Tom Robinson Band: “Sing If You’re Glad to Be Gay”

Politics

A mere selection to get things going. I have deliberately excluded the likes of Ber Cowen and whoever inflicted arise and follow Charlie as they are not about politics.

I include Mr. Coulter despite the war crime that is Ireland’s Call as I am sure any of the notables below would have been proud of the line “what’s won is won, what’s done is done and what lost is lost and gone forever”

The times are a changing – Bob Dylan – The nail in the coffin of Eisenhower’s America
Redemption Song – Bob Marley – From the injustices of slavery to the injustices of atomic war
Londons Burning – The Clash – Thatcherism
The lonsome death of Hattie Carroll – Bob Dylan – Justice for the haves versus the have nots
Ghost Town – The Specials – Living on projects in London
Man of constant sorrow – Woodie Guthrie, various – Dustbowl song of the American Great Depression
Rock the Casbah – the Clash – Anti Khomeini revolution & the banning of pop music
Zimbabwe – Bob Marley – Decolonisation and apartheid
Where have all the flowers gone – Pete Seeger – Anti-Vietnam
We shall overcome – Pete Seeger & others – Anti-Vietnam
The ballad of the thin man – Bob Dylan – Anti-Vietnam & CIA in particular
Masters of War – Bob Dylan – Anti-Vietnam
Free Nelson Mandela – various – Apartheid
Fortunate Son – Creedence Clearwater Revival – Anti-Vietnam
Democracy – Leonard Cohen – Response to Republican Conservatism in the US
The Partisan – Leonard Cohen (tradition France) – Nazi Resistance
Run away – Bronski Beat – Homophobia
Luca – Suzanne Vega – Child abuse
Bullet the blue sky – U2 – US Policy in El Salvador
Mothers of the dissapeared – U2 – Mothers of the victims of Pinochet
The town I loved so well – Phil Coulter – Norn Ireland

Banana Republic – Boomtown Rats – Catholic Ireland and all that schtick
Africa Unite – Bob Marley – Pan-African Nationalism
Strange Fruit – Billie Holiday – Lynch mobs in the deep south
Letter from America – The Proclaimers – Scottish Emigration and the Highland Clearances
Cap in Hand – The Proclaimers – Scottish Nationalism
Nebraska – Bruce Springsteen – Serial Killing and the Death Sentence

Possibly the most hardcore of the lot apart from London’s Calling is War by Bob Marley.

He took the address by Haile Selassie to the UN assembly on decolonisation which notwithstanding Selassie’s record is a powerful piece of rhetoric that can stand shoulder to shoulder with anything else out there. I am probably misquoting but it goes something like:

“Until the philosophy, the holds one race to be superior and another, inferior, is finally, and permanently, discredited, and abandoned / until the day, that the colour of a mans skin, is of no more significance than the colour, of his eyes / war war / until that day the african continent will not know peace / war war/ the dream of lasting peace, world citizenship, will remain but a fleeting illusion to be persued, but never attained / everywhere is war”

Endorse anything by Clash and Dylan but robo have to correct you, the Specials were from Coventry not London..but my all time best ever political anthem is God Save the Queen by Punk god second generation Irish and utter utter genius John Lydon aka Rotten…Punktastic…and no Nomophobic remarks about his name thanx

Gosh, I’m looking forward to playing some of these on YouTube. I wrote a piece for the Irish Times some years back, saying we needed a new national anthem to replace the militaristic Amhran na bhFiann which is out of tune (no pun intended) with the new political era ushered in by the Good Friday Agreement. I suggested A Nation Once Again but now think that would be too much for unionists to swallow.There must be something else, but nothing too bland please.

If it isn’t it’s close. Deaglán what do you think of that big fat lie in the middle of Amhráin na bhFiann? The bit about how no more our ancient sireland shall shelter the despot or the slave? Btw I’m away for a few days look forward to your reply.

We’re talking about political songs here, Pomme/Anna/Nemo. I’m taking a couple of weeks off myself but will look in on the comments from time to time in case it gets rough!

Actually ‘Joanna’ is an aka for ‘Johannesburg’, incidentally the title of a very political song (imho) by Barry White of all people…

Do you have any suggestions for anthem of my political party. It’s social – democratic, social – liberal, liberal democratic, internationalist and third way, so also anationalistic and anti – racist party. So, center – left (but more centre). As for now, here are some suggestions by myself, help me please:

(Names of songs are in serbian, sorry for that):

- Oda radosti (eng. Ode to joy), Ludvig Van Betoven, 3 minuta i 25 sekundi
- Zapanjaju?a milost (eng. Amazing grace), Džon Njuton, 3 minuta i 37 sekundi
- O, kako predivan svet (eng. What a wonderful world), Luj Armstrong, 2 minuta i 21 sekund
- Internacionala (eng. The Internationale ; L’Internationale), Eugen Potijer, 3 minuta i 47 sekundi
- Mir ?e do?i (eng. Peace will come), Karen Kavalerjan, 3 minuta i 3 sekunde
- Zemljina pesma (eng. Earth song), Majkl Džekson, 6 minuta i 9 sekundi
- Daj šansu miru (eng. Give peace a chance), Džon Lenon, 5 minuta i 9 sekundi
- Da li je ovo svet koji smo stvorili…? (eng. Is this the world we created…?), Fredi Merkjuri, 2 minuta i 22 sekunde
- Demokratija (eng. Democracy), Leonard Koen, 7 minuta i 1 sekund
- Abraham, Martin, Džon (eng. Abraham, Martin, John), Martin Gej, 9 minuta i 20 sekundi

Now, do you have any other suggestions?

Re 17 How about ‘Stuck in the Middle with you’ or in the ‘Middle of Nowhere’…

A little Rise Against or Anti-flag for me.

‘Shipbuilding’ another great by Declan aka Elvis…But for a little Sexual Politics the Au Pairs ‘Armagh’, ‘we don’t torture we’re a civilised nation’…’32 women in Armagh jail’… and ‘Different but Equal’. The 80’s was such a highly charged time politically and musically particularly in London … ‘Punk’ changed the way women were perceived by the music industry, no longer seen a ‘chix’, hanging off the arm of some old hippie…but bona fide performers in their own right…all changed again now of course…It’s interesting that it really only took off when second generation London-Irish kids claimed it and the most memorable songs are by the same people…this little exercise has reminded me what an exciting energised that time it was… Nostalgia ain’t what it used to me…Think I might stand as Deputy for the Diaspora representing the 33rd Co… Kilburn of course…

@ 6 – not so sure that they are belly aching males. If that is the case then anyone with an opinion is a belly aching so and so.

When Cohen played this in the Royal Hospital Kilmainham it was the first time I thought Obama would win the election.

Democracy (Album The Future 1993)

It’s coming through a hole in the air
‘from those nights in tiananmen square
It’s coming from the feel
That it ain’t exactly real
Or it’s real, but it ain’t exactly there
from the wars against disorder
from the sirens night and day
from the fires of the homeless
from the ashes of the gay
Democracy is coming to the u.s.a.

It’s coming through a crack in the wall
On a visionary flood of alcohol
from the staggering account
Of the sermon on the mount
Which I don’t pretend to understand at all
It’s coming from the silence
On the dock of the bay
from the brave, the bold, the battered
Heart of chevrolet
Democracy is coming to the u.s.a.

It’s coming from the sorrow on the street
The holy places where the races meet
from the homicidal bitchin’
That goes down in every kitchen
To determine who will serve and who will eat
from the wells of disappointment
Where the women kneel to pray
For the grace of God in the desert here
And the desert far away
Democracy is coming to the u.s.a.

Chorus
Sail on, sail on
O mighty ship of state!
To the shores of need
Past the reefs of greed
Through the squalls of hate
Sail on, sail on, sail on…

It’s coming to america first
The cradle of the best and of the worst
It’s here they got the range
And the machinery for change
And it’s here they got the spiritual thirst
It’s here the family’s broken
And it’s here the lonely say
That the heart has got to open
In a fundamental way
Democracy is coming to the u.s.a.

It’s coming from the women and the men
O baby, we’ll be making love again
We’ll be going down so deep
That the river’s going to weep
And the mountain’s going to shout amen!
It’s coming like the tidal flood
Beneath the lunar sway
Imperial, mysterious
In amorous array
Democracy is coming to the u.s.a.

Chorus

I’m sentimental, if you know what I mean
I love the country but I can’t stand the scene
And I’m neither left or right
I’m just staying home tonight
Getting lost in that hopeless little screen
But I’m stubborn as those garbage bags
That time cannot decay
I’m junk but I’m still holding up
This little wild bouquet
Democracy is coming to the u.s.a.

Never Stop – Echo and the Bunnymen, described by McCulloch as a ‘post election protest song’, written after Thatcher’s election victory in 1983.

Money’s Too Tight to Mention – The Valentine Brothers
Soulful rage against Reagonomics

Saturday’s Kids – the Jam
Best political love song

Apocalyptic survival

Dunno what’s the best political song ever but imo the best political album is “The Final Cut”.
“Tell me true, tell me why, was Jesus, crucified? Was it for THIS that, Daddy died? Was it you, was it me? Did I watch too much tv? Is that a hint of accusation in your eyes?”

What have you done? FF what have you done? What have you done, to Ireland?

Forgot to give you the link for Original Eve of Destruction (Destructshin) (edited for Barry McGuire), which was written way way back in the day and seems apocalyptic/prophetic now, especially looking at the video.

http://www.wikio.com/video/217521

ps sorry I started a cat fight with Spud (Pomme) well she calls me Barbie so there — she’s way to clever for me!
Robespierre seems so genuine and certainly knows/loves his music — could do a spot on Lyric fm why not. I’ve already broken nearly all my NY 2010 resolutions. Am trying to fix it. Draw the line at Nancy Griffith though — I’ll just say awful.

Pomme: Surprised a good Norniron republican like you didn’t pick Something Inside So Strong, which is or at least was sung at the end of the Sinn Fein ardfheis.

Deaglan: I’ve never been to NI in my life and have no intention of doing so at least until there is a United Ireland and/or do something about that accent…However ‘Something inside so Strong’ is a very powerful anthem and I’m not surprised the bhoys chose it… a tribute to Nelson Mandela as I recall but like my coffee I take my freedom fighters black or white…Anyway I thought you were on leave…
Robespierre…you posted some information re diet for cancer patients…however for the life of me I can’t find the blog if you can remember what it was can you tell me and ‘ll archive it alternatively maybe you would kind enough to repost it here…many thanks…:-)

Robespierre: Thank you

Is that a Ghandi quote or the line from “The Logical Song” by Supertramp?

Interesting piece in today’s IT by Breda O’Brien on topics previously covered in on this blog c.f. ‘Into the Abyss’ et seq, including the tendency for bloggers to ‘play the wo/man’ rather than the ball in a way that would be unacceptable in face to face conversation…Perhaps the tone is set by the Blogerati rather than the congregation…? anyway it makes me feel better to have at least one ally…For those who have not already found it the Pope (Pricewatch) is hosting blog party…’Now for Something Completely Different’ on his blog site…have a look if only for a little levity…some laugh out loud posts! Enjoy…

Personally, I like ‘Amhran na bhFiann’ and if Karlin Lillington’s piece in the IT yesterday is to be believed so do a lot of other people.
Evidently it has been a shock success as a Nokia download, 50% of which is outside the Irish market…wherever that is!
imo it is ‘a stirring rousing chorus’ and hope it will not be jettisoned for some half soaked PC alternative.Camels and committees spring to mind!
My limited knowledge of Irish politics informs me that the Constitution refers to Irish men and Women not just Irish men and women living in Ireland so I hope ‘we’ will be polled before the official anthem is replaced.
And what is all this pandering to Unionism all about? It’s bad enough on the Rugby field… have you ever heard anything about the Brits moderating or modifying their anthems or colours to accommodate cultural diversity…?

Bravo Kynos! For all their lip service you outmanoeuvred the Politerati and remembered MLK’s birthday/holiday…good for you…! hope you enjoyed your holiday too…now you have to go to the blog du jour (Pricewatch) see above and post 5 random/remotely interesting things about yourself/family not the gun thing please…

Guns are just tools Pommey. I’m crappadocio at doing what I’m told. Always was. Asked now, that’s a different thing. Asked politely. Always try to oblige. Told. Nah.

Suffragette City…How could I forget…Duh! Guess it’s because I’m a girl!

runaway train soul asylum