every day
Johnny Cash is a saint
It’s ok, we hate you back :)
“southern pride” is just racism alllll cleaned up. so much racism.
I don’t disagree, but I’m saying it’s not that that I like. It’s the musical style, I really like it. I love Freebird and Sweet Home Alabama, Ramblin’ Man by the Allman Brothers, Frankenstein by Edgar Winter, tons of really good songs.
Allmans are great. I grew up loving Skynyrd, but I can’t really listen to most of it anymore. Check out “Play it all night long” by Warren Zevon for a pretty brutal mockery of “Sweet home Alabama”.
I’m REALLY looking forward to that! I’ve liked Warren Zevon ever since Linda Ronstadt recorded “Poor poor pitiful me.” And who doesn’t like “Werewolves of London?”
oh i agree, i love folk music… all of that old school ‘country rock’ is great. not so much the twangy country/western
My favourites are Willie Nelson and Townes Van Zandt. Folksy cowboy country, contemplative and melancholic.
Sweet Home Alabama really grinds my gears. Neil Young sings about systemic racism in the south and Skynard retorts ‘yea some people here are racist ♪ but not all of us are ♪ frig off Neil Young♪ whoa now look at the sky’. Horse shit lyrics, sick composition.
Also Alabama just plain sucks. Muscle Shoals studio and the Mobile Bay jubilee are the only things they ever did right
That’s American pride, don’t use “the south” as a scape goat.
That’s like saying “butts stink, don’t use the rectum as a scape goat”
No it’s more like proudly declaring that your own butt doesn’t stink.
Slightly relevant Key and Peele video lol https://youtu.be/TLnUJzueBOQ
Now that there’s funny I don’t care who you are…
Sigh…
Fuck this timeline
I was always surprised that all the biggest Skynyrd fans I knew seemed to know none of the lyrics, because thwy all lived the opposite of them.
RACISM IS WRONG- The Ballad of Curtis Lowe
DRUGS AND ALCOHOL ARE BAD- Needle And The Spoon, That Smell
CAPITALISM SUCKS- Working For MCA
GUNS ARE BAD - Saturday Night Special
FIGHTING IS A BAD IDEA- Gimme Three Steps
Thats all I can remember at the moment, but I should add that Alabama fucking sucks and always has. I know. Trust me.
CCR - Fortunate son - The poor pay the cost of war and the rich benefit.
Blah blah blah I like the helicopter song
Call me naive, but I always thought Curtis Lowe was about society not respecting bums who play good music for beer/wine money aka the starving artist. Even though the protagonist loved him as a mentor/entertainer.
Racism or the fact that he was black wasn’t the main factor in the issues the protagonist is singing about, just that he happened to be black… though I’m betting it didn’t help the way people/protagonist’s mom viewed the two of them spending so much time together
I always say him as an inspiration to Bleeding Gums Murphy and Lisa in the Simpsons.
Just my 2 cents. I agree with the rest of your list though.
The thing to keep in mind is that Curtis would have been an old black man in the early 60s so he had lived through quite a lot of the black experience to where the alcohol and music was an escape rather than being a starving artist’s expression
Right, I get that. I’m just thinking that the song isn’t about racism. Other than the fact that he’s black and has the black man’s blues. If the song was talking about his life as a black man or how he ended up a bum that would be different. But it’s the way a child sees a black guy with killer guitar playing skills. Very innocent
You are underthinking it.
