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thefalafelking View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Topic: Zappa: Trouble Every Day - Best protest s
    Posted: June 07 2006 at 12:34
I just looked into the lyrics of Zappa's 'Trouble Every Day' (from his amazing debutalbum 'Freak Out!') and I think it's the work of a genius (as most songs by Zappa), especially lyrically. Musically it's one of his most simple songs I think, which make the listener focus almost completely on the words. The accents he lays while singing sound very natural, sincere and powerfull. His great strength is the way how he incorporates his satiric humor in the song. Besides being powerfull it's also still actual today:

"...In the papers and TV
'N all that mass stupidity
That seems to grow more every day
Each time you hear some nitwit say
He wants to go and do you in
Because the color of your skin
Just don't appeal to him
(No matter if it's black or white)
Because he's out for blood tonight..."

(Zappa concludes the song with a light note of a certain banality: "Blow your harmonica son" (to Ray Collins).)
Now I'm not really a fan of protest songs and I only know some rough history about the events here, but I'm sure this is one of the best protest songs ever.

any toughts?

cheers

flfkng
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Equality 7-2521 View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2006 at 12:42

I think the best is going a little too far, but yes it's a very good song, but there are better. For example in prog we have Genesis' "Get EM Out By Friday" which is executed with much better imagry, and outside of prog we have what I personally believe to be the best protest song, Dylan's Union Sunrise look at some of the lyrics:

" Democracy don't rule the world,
You'd better get that in your head.
This world is ruled by violence
But I guess that's better left unsaid.
From Broadway to the Milky Way,
That's a lot of territory indeed
And a man's gonna do what he has to do
When he's got a hungry mouth to feed.

Well, it's sundown on the union
And what's made in the U.S.A.
Sure was a good idea
'Til greed got in the way."

"One had to be a Newton to notice that the moon is falling, when everyone sees that it doesn't fall. "
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RoyalJelly View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2006 at 13:09
     Listen to the song "Dumb All Over" on You Are What You Is. It was a pretty clear picture of the world of culture clashes we're heading into today, but done in about 1982. "Jesus Thinks You're a Jerk" (Broadway the Hard Way) is also a good portrait of the religious fanatics dominating our govt. policies, much worse today than when he wrote it.
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2006 at 13:48
I agree, of all the protest songs I have heard trouble every day is certainly the best. It covers a wide range of topics and dosn't sound preachy at all.
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thefalafelking View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2006 at 14:44
Originally posted by Equality 7-2521 Equality 7-2521 wrote:

I think the best is going a little too far, but yes it's a very good song, but there are better. For example in prog we have Genesis' "Get EM Out By Friday" which is executed with much better imagry, and outside of prog we have what I personally believe to be the best protest song, Dylan's Union Sunrise look at some of the lyrics:

" Democracy don't rule the world,
You'd better get that in your head.
This world is ruled by violence
But I guess that's better left unsaid.
From Broadway to the Milky Way,
That's a lot of territory indeed
And a man's gonna do what he has to do
When he's got a hungry mouth to feed.

Well, it's sundown on the union
And what's made in the U.S.A.
Sure was a good idea
'Til greed got in the way."

 
great comment, although I know the song very well, I never noticed the lyrics. very good indeed!!
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zappaholic View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 07 2006 at 20:43
Zappa knew what he was talking about.  We could use a few more like him.
"Democracy is the theory that the common people know what they want, and deserve to get it good and hard." -- H.L. Mencken
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darren View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 08 2006 at 01:56

That's a good protest song, one of my favourites but I think Bruce Cockburn's "If I Had A Rocket Launcher" and "Call It Democracy" are a little harder hitting.

Others I like:
 
"My Country, Tis Of Thy People Your Dying" and "Now That The Buffalo's Gone" - Buffy Ste Marie
"Black Day In July" - Gordon Lightfoot
"Biko" P.G.
"Ohio" C.S.N.Y.
"Fixin' To Die Rag" Country Joe & The Fish
"Guns, Guns, Guns" The Guess Who, mainly because it's a song that was written in protest of legislation legalizing the hunting from the back of a snow machine... How Canadian, eh?
 
"they locked up a man who wanted to rule the world.
the fools
they locked up the wrong man."
- Leonard Cohen
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Witchwoodhermit View Drop Down
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Direct Link To This Post Posted: June 28 2006 at 18:41
I certainlly feel Franks "trouble" is one of the more underrrated protest songs in rock. Great tune, at the top of my list.Thumbs Up

Edited by Witchwoodhermit - June 28 2006 at 18:42
Here I'm shadowed by a dragon fig tree's fan
ringed by ants and musing over man.
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