Tag Archives: Popular music

A song about building the American Dream, railroads, towers, war, then being tossed aside to beg for change

Most Americans know the lyrics of this depression-era song. Now they know what it was about.   They used to tell me I was building a dream, and so I followed the mob, When there was earth to plow, or … Continue reading

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Coppelia and the Viennese Hesitation

If you are hardwired with a cultural affliction like mine, if you find yourself with a compulsive affinity for the waltz, I’ll wager you will also be a sucker for what’s called the Viennese Hesitation. It was just such a … Continue reading

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Your father’s Lili Marlene, specifically

On the subject of historical misconceptions, you might say I’m hugely sentimental. So the tale of Lili Marlene catches me up like a honey trap. What does the name conjure for you? A Nazi Mata Hari? A fictional musical persona … Continue reading

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Composer Jason Robert Brown wants to protect his unintellectual rights

As a musician and fan of stage musicals, I must proffer this disclaimer about American theater composer Jason Robert Brown: he’s terrible. Brown is a poster child for the music industry’s common mediocrity, of commerce’s habitual triumph over art. Now … Continue reading

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Life follows art, “99 Luft-Balluns” and Seoul, ROK

This is what we’ve waited for, this is it Boys, this is WAR! The balloons weren’t released from North Korea, but from a Korean version of Elementary School. Do Chiang. Which is also the name of a Tae Kwon Do … Continue reading

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Rufus, Caccini, Kosma, French Chanson

Rufus Wainright’s GOING TO A TOWN (-THAT’S ALREADY BEEN BURNED DOWN in which he famously sings “I’m so tired of America”) replicates, it’s true, the jazz progression of AUTUMN LEAVES, and websmart-asses have pointed out the piano part is actually … Continue reading

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Addict, pederast dies, much fanfare

But let’s look past the innuendo and unproven transgressions, to celebrate the man’s contribution to the cannon of Western popular music product. Please! I hear celebrities dismiss the allegations of Michael Jackson’s pedophilia like too much water under the bridge, … Continue reading

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The real Sandinistas are fed up with Daniel Ortega’s pathetic regime

There is so little hope in the pathetic Daniel Ortega… that Nicaragua’s foremost Sandinista musician has withdrawn permission for this sad sack cabal around Ortega, the current Nicaraguan President, to continue to represent itself as Sandinista by using his extremely … Continue reading

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