Rich men north of Richmond.

atypical_boro said:
In fairness, if he really does have beef with the obese, then that’s a very large proportion (40%!) of Americans who probably can’t like the song. He’s saying how can any American be starving when some folk are being kept in fudge by welfare. It’s not a nice sentiment but you can sort of see what he means.
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It's probably 80% of his fan base.
 
atypical_boro said:
All 4 of them were fully behind the sentiment of the song though.
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To be fair The Beatles had been hit with "Super Tax" at a rate of 95%, hence the lyric something like "one for me and nineteen for you" they also objected to their earnings being spent on military hardware.

This song leaves me conflicted. The "North of Richmond" thing is a not too subtle nod to the Confederacy. I understand the "cri de couer" that we hear and how it will resonate with working people. The "taxation" thing is where it gets a little problematic, low taxation nearly always benefits the rich not the poor. Of course seeing the tax dollars spent on someone else... But then as others have pointed out he is wrong about the lack of help for miners. Now I'm not saying this guy is a Fascist but there is some worrying underlying messaging going on here. Colour me unconvinced by it.

Want to listen to some really thought provoking songs about America, listen to Jason Isbell.
 
atypical_boro said:
I just think you’re taking the song quite cynically. Songwriters don’t always mean every word of a song literally.

But you’ve effectively said the song was written for him by “tbtp” (Trump? Biden? who?) so, if you’re right on that, maybe the song should be taken as literally as you suggest.

But Christ, I thought I was cynical. You’re putting me in the shade on this one!

Also interesting is how people nowadays will jump on one or two lines of a song to discount its “validity”. One of the Beatles’ most famous songs was entirely a relentless attack on Labour’s taxation policy. Imagine if they released that now.
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Muttley said:
To be fair The Beatles had been hit with "Super Tax" at a rate of 95%,
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How much did they have to earn before 95% rate kicked in? Must have been millions. Michael Caine whinged similarly.
 
ThePrisoner said:
How much did they have to earn before 95% rate kicked in? Must have been millions.
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Don't know, they had been told that two of them were bankrupt and the other two were almost there. The exact nature of their financial affairs was always complicated and at least some of the blame would (at least nowadays) go to their management and accountants. But it explains why the song was written.
 
Posted it on the New Music 2023 thread last week. Didn't make ay comments about the lyrics and said people should decide themselves. Obviously this thread shows how it splits people as can be seen on the various social media site. A powerful song whatever your political persuasion but sadly I know a lot of people who use similar things to blame people in society for their ills.

Merle Haggards - Okie From Muskogee caused controversy when it was released.

The song “Okie From Muskogee”, by country icon Merle Haggard, was as controversial as it was successful. Released in 1969, the song soared to immediate popularity reaching #1 on the Billboard Magazine Hot Country Singles chart in less than a month of its release. The reasons for the song’s quick success are merely due to the controversial message that the artist and fellow band mate, Roy Edward Burris, wrote while driving through the small rural town of Muskogee, Oklahoma. Haggard admits in an interview that his intentions for the song were to be a satirical “protest to the protesters” during the Vietnam War; but to many, the song was interpreted literally, and consequently ignited many controversial debates involving the song’s politics and patriotism. The song’s controversial elements led it to being banned from several radio stations that rejected its lyrics, but never stopped it from becoming a cultural touchstone for country music and arguably the biggest hit of Merle Haggard’s career.
Strangely it was covered by Phil Ochs on his Gunfight At The Carnegie Hall album. You can hear what he says about the right wing and Merle Haggard at the end of the preceding song. His thoughts are interesting with the arguments going on here. There was nobody more left wing than Phil Ochs.

 
asredastheycome said:
Posted it on the New Music 2023 thread last week. Didn't make ay comments about the lyrics and said people should decide themselves. Obviously this thread shows how it splits people as can be seen on the various social media site. A powerful song whatever your political persuasion but sadly I know a lot of people who use similar things to blame people in society for their ills.

Merle Haggards - Okie From Muskogee caused controversy when it was released.

The song “Okie From Muskogee”, by country icon Merle Haggard, was as controversial as it was successful. Released in 1969, the song soared to immediate popularity reaching #1 on the Billboard Magazine Hot Country Singles chart in less than a month of its release. The reasons for the song’s quick success are merely due to the controversial message that the artist and fellow band mate, Roy Edward Burris, wrote while driving through the small rural town of Muskogee, Oklahoma. Haggard admits in an interview that his intentions for the song were to be a satirical “protest to the protesters” during the Vietnam War; but to many, the song was interpreted literally, and consequently ignited many controversial debates involving the song’s politics and patriotism. The song’s controversial elements led it to being banned from several radio stations that rejected its lyrics, but never stopped it from becoming a cultural touchstone for country music and arguably the biggest hit of Merle Haggard’s career.
Strangely it was covered by Phil Ochs on his Gunfight At The Carnegie Hall album. You can hear what he says about the right wing and Merle Haggard at the end of the preceding song. His thoughts are interesting with the arguments going on here. There was nobody more left wing than Phil Ochs.

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I love a spot of Merle!

youtu.be

Merle Haggard - The Fightin Side Of Me (Live)

Music video by Merle Haggard performing The Fightin Side Of Me (Live).
youtu.be youtu.be
 
North of Richmond, ie Washington DC. It's a classic anti-politician populist rant with drain the swamp sentiments. The same one liner stuff peddled by Trump and the new scary guy Vivek Ramaswamy. It's all the government's fault giving your hard earned money to welfare scroungers. MAGA. Working people loved Trump, they loved Farage.
Here's Billy Bragg's opposite take:
Rich Men
 
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