Re: Lennon’s Reagan Revolution
I love this John Lennon story, though I wish he’d had the courage to come out of the closet. His assassin may have robbed us of more than a great musician. But am I crazy — I’ve always seen two major Beatles songs as very strong conservative statements, and counter-counter-cultural ones at that. “Taxman” is an obvious rip on the grasping leviathan state. “Declare the pennies on your eyes” hits estate taxes, while “You’re working for no one but me” speaks for itself. The entire song could describe the Club for Growth’s reason to exist. It’s even bipartisan, so the Tea Party could use it as a platform. And “Revolution,” arguably the gutsiest rock song of the 1960s, slams hippies for being wild-eyed dopes who don’t really understand what they’re demanding. The song even slams idolization of Mao — 12 years before the Chinese Communist Party officially blamed Mao for the brutalities of the Cultural Revolution, and when the left was enamored with him.
You say you’ll change the constitution
Well, you know
We all want to change your head
You tell me it’s the institution
Well, you know
You better free you mind instead
But if you go carrying pictures of chairman Mao
You ain’t going to make it with anyone anyhow
That’s a brilliant takedown, Lincolnesque its brevity and a million times more informed than anything political rockers like Green Day are capable of now. Yeah, the quartet has had their sillier moments too, like, well, Yoko, and “Imagine” is the most overrated song of the pop era in my opinion. But the Beatles have never been one dimensional on politics. It’s part of their mass appeal. And their most obvious successors, U2, have followed in the Beatles’ footsteps on this. Bono can be insufferable, but he can also reach across the aisle, and The Edge and drummer Larry Mullen tend to be pretty mainstream on the rare times they say anything political. Also like the Beatles, U2 aren’t really the best musicians in the world. They’re just incredibly creative with the skills they do have and the words they do put together.
God knows I love John Lennon, but to compare his soft-spoken “Revolution” to “anything political rockers like Green Day are capable of now” is just naive. Times have changed a lot since the wonderful, dreamy Sixties, when Lennon wrote that lovely song. In the forty years since, Green Day realizes you need to SHOUT — not whisper — your message. Just one example from “Holiday” delivers a stinging critique of our worst president:
Sieg Heil to the president Gasman
Bombs away is your punishment
Pulverize the Eiffel towers
Who criticize your government
You need to listen to more Green Day before you disparage their ability to make vivid, vital political commentary.
Actually you’ve made my point. Green Day is predictable, very predictable, which among other things makes them boring (though I do like some of their songs, they have a good sound). They’re always shouting in the same direction, and pandering to their fan base. Revolution was a shout at the Beatles’ own hippie fans, challenging those fans’ assumptions. That took guts.
You’re betraying your slant here. Green Day hates America, their song “American Idiot,” makes that quite clear.
So you’re holding out as a role model, a band which hates and mocks the country and system that made it possible for them to be wealthy.
Boy that sure makes sense.
Taxman was written by George Harrison. You think U2 measures up to the Beatles? The Eagles are more to my taste.
I like me some Eagles but I don’t think they ever were as dominant as the Beatles or U2 have been at times. But I could be wrong, I was a kid when the Eagles were in their heyday.
Taxman was written by George Harrison, and I am not sure how much editorial control Lennon and/or McCartnely had over Harrison’s work that made it to release (maybe they said you get two songs, do whatever you want?), so it may be incorrect to ascribe the sentiments of that song to Lennon.
I did attribute both “Taxman” and “Revolution” to the Beatles generally in the post, fwiw. Point being, they weren’t as politically predictable as today’s one-note political rockers tend to be, and that’s part of their appeal. You can listen to the Beatles and not feel like you’re getting yelled at our lectured to by a leftwing Neanderthal.
“You can listen to the Beatles and not feel like you’re getting yelled at our lectured to by a leftwing Neanderthal.”
Bryan, your point is taken but by that standard I’d say the large majority of top selling rock/pop performers since the Beatles’ day (for the most part) clear that bar – at least with their recorded music, never mind their public statement. Examples:
The Who (hey, “won’t get fooled again” was conservative!)
Rolling Stones
Clapton
Led Zeppelin
Beach Boys
The Doors
Boston
The Kinks
Van Halen
Aerosmith
CCR
Journey
Foreigner
AC/DC
Styx
Chicago
Kiss
The Police