Back in high school in one of our history classes, we covered the events in the lyrics of this song. The history teacher / basketball coach thought that would be a great idea, and in hindsight, it was.
Apr 2Liked by Chris J. Karr, David Thornton, Jay Berman
Back in my working days, as the internet and blogging was becoming a thing, i found a group of labor activists who had mastered the art of online discussions. Organized labor hated them. The internet had become the great equalizer as those having nothing could compete with the big boys who had it all; money power and the ability to hit the reformers with slap suits.
None of which matters, other than we had a term we often used as we continually found intersecting anecdotes, which connected our stories. The phrase was;"synchronicity." Sorry to sound dumb, i had to look up the meaning when i first read it. Some of those posting were big-brains; i wasn't one of them.
I've mentioned before, my mail box opens almost every morning with links from EE (which i mostly ignore) and two others, The Racket and The Bulwark (both of which i read religiously). So imagine my surprise when i read your header this morning David. It was pure synchronicity.
Here's why; The Morning Shots on The Bulwark was in part about the Lee Greenwood song "God Bless the USA." In the 100 plus comments i read, the consensus was it wasn't all that great to begin with but once trump bastardized it, the reviews were even less stellar (i'm being kind here).
Stay with me, promise i'll connect the dots. There were several other songs suggested from America the Beautiful to the anti-trumpers suggestions to stay even more patriotic, perhaps using the Star Spangled Banner. My mind works oddly and it started racing across my collection of favorites from my youth.
Being born a year earlier than Billy Joel, my list is mostly older. The first coming to mind was from more my rebel side; Barry McGuire's 1965 anthem, Eve of Destruction. Next up was the much later written 1992 hit from Leonard Cohen, Democracy is Coming to the USA. Loved that song and especially loved the darkness in Cohen.
The last one and exactly where synchronicity fits in was as i was wandering through the catalogue of favorites was your choice; We Didn't Start The Fire. I can't tell you how many times i watched it on youtube as the chords stuck such a powerful and compelling note. His rapid fire lyrics only added the majesty of the moment i had with each viewing.
You are right; what we write is meaningless in the grand scheme of outcomes. However, what we write helps us all connect the dots. There are countless numbers of us struggling through the trials and tribulations life throws at us. When we read stories of who, how and what we are, it helps affirm there is more to life than hating and being angry at the other side.
Thanks for that David, Steve and Jay; as the rest of us stay connected from afar.
I seldom respond but in this case i will make an exception along with a link. Before i do, i did some digging and read Cohen claimed the inspiration came when the Berlin Wall was taken down. I didn't know that.
Better yet, he was Canadian born but his contention regarding the song said this:"His words about “Democracy” not being an ironic song are crucial here. This is not a “Born In The U.S.A” situation, where patriotic music is used to deliver a stinging message about our country. When Cohen slips into the heartland rock touches of “Democracy,” he is doing so to emphasize the song’s sneaky, clear-eyed optimism. When he sings, “Democracy is coming to the USA.” in the chorus, it is more with fingers crossed than with tongue in cheek."
Back in high school in one of our history classes, we covered the events in the lyrics of this song. The history teacher / basketball coach thought that would be a great idea, and in hindsight, it was.
Back in my working days, as the internet and blogging was becoming a thing, i found a group of labor activists who had mastered the art of online discussions. Organized labor hated them. The internet had become the great equalizer as those having nothing could compete with the big boys who had it all; money power and the ability to hit the reformers with slap suits.
None of which matters, other than we had a term we often used as we continually found intersecting anecdotes, which connected our stories. The phrase was;"synchronicity." Sorry to sound dumb, i had to look up the meaning when i first read it. Some of those posting were big-brains; i wasn't one of them.
I've mentioned before, my mail box opens almost every morning with links from EE (which i mostly ignore) and two others, The Racket and The Bulwark (both of which i read religiously). So imagine my surprise when i read your header this morning David. It was pure synchronicity.
Here's why; The Morning Shots on The Bulwark was in part about the Lee Greenwood song "God Bless the USA." In the 100 plus comments i read, the consensus was it wasn't all that great to begin with but once trump bastardized it, the reviews were even less stellar (i'm being kind here).
Stay with me, promise i'll connect the dots. There were several other songs suggested from America the Beautiful to the anti-trumpers suggestions to stay even more patriotic, perhaps using the Star Spangled Banner. My mind works oddly and it started racing across my collection of favorites from my youth.
Being born a year earlier than Billy Joel, my list is mostly older. The first coming to mind was from more my rebel side; Barry McGuire's 1965 anthem, Eve of Destruction. Next up was the much later written 1992 hit from Leonard Cohen, Democracy is Coming to the USA. Loved that song and especially loved the darkness in Cohen.
The last one and exactly where synchronicity fits in was as i was wandering through the catalogue of favorites was your choice; We Didn't Start The Fire. I can't tell you how many times i watched it on youtube as the chords stuck such a powerful and compelling note. His rapid fire lyrics only added the majesty of the moment i had with each viewing.
You are right; what we write is meaningless in the grand scheme of outcomes. However, what we write helps us all connect the dots. There are countless numbers of us struggling through the trials and tribulations life throws at us. When we read stories of who, how and what we are, it helps affirm there is more to life than hating and being angry at the other side.
Thanks for that David, Steve and Jay; as the rest of us stay connected from afar.
Thanks for your compliments. Eve of Destruction is a great song too. Not familiar with the Cohen one.
I seldom respond but in this case i will make an exception along with a link. Before i do, i did some digging and read Cohen claimed the inspiration came when the Berlin Wall was taken down. I didn't know that.
Better yet, he was Canadian born but his contention regarding the song said this:"His words about “Democracy” not being an ironic song are crucial here. This is not a “Born In The U.S.A” situation, where patriotic music is used to deliver a stinging message about our country. When Cohen slips into the heartland rock touches of “Democracy,” he is doing so to emphasize the song’s sneaky, clear-eyed optimism. When he sings, “Democracy is coming to the USA.” in the chorus, it is more with fingers crossed than with tongue in cheek."
When you have a moment, here's the link on youtube from his Live In London. Enjoy: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifwtWF485HU
Cohen was easy to listen to. I would play one of his CDs when I just wanted to relax. He claimed there were at least 80 verses to "Hallelujah".