Constant or Changing Conditions That Lead to Rejection or Embracement of Continuity or Change in Lyric Trends

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Constant or Changing Conditions That Lead to Rejection or Embracement of Continuity or Change in Lyric Trends

Who would have ever predicted that the traditional 1915 song, America, I Love You (Reublin, 2004) would become Anti-FlagÐŽ¦s North America Sucks by the year 1998? Or 1775ÐŽ¦s The KingÐŽ¦s Regulars (History in a Song, 2004) become 2001ÐŽ¦s Son of a Bush? Since the American Revolution of 1775 to present-day September 11th attacks and United StatesÐŽ¦ war with Iraq, artists have taken advantage of their freedom of expression during conflicts by incorporating their own philosophies into their lyrics. When central themes of these wartime lyrics are analzed in chronological order, they show patterns that reflect the dichotomy of continuity and change.

When considering the American Revolution, Civil War, World Wars I and II, Vietnam War, September 11th attacks, and the war with Iraq, some lyric themes changed throughout history along with changing conditions, thus innovation overriding tradition, while other lyrics trends have remained throughout history due to several conditions remaining constant. The changing and continuing conditions are what make society embrace or reject change or continuity.

Changing conditions from the past leading embracement of change in lyrics--

Lyric trends present in the past that are not present today exist due to changes of influencing conditions throughout history. Examples consist of the rejection of continuity or embracement of change from patriotic lyrics during the American Revolution, Civil War, and the World Wars, to anti-war, anti-Bush, and anti-capitalism during the Vietnam War and war with Iraq. A condition during the American Revolution and Civil War was that the purpose of war was clearly stated. Americans fought in the Revolution to gain independence from England and be exempt from paying her taxes (Encyclopedia Americana, 1998). Americans fought in the Civil War because the North and South could not compromise on whether or not to abolish slavery. The North wished to abolish it for contradicting ideal freedom and equality while the South needed it for cheap labor in the fields, since they were not industrialized like the North (Weber, 2001). However, the condition of war being clearly stated changed during the Iraq war due to controversial reasons for war. Bush declared war to end HusseinÐŽ¦s rule and to destroy all weapons of mass destruction, however, society felt it was pointless for Bush to be minding the business of Iraq politics, and weapons of mass destruction have yet to be found. This led to the assumption of Bush killing for oil, an unjustified war. This change in conditions influenced lyrics.

A change in lyric themes from patriotism to anti-Bush due to his ÐŽ§unjustified killingЎЁ exists due to societyÐŽ¦s rejection of the continuity of being ÐŽ§toolsЎЁ in BushÐŽ¦s battle and embracement of change to object to unjustified killing. Patriotic lyrics such as ÐŽ§We march and we wheel, whatever you choose,ЎЁ (History in a Song, 2004) from the American Revolution in 1775 have changed to ÐŽ§I will not fight for your wealthÐŽKwe will not be tools!ЎЁ from our present-day war with Iraq. Similarly, George RootÐŽ¦s patriotic lyrics from 1862ÐŽ¦s Civil War Song, The Battle Cry of Freedom, ÐŽ§The Battle Cry of Freedom, which declared, ÐŽ§The Union [South] forever, down with the traitor!ЎЁ And ÐŽ§Brave boys are they, gone at their countryÐŽ¦s call!ЎЁ from Henry WorkÐŽ¦s 1861 song Brave Boys Are They (Tubb, 2004) have changed to anti-war and anti-Bush lyrics from Public EnemyÐŽ¦s 2003 Son of a BushÐŽ¦s, ÐŽ§Killed 135 at the last countÐŽKkilling machine,ЎЁ and Billy BragÐŽ¦s 2003 song, The Price of OilÐŽ¦s, ÐŽ§men in the white house they just donÐŽ¦t give a damn, itÐŽ¦s all about the price of oil..." (Kells, 2004).

Another set of conditions that changed and influenced lyrics was AmericaÐŽ¦s willingness to fight against democracyÐŽ¦s oppositions to protect the ÐŽ§American DreamЎЁ in World Wars I and II changing to the Dream being denied, thus not having people willing to fight. Under the condition that the ÐŽ§American DreamЎЁ was to be fulfilled, America joined World War I in 1917 to protect the ÐŽ§American DreamЎЁ from GermanyÐŽ¦s supposedly hidden agenda to undermine democracy (Koeller, 1999), and joined World War II in 1941 to protect US interest and democracy when Japan, Hitler, and Mussolini formed alliances after Japan attacked Pearl Harbor on December 7th that year (Huang, 2004). However, the Civil Rights Movement during the Vietnam War in the 1960ÐŽ¦s brought inequality into public attention which contradicted the Dream. As Civil Rights Worker John Otis Sumrall explained in a 1966 speech, ÐŽ§There are more black people now being inducted in the armed services in the South simply becauseÐŽKthe white people are afraid of [Civil Rights]ÐŽKIf they canÐŽ¦t shoot [us]ÐŽKthey use the legal way and draft us into the army.ЎЁ Also, Martin Luther King Jr wrote in his Letter From Birmingham Jail that ÐŽ§a law is unjust if it is inflicted on a minority that, as a result of being denied the right to vote, had no part in enacting or devising the law.ЎЁ Men getting drafted into the military at age 18 when the current voting age then was 21 could relate (Galt, 2000). In addition to this inequality, poverty and homelessness from the competitive capitalist economy has further denied the Dream. Although poverty was present in the past, it was after America was exempt from paying taxes to England, thus poverty was not given much attention considering the surrounding period. So now due to the changing condition that the American Dream has been denied, people have rejected the continuity of fighting for it and have embraced the change that if America cannot provide for them, they will not provide for America. This is evident in the change in lyrics.

Lyrics from the World Wars to the Vietnam War to the war with Iraq have again changed from patriotic to anti-war and anti-capitalism (for destroying the Dream). Lyrics such as ÐŽ§Everybody Do Your Bit [to serve],ЎЁ from Arthur BeddardÐŽ¦s 1917 song (Reublin, 2004) have gone to ÐŽ§We fought your war with all our hearts, you sent us back in body parts, your remainder is an unjustifiable egotistical struggle at the expense of the American Dream,ЎЁ from System of a DownÐŽ¦s 2002 A.D.D. (American Dream Denial). Red FoleyÐŽ¦s 1943 song, ÐŽ§ThereÐŽ¦s a Blue Light Shining