42 ALTERNATE SONGS AMERICANS SHOULD KNOW - SORT OF.Byline: Wayne Lockwood Knight-Ridder Tribune News Wire It kind of reminds me of the best part of Van Halen's ``Right Now'' video from a few years ago. In it, a guy is holding a sign that says ``Will Wrestle You for Food.'' At the recent Music Educators National Conference MENC: The National Association for Music Education, formerly the Music Educators National Conference, founded in 1907, is an American organization for music educators that provides professional development and advocacy. External links
Admittedly, a righteous endeavor. Unfortunately, they picked the wrong 42. Their choices were songs such as ``Amazing Grace "Amazing Grace" is a well-known Christian hymn. The words were written late in 1772 by Englishman John Newton. They first appeared in print in Newton's Olney Hymns, 1779 that he worked on with William Cowper. .'' And, ``America.'' And, ``America, the Beautiful.'' And, ``Battle Hymn of the Republic Battle Hymn of the Republic Union’s Civil War rallying song. [Am. Music: Van Doren, 228] See : Song, Patriotic .'' And, ``God Bless America.'' And, ``God Bless the USA.'' Sensing a pattern? Of course, credit must be given where credit is due. They did pick a Beatles tune (``Yesterday''), and a tune with a sly '60s drug reference (``Puff, the Magic Dragon''). But, most of the tunes bring back memories of wanting to throw a camp counselor headfirst head·first also head·fore·most adv. 1. With the head leading; headlong: went headfirst down the stairs. 2. Impetuously; brashly. into the campfire and dance around his scorched scorch v. scorched, scorch·ing, scorch·es v.tr. 1. To burn superficially so as to discolor or damage the texture of. See Synonyms at burn1. 2. remains screaming, ``I have the conch conch (kŏngk, kŏnch, kôngk), common name for certain marine gastropod mollusks having a heavy, spiral shell, the whorls of which overlap each other. ! I have the conch!'' So, submitted for your approval, here is a replacement list of the 42 songs every American should know, and should be singing around the campfire 100 years from now. ``American Pie'': Don McLean. ``Anarchy in the U.K.'': Sex Pistols. It might take 200 years for this one, considering the opening line. ``Atlantic City'': Bruce Springsteen. With a description of the grim reality and failure that is urban renewal, the Boss may have been creating the folk music folk music: see folk song. folk music Music held to be typical of a nation or ethnic group, known to all segments of its society, and preserved usually by oral tradition. Knowledge of the history and development of folk music is largely conjectural. of the next century in our own time. Not that Bruce is God or anything. But this tune is. ``Ballad of Peter Pumpkinhead'': XTC XTC See Ecstasy, MDMA. . Another 21st-century folkie folk·ie also folk·y n. pl. folk·ies 1. A folk singer or musician. 2. One who is an enthusiast of folk music. adj. . Extra points if you can tell the young'uns who Peter is after singing it. ``Blowin' in the Wind'': Bob Dylan. 'Nuff said. ``Boogie Chillun'': John Lee Hooker. Funkiest man on the planet not named Bootsy. We all should be Boogie Chillun. ``Blue Suede Shoes'': Carl Perkins. ``Bohemian Rhapsody'': Queen. Just so everyone can pronounce the words scaramouche and fandango fandango (făndăng`gō), ancient Spanish dance, probably of Moorish origin, that came into Europe in the 17th cent. It is in triple time and is danced by a single couple to the accompaniment of castanets, guitar, and songs sung by the . ``Brick House'': The Commodores. ``Can't Hardly Wait'': The Replacements. Because none of our passengers ever seem to bring any smokes. ``Castles Made of Sand/The Wind Cries Mary'': Jimi Hendrix. The latter is the best song ever to rip a line from Sylvia Plath. ``The Divorce Song'': Liz Phair. Because soon, we all will be. Divorced, that is. ``Driver 8'': REM. More 21st-century folk. ``Flintstones Theme.'' You know, of all these songs, the TV themes are the ones that probably will survive, just as predicted in the movie ``Demolition Man.'' The Flintstones probably will be the winner, but, personally, I'm pulling for Speed Racer. ``Fortunate Son'': Credence Clearwater Revival. Nothing like a little patriotism. ``For What It's Worth'': Buffalo Springfield. Nothing like a little reality check with your patriotism. ``Georgia on My Mind'': Ray Charles. ``Hotel California'': The Eagles. ``I'm a Man'': Muddy Waters. ``I'm Your Boogie Man'': KC and the Sunshine Band. ``I Saw the Light'': Hank Williams. More pain than the blues. Which should take you straight to ... ``I Wanna wan·na Informal 1. Contraction of want to: You wanna go now? 2. Contraction of want a: You wanna slice of pie? Be Sedated'': Ramones. Immediately accessible punk. No 200-year wait necessary. ``Imagine'': John Lennon. On any civilized planet, everyone should know the whole Beatles catalog. But that isn't practical. This may be the one song written by any Beatle, in or out of the group, that will far outlive out·live tr.v. out·lived, out·liv·ing, out·lives 1. To live longer than: She outlived her son. 2. its writer. ``Just Like Heaven'': The Cure. We'll always be learning how to do the tricks. ``Louie, Louie'': Various artists, the Kingsmen. Only, you have to sing the dirty words. ``Message in a Bottle'': The Police. ``The Needle and the Damage Done'': Neil Young. ``On a Plain'': Nirvana. ``Respect'': Aretha Franklin. ``Rock and Roll All Nite'': Kiss. A bunch of mimes around the campfire. Infinetely better than Kum-Ba-Ya. ``Seasons'': Chris Cornell. The true poet of Seattle. ``Sin City'': Flying Burrito Bros BROS Brothers BROS Benefits and Retirement Operations Section (King County, Washington) BROS Barnes and Richmond Operatic Society (London, UK) . Taking Hank's torch and running with it. ``Sweet Home Alabama'': Lynyrd Skynyrd. ``Sweet Jane'': Velvet Underground. ``Sugar Magnolia'': Grateful Dead. ``Surfin' Safari'': Beach Boys. You'll certainly hear surf music again. ``Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay'': Otis Redding. I like to think, somewhere, he still is. ``This Land Is Your Land'': Woody Guthrie. The only tune from the original list worthy to make the cut. Must be sung with its requisite and intended irony. ``Unforgettable'': Nat King Cole. Natalie, no. Nat, yes. ``Wait in Vain'': Bob Marley. ``What's Goin' On'': Marvin Gaye. Couldn't have picked a better ender. This, friends, is life as you know it. All tunes free on the cosmic jukebox. |
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