Knaan Waves HIs Flag

The song of 2010 was from a Somalian rapper named Knaan. He started to bubble in music circles in America but it wasn't really until the 2010 World Cup that his career took off. His debut album had just been released but it was his song "Wavin' Flag" that made him an international sensation. His song promoted freedom and happiness and soon became the number 1 song in a record number of countries.

This song linked to politics in that it connected many nations through music at a time when countries are meant to mingle each other the most, the World Cup. It songs like these that give hope that world peace is attainable.

Blog Post 7: Song Nine Inch Nails, Capital G

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H_1T0YibRVg

“Capital G” by Nine Inch Nails is about how greed transforms people specifically greedy politicians. This song was from the “Year Zero” album released in 2007 and the entire album criticizes the United States government’s policies, during the Bush administration and how they will affect the world in fifteen years. So if you analyze “Capital G” along with all the other songs in the album, this one song is implying that U.S. politicians are greedy and that as new candidates they come in with moral principles but as money comes into play they abandon those moral principles and ethical causes because they want more money. So “G,” according to Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails front man, means greed, but some people say that it is “G” for George W. Bush, which also fits.

I find the entire “Year Zero” album as an example of media convergence where the “flow of content is often believed to lead to collective creativity and community building” (Verstrate). During the release of “Year Zero” Trent Reznor’s marketing techniques involved creating an alternate reality were everyone can participate, for example behind the album is a phone number and if you dial the number it leads to the “Bureau of Morality’s” voice mail. There were also several posters posted that says “Art is Resistance, you have a voice…” In addition to that Trent Reznor also hid some USB flash drives in some concerts, intended for his unsuspecting fans to find and listen to some unreleased tracks and see some lab footage of people being tested by biological weapons used by the “Bureau of Morality.” Also in one of the Nine Inch Nails t-shirts were it shows the tour dates, some numbers were specifically highlighted and if you dial the number you hear various recorded phone calls from innocent civilians hiding from soldiers breaking into their homes and later they are found and screaming on the phone and into your ear. So Trent Reznor’s publicity stunts allowed for unsuspecting fans and people to be a part of a fictitious reality and community which is the ruined America due to the policies at the time.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

I thought of many musical pieces with political messages but, as tends to be the case for me, I could not relate them to topics from the class. I see several great choices have already been posted. I went searching for ideas and found the following by Gil Scott-Heron. I felt it was in line with the articles we read about "The Public Sphere", "From Public Sphere to Public Screen: Democracy, Activism, and the "Violence" of Seattle", and even "The Guerrilla Girls' Comic Politics of Subversion" in the visuals. Those visuals may have been put together by someone other than Gil Scott-Heron but his words definitely guided them. With those words he contrasts and "jams" the consumerism spread by media with the idea of "real" action.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGaoXAwl9kw

P.S. Even though these blogs are usually due by 12 noon I was compelled to take advantage of the 11:59PM stated in the instructions. Thanks

Macklemore

Macklemore's song "Same Love," discusses he struggle of being homosexuals. Here is an example of his argument that  same-sex couples should be able to be themselves.

"The right wing conservatives think it's a decision
And you can be cured with some treatment and religion
Man-made rewiring of a predisposition"

These lines display how politics play in people's personal life. Same-sex marriage is an issue that we have been going back and forth on for years. It was brave of Macklemore to take a stand on such a big issue and have no shame. In my opinion, he gained a lot of respect from the same-sex community and their supporters.

American Idiot by Green Day

If you are a fellow listener of 98.7 on the radio like myself, you will have heard this song a thousand times over.  To be honest, it was not until fairly recently that I knew that this song carried a political statement! At the time of its release in 2004, President Bush had just been re-elected as president, and this song was a response to it.  Within the song, one will find phrases such as "don't wanna be an American idiot" and "Well maybe I'm the faggot America. I'm not a part of a redneck agenda." Of course, through these lyrics Green day is talking about President Bush's conservative policies and how the nation is controlled by the new, biased media.  This song entered the public sphere and took off immediately, as it won two Grammy awards and is still very popular to this day.

Political song

Bright Eyes - "When the President Talks to God" 
I first heard this song when I was a teenager. I didn't know much about politics then or read into the lyrics too much, but I could tell even then it was really angst-y. Looking over the lyrics today with (slightly) better political knowledge, I can recognize more easily that it's about issues like abortion, the war with Iraq (which was a recent issue when the song was written nine or ten years ago), and foreign oil.  Political cynicism is certainly evident here. Negative face is as well: Conor Oberst (Bright Eyes frontman) is clearly a liberal and was not happy with the choices Bush made during his presidency. Instead of grounding the rightness of his claims with sound evidence, Oberst attempts to discredit Bush by making a personal attack - insulting his southern drawl and his religion and calling his policy "bullshit".

Peruvian Coke

http://youtu.be/8sTBSKT79H8

This 'Peruvian Coke' by  Immortal Technique highlights the issue with cocaine and the people it affects. As well as the corruption involved with the American government to the people who pay the price. It is a very interesting construct of the song, where everyone involved gets to speak and allow a new perspective of the illegal cocaine round.

Political parody song

The song is entitled "This Land", it is a parody of the original  song depicting America with the same title. The song is very funny, and at times uses negative face to depict the politicians poorly. Here is a link for the song

http://www.jibjab.com/originals/this_land

Dear Mr.President by P!nk

P1nk is one of my favorite artists because she is an amazing dancer with a beautiful singer. She sings about real life situations and a great example is "Dear Mr.President". The song just speaks about how the world is so corrupt from poverty, no right to be who you are, and people struggling to live. P1nk uses this song to express and stab the President about how he can live happily when so many people are struggling to make ends meet, worrying about their loved ones out fighting, and having their homes taken away. There are so many powerful lyrics in this song that express the emotional struggle that people other than the president have to live through. "How do you sleep while the rest of us cry? How do you dream when a mother has no chance to say goodbye? How do you walk with your head held high?" The song starts off with Pink asking the president to pretend for a moment that they are equal and she continuously asks the president how he lives when people are struggling. I believe this song is 10 times better because Pink chose to have just her voice and a guitar express her feelings. No electric pop music in the background, no base, just a simple acoustic song. This song has made Pink one of the most bravest and realist singers to actually sing about real life problems other than partying, sex, and drugs.

The Times They Are a-Changin'

The Times They Are a-Changin' came out in 1964, in the midst of the civil rights movement.  Bob Dylan sings in favor of the social change that is occurring, as he warns that "you better start swimming or you'll sink like a stone".  He then speaks directly to the government singing, "Come senators, Congressmen- Please heed the call. Don't stand at the doorway, don't block up the hall".  Lastly, he speaks to the older generation, telling them that their children's ideals are different than theirs and they should accept them, rather than trying to change them.  He  says, "Your old road is rapidly agin'.  Please get out of the new one if you can't lend a hand.  For the times they are a-changing. 

Although written 50 years ago, this song is still holds meaning to the social changes that are occurring today.  Although we are in a better place than back then, people are still fighting for equality and change. 

http://music.xbox.com/Track/E1763E00-0100-11DB-89CA-0019B92A3933?action=play