If you need proof that we are doomed as a civilized society, just read the lyrics of the most popular songs. That will inspire you to give away your possessions to go live in the forest and wistfully play a flute beside a mountain stream.
At the risk of sounding like a crusty, crabby curmudgeon, I regretfully lament the disappearance of quality lyrics in pop culture. With apologies to Pete Seeger’s original song, I ask “Where have all the lyrics gone?” Over the past 50 years, we’ve digressed from “I want to hold your hand” to “If I eat you like a cannibal ain’t nothing to it gangsta rap made me do it.”
The Number One song of 1964 was You’ve Lost that Loving Feeling performed by the Righteous Brothers. The opening lyrics were poignant:
You never close your eyes anymore when I kiss your lips.
And there’s no tenderness like before in your fingertips.”
One of the tops songs today is Drunk in Love performed by Beyoncé Knowles. Here are some of the lyrics in her top rated song:
We woke up in the kitchen saying “How in the hell did this sh#t happen?”
Nice.
And who wouldn’t be inspired by the creative words of Miley Cyrus singing in her pop tune We Can’t Stop:
To my home girls here with the big butts shaking it like we at a strip club.
Then there is the enchanted melody of HipHop/Rap music. The current number one song Fight the Power by Public Enemy offers this inspirational line:
I’m ready an’ hyped plus I’m amped most of my heroes don’t appear on no stamp.
Here’s the last awful lyric I can type without going blind. It’s from Lady Gaga’s “song” Beautiful, Dirty, Rich:
Beautiful and dirty dirty rich rich we’ve got a redlight pornographic dance fight systematic, honey but we got no money.
I enjoy music that was performed from the late 1960s through the 1980s. The top ten songs from 1980 feature the works of a wide diversity of artists: Blondie, Michael Jackson, Pink Floyd, Bette Midler, Billy Joel, Queen, and Paul McCartney. I’ll play their music any day. Other personal favorites include Procol Harum, Moody Blues, UB40, Carole King, and Norah Jones. I also listen to the music of current singers such as Katy Perry and Adele, and I’m a sucker for the crooners, from Frank Sinatra to Josh Groban.
But before I am pressured to make that final decision to buy a flute and escape to the forest, I’ll head down the freeway playing my favorite music. The perfect driving song is Go West, originally by the Village People but perfected by the Pet Shop Boys. Here are some of the understandable lyrics:
Go West. Life is peaceful there. Go West. In the open air.
Go West. Baby you and me. Go West. This is our destiny.
Today’s blog was fueled by a 2011 Salentein Reserve Malbec from Argentina. The intense aroma of blueberries, violets, and vanilla makes your taste buds wake up and holler “Give me some!” But this is one wine that has a fabulous nose but disappoints with taste. I’ll go back to Cabernet. And good music.
