Amerika is Wunderbar!

[intertribal]

Since selfavowedgeek made one, I decided to make a 4th of July playlist too.  It's a touch on the cynical side.  And by a touch I mean a huge wallop on the cynical side.  But that should surprise no one. 

Part I.  America Talks To Itself

1.  "American Pie" - Don McLean

Did you write the Book of Love, and do you have faith in God above if the Bible tells you so?
Do you believe in rock 'n' roll, can music save your mortal soul, and can you teach me how to dance real slow?

2.  "The 50 States Song" - Sufjan Stevens

Visit Nebraska, there's nothing to do

3.  "Born in the U.S.A." - Bruce Springsteen

Down in the shadow of the penitentiary, out by the gas fires of the refinery
I'm ten years burnin' down the road - nowhere to run, ain't got nowhere to go
Born in the USA, I was born in the USA
Born in the USA, I'm a long-gone daddy in the USA

4.  "Army Dreamers" - Kate Bush

What could he do, should've been a rock star - but he didn't have the money for a guitar
What could he do, should've been a politician - but he never had a proper education
What could he do, should've been a father - but he never even made it to his 20s

5.  "Fortunate Son" - Creedence Clearwater Revival

Some folks are born made to wave the flag, ooh, they're red, white and blue
And when the band plays "Hail To The Chief", oh, they point the cannon at you, Lord,
Some folks inherit star spangled eyes, ooh, they send you down to war, Lord,
And when you ask them "how much should we give?" they only answer, "more, more, more"
It ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one

6.  "Rooster" - Alice in Chains

Walkin' tall machine gun man, they spit on me in my homeland
Gloria sent me pictures of my boy, got my pills 'gainst mosquito death
Yeah, they come to snuff the rooster, yeah, here come the rooster

7.  "For What It's Worth" - Buffalo Springfield

There's battle lines being drawn, nobody's right if everybody's wrong
Paranoia strikes deep - into your life it will creep
It starts when you're always afraid - step out of line, the man'll come and take you away
Stop, now, what's that sound - everybody look what's goin' down

8.  "(Antichrist Television Blues)" - The Arcade Fire

Dear God, I'm a good Christian man, in your glory, I know you understand,
That you gotta work hard and you gotta get paid,
My girl's 13 but she don't act her age, she can sing like a bird in a cage,
Oh Lord, if you could see her when she's up on that stage!
Do you know where I was at your age?  Any idea where I was at your age?
I was working downtown for the minimum wage, and I'm not gonna let you just throw it all away.
I'm through being cute, I'm through being nice, oh tell me, Lord, am I the Antichrist?!

Part II.  America in the World; The World Talks Back

1.  "Amerika" - Rammstein

We're all living in Amerika, Amerika is wunderbar
We're all living in Amerika, Coca Cola, wonderbra
We're all living in Amerika, Coca Cola, sometimes war
This is not a love song!  I don't speak my mother tongue!  No, this is not a love song!

2.  "God Loves America" - Swans

So God forgive America, the end of history is now
And God may save the victim, but only the murderer holds real power

3.  "Touched" - VAST

I looked into your eyes and saw a world that does not exist
I looked into your eyes and saw a world I wish I was in
I'll never find someone quite as touched as you
I'll never love someone quite the way that I loved you

4.  "Crumbs From Your Table" - U2

You were pretty as a picture, it was all there to see
Then your face caught up with your psychology
With a mouthful of teeth, you ate all your friends
And you broke every heart, thinking every heart mends

5.  "Beware" - Deftones

You should know, really, that this could end
You should know I could never make it work
Do you like the way the water tastes?  (Like gunfire!)
Do you like the way the water tastes?  (Stop it!)
Beware the water!  Beware the water!

6.  "Hate This And I'll Love You" - Muse

Oh I am growing tired of allowing you to steal everything I have
You're making me feel like I was born to service you - but I am growing by the hour
Cuz I was born to destroy you, and I am growing by the hour

7.  "Murderer" - Low

Don't act so innocent, I've seen you pound your fist into the earth
And I've read your books - seems that you could use another fool
Well, I'm cruel, and I look right through
You must have more important things to do
So if you need a murderer, someone to do your dirty work...

8.  "Forgetting" - Philip Glass

A man wakes up to the sound of rain from a dream about his lovers who pass through his room
The man is awake now, he can't catch his sleep again
So he repeats these words, over and over again:
Bravery.  Kindness.  Clarity.  Honesty.  Compassion.  Generosity.
Bravery.  Honesty.  Dignity.  Clarity.  Kindness.  Compassion. 

Part III.  Group Hug!

"We Didn't Start the Fire" - Billy Joel

Birth control, Ho Chi Minh, Richard Nixon back again, Moonshot, Woodstock, Watergate, punk rock
Begin, Reagan, Palestine, terror on the airline, Ayatollah's in Iran, Russians in Afghanistan
Wheel of Fortune, Sally Ride, heavy metal suicide, foreign debts, homeless vets, AIDS, crack, Bernie Goetz
Hypodermics on the shore, China's under martial law, rock and roller cola wars, I can't take it anymore!
We didn't start the fire - it was always burning, since the world's been turning
We didn't start the fire - but when we are gone, it will still burn on and on and on and on...

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

God I love your tags :D

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

And--American Pie, wow. I can remember being like six or seven and hearing that song for the first time, and singing the chorus. I associate it with standing on the sidewalk and going "Peace! Peace!" and making the peace sign at any guys on motorcycles that went by.

[intertribal.livejournal.com]

I can so imagine you doing this - that is very cute. Part of me actually prefers the disco version of Madonna's cover, but I recognize that Don McLean's is the original, and has all the good lyrics :)

[royinpink.livejournal.com]

It just reminds me of my dad and him explaining how the day the music died is all about Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper and all them dying in the plane crash..

[selfavowedgeek.livejournal.com]

Ah, that's so swe--

Hey, waitaminute! ;)

No, seriously, I kept my own post short and all. Came close to putting Springsteen and McLean in there. Hey, our posts together make for some great juxtaposing. I dig.

"Rooster" is among my fave AIC songs, and I think "Amerika" rocks, too.

[intertribal.livejournal.com]

Heh heh. Yeah, I thought it was a decent counter-balance. And I am very bad about keeping posts short if you haven't noticed!

"Rooster"'s a great, scary song. "Amerika" I find more funny, until it gets to the "this is not a love song" part. Have you seen the video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WM73Dg7j70)? It's one of my favorites of all time.

[selfavowedgeek.livejournal.com]

Clint directed me sometime last year to "Amerika," and, yes, the video is awesome, too.

Always up for some counter-balance. Very much in keeping with the spirit of the day, yo.

[piraticalbias.livejournal.com]

No 51st State? :-) (New Model Army)

[royinpink.livejournal.com]

Also, I had no idea you liked Alice in Chains? I really liked them back in high school...deleted most their stuff of my computer, but i still have a live version of Rooster (among other songs), and of course hard copies of their albums.