Standards, right? "God Bless The Child".
Didja ever hear the Richie Havens take?
Somehow, this standard about a person angry at her family, becomes a song about America.
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Then there are the songs that I never knew -were- standards
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CNOTU-Sp8DE&pp=ygUTU3dlZXQgaG9uZXkgYmFieWxvbg%3D%3D
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP3PIn8ff74&pp=ygUTdGFsa2luZyBoZWFkcyByaXZlcg%3D%3D
@NilaJones Good examples!
A "Rivers" cover I always loved was by, of all the goddamned things, Sublime.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dULC24US1w8
Babylon is arguably the oldest trope in Western history.
@NilaJones As for take me to the river, well. That's the one, isn't it.
That's what I thought, that Rivers of Babylon was an old spiritual. But it turns out it's boney m, iirc
@NilaJones The *allegory* pre-dates us both.
Well yes, of course
I am not really a Torah or Bible person, but I did look this one up. I think the next line after the part in the song is the big about wanting to take the children of our enemies and dash their heads against the rocks
Which put a whole 'nother perspective on the song for me. One many people would have been familiar with, and would be hearing unspoken
@NilaJones What we had was some obstreperous persons, who happened to live in our near middle east, I ain't sayin' where, and an imperial force of tremendous power.
And, after some considerable exasperation, the imperial power said, "fuck all y'all, everyone who's anyone must leave your home and come to my city under my direct supervision".
They were made "slaves". But. Not. Like, you know, not our kinda slaves. The rules in Babylon were rather different than the rules in Virginia.
@NilaJones So. Two, mmmm, maybe three(?) generations go by, and the ruler says, "Whatever, go back home, fuck it."
And they went back home, and their idea was that, returning, they would take up the reins of power their ancestors had held.
Except. Well. There were people there who held those reins of power. And they weren't about all that shit.
@NilaJones So there was a civil war in Judea. And the winners were the exiles. And the stories backing their claim to control, those stories required them to be the great sufferers of Persian slavery.
They were not slaves. Their suffering amounted to being deported from Judea.
But they did win.
And we have that idea.
And pretend-slave stories, two thousand years later, became important parts of actual slaves lives.
@NilaJones And there is fucking *art* coming from all of this, well, not quite technically true.
When we ask how far we are from Canaan? We're talking about the Babylonian exile.
Here's a *brilliant* modern take of "how far am I from Canaan".
@NilaJones My first serious encounter with music of Christianity was "Jesus Christ Superstar", but right around then, a little after maybe, was "Godspell", and it has the most beautiful song.
"On The Willows"
@NilaJones Right? And you're like, welllllll, that's a good song. But then you remember, that's a three thousand year old metaphor. That's older than Plato's fucking cave.
And it's one that really reaches me. How can we sing our holy songs in this strange land?
@NilaJones We can, Nila, because it's you and me, and we fucking sing, and we won't stop singing.
I'mo cite a whole different tradition that still yet begins with us.
"Redemption Song".
Disturbed brings out the class warfare that was always in this song, but only if we really listened to the lyrics
@NilaJones That's an excellent take and a good vid.
Or, how about U2's "One". Listen to the Mary J Blige collaboration, and feel this angry love song turn right under your hands, into something else.
@GeePawHill Thank you for sharing. i’m a #u2 completist, and never heard this version. it’s gorgeous.
