It’s been a while since I’ve done this, so it’s long over due.
As you may know I am a fan of the 1940’s where more or less I contest that it was the pinnacle of not only American culture, but of the entire world.
And to show you how far our culture has degraded into putresence and filth I occasionally pull the lyrics from a song from the halcyon days of America and compare to the lyrics of a song from modern day America.
This old tune is called "Red Roses For A Blue Lady," it’s one of the songs Dave Thompson plays as a bumper for his show;
"I want some red roses for a blue lady.
Mister florist take my order please
We had a silly quarrel the other day
I hope these pretty flowers chase her blues away
I want some red roses for a blue lady
Send them to the sweetest gal in town
And if they do the trick,
I'll hurry back to pick
Your best white orchid for her wedding gown
(I want some red roses for a blue lady)
We had a silly quarrel the other day
I hope these pretty flowers chase her blues away
I want some red roses for a blue, blue lady
Send them to the sweetest gal in town
And if they do the trick,
I'll hurry back to pick
Your best white orchid for her wedding gown
Your best white orchid for her wedding gown"
Now, let us compare and contrast that little ditty with Andre Nickitina’s popular tune; "Smoke Dope and Rap."
"I smoke chewy like a mother fucking nutYou got a grab bag hit the zags and roll her upCuz a nigga like me, cant fake it when im highGet the visine for the tight red eyesJumped in the Cutlass with the niggas from the setThe blunt went out, but we aint done yetGet another one blaze like its barbeque beefit aint nuttin like a blunt for the funk in ya teethyea, im a skinny 6'5" motherfuckerif u didnt know me, you would think i was a cluckerbut im not a clucker im a dodger and a duckercome a lil closer im a show u im a punch yaand if i cant beat u get my gun and im a buck yaturn u over like a bitch pull out my dick and im a fuck yalike a fiend for the weed ill tweak4 15's in ur trunk thats beatproper ass amps abco, alpineput the coke on the dash roll a dolla do a linepump RBL's maybe 1 2 3 or the funky shit by the I.M.Pnow im high like a motherfucking jetfuck a 9 to 5 im a juke on the setslang these thangs and fuck these hoes,one line at a time goes up a niggas nosethe shit clean my sinuses just like a showerindo or tide blend it in with the powdernow im chewy high with a hard ass dickooh there goes my pager could it be a trick bitchoooh its Janine, she licked my dick cleancum right away bring a dime bag of weed Like a nigga thats sick, caught up in the grooveKill the pussy bust a nut and like a vet stick and move Out of that house a quickie I know she got mad Because I killed it and I didn't bring the weed I did bring the weed but I left in the my Cutty Did you really think I would smoke some dank with you dummy? (yeah) No, Dre Dog won't die See my nigga Cougnut nigga let's get high He said I got the drank and you got the dank He said my nigga Dre Dog Frisco is the place For me to get high and you to get drunk We smoke dope we rap and these hoes we fuck Ooh I'm high as hell from snorting that girl Rush Mr. Cee so I could tie me up a curl Out that shop hoes do jock See my Cutty in a rag I will drop top See the freak on the block I think her name was Kim Just stole her in the Cutty like Iceberg Slim I said how you doin, my name is Dre Dog You give me your number I'll give you a call She said my hair looked proper as it blew in the wind But I can't have her number cuz I fucked her best friend It's a pity I'm a nigga that just don't care Except for my dope my money and hair Cuz everywhere I go it's the same damn song Nigga smoke more dope than Cheech and Chong I love to tell the truth but I'm such a good liar The Dre Dog nigga smoke more than Richard Pryor I'm true to the dope that I smoke no joke Check me right now there's a gram in my coat Cocaine blunts (what?) and hip hop tapes (what?) Rubber car keys and ID that's fake And rhymes do pay so my pockets do grow I snort so much snow that they should call me Dre Blow Cuz I don't drink beer I don't drink gin Bust the freak hit the pussy then I try to fuck her friends Dre Dog don't laugh ain't a damn thing funny When niggas talk to freaks who ain't got no money I done smoke enough blunts fool to fill my brain Chewy boy do me raw cut cocaine And niggas get pumped when they smell dank-a-roma When they smell dank-a-roma then they know I'm on the corner They offer me drank but I don't get drunk I smoke dope I rap and these hoes I fuck"
Yes, I’m sure it is only a matter of mere seconds before the culture of Hip Hop ushers in a cultural renaissance for America.
This phenomenon is discussed extensively in Judge Robert Bork's excellent book Slouching Towards Gomorrah, among other topics. I own it, and cannot recommend it enough, even if it is A BOOK! *dramatic sting*
ReplyDeleteMy family sometimes wonders why I have a large collection of classic movies. This is an excellent example.
I've often pondered what would happen if we legalized drugs. The drug pushers and dealers would be phenomenal salesmen...that's if they would learn to put the guns down.
ReplyDeleteThere is a flaw that I've found in the drug legalization question, and I have yet to discover an answer for it. This has little to do with economics, so please bear with me, if you will.
ReplyDeleteOne of the major reasons why alcohol "works" in society is because humanity's been getting blitzed on booze in one form or another since civilization began. However, drugs other than alcohol have generally not found the same level of acceptance within Western culture, so you don't see, for example, the Romans getting high on tootskius during their palace parties, which is why they don't notice the Goths burning the joint (HAR!) down around them.
What I'm driving at is that in the West, "hard" drugs are generally shunned to a much greater degree than liquor, and so, given the somewhat tenuous relationship alcohol has had with society, it would be almost politically impossible to legalize anything harder than booze as it is, given the cultural factors involved.
I'm not coming down on the issue one way or the other, mind you; I'm just pointing out a cold, hard fact. It's what historians like to do. We're Captain Bringdown.
That culture changes from time to time is nothing new. Look at the difference in clothing and the role of women in society between the year 1790 and 1940.
ReplyDeleteYou say that the 1940's were the greatest decade of the world. Here are some critics about this decade:
- Most people (even economists) believed that free markets had no future. They came up with Keynesianism, fixed currency-exchange rates (Bretton-Woods System)
- More people than ever before believed in socialism (Britain, France, Italy, even Japan and USA). Socialism and and it's less radical parts dominated political culture around the world. The classical liberal state from the 19th century was declared dead.
And finally I wonder what kind of culture existed in countries like Germany or Japan in this time (even if you mean the post-war 40's).
Meh, rose-tinted nostalgia.
ReplyDeleteYou could make any sort of comparison you want, just within the realm of music, by taking one song from the 1940's that you think was great, and comparing it to one song from the decade ending in 2006 that you think is particularly bad. So what? Show me a reasonable statistical analysis that demonstrates a significant trend across a broad sample of music from multiple eras (more than 2 decade-bins, please) and maybe you've got something.
Otherwise, this is no more interesting than the "in my day, we had to walk to school!" rants of architypal grumpy old men.
"This thing was great, that thing is terrrible" is not a convincing argument of any trend broader than song A is better than song B.