The pleasure aim is infinitely easier to find songs about than service. This is probably because as Americans we like to be happy, and there are many ways to accomplish this; sex, love, and partying are the ones i chose to address and I think that many of them are . Although there are a few songs about general community service I noticed that most of the songs i found were in response to a situation that the artist(s) felt needed to be remedied. "We're All in the Same Gang" was a collaboration of west coast rappers who noticed the rise in gang violence in the 90s and felt they needed to help put an end to the killings. "Tears Are Not Enough" was written as a response to the Ethiopian famine of 1985-1985. Although it is probably hard to write songs about just going out and doing good deeds for people I'm sure thats what the creators of the 4 aims had in mind; not just helping at a time of crisis. I did find that many songs have one or two lines about helping others though that is not the main message of the lyrics so they would have been inappropriate for me to use for this assignment. "Laura Laurent" is about people helping each other intimately and at each other's time of need; which I feel would fall under the umbrella of service, because you don't need to better the lives of hundreds of people to have a positive influence in the world, just one person can be enough. One Conor Oberst lyric that I wanted to use (but the song didn't make the cut because the whole thing did not focus on service) is "See a brother in the gutter you reach out your hand." I feel that this is really what the Hindu people see as service, making the world better one person or one day at a time; not running to Haiti for a week after the earthquake to volunteer, helping a few thousand people and then returning to America and doing nothing more.
Arjun, I totally agree with you on your opinion about community service songs. It seems as if they are created when tragedy effects the whole nation or even the world. Artist can't just write songs about community service and the heavy need for volunteers during everyday normal life.
ReplyDeleteYour blog is so awesome! First of all I love the background because it's so colorful! Second, your blog called out to me because of the Bright Eyes songs and I absolutely freakin' love Bright Eyes! Good choices in your songs for both aims. I'm giggling because you picked a Flight of the Conchords song and it always geeks me out to hear it. It's absolutely on point and I'm stoked to see that you didn't have to get vulgar with your blog to express the Pleasure aim. I think your point about Haiti is a very good example of community service and I completely agree with you... except that there were many American volunteers that chose to stay and help. But I do agree that we could've helped a little longer.
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting that you mention Haiti and how going there for a week to help, though a great deed, is not what service is all about. I actually picked a song that was originally written by K'naan, an artist from Somalia. The song was redone by Canadian artists in the wake of the earthquake in Haiti. Though it is a powerful song and music video, I agree with what you said about true charity and service being found in the every day good deeds we do. It is truly a shame that it takes a devastating event, such as the earthquake in Haiti, to bring people together and inspire them towards change. Like you said, I'm sure that the intent of the community service aim is not for people to only help others in a time of such dire need.
ReplyDeleteI can appreciate the Bright Eyes reference as well but I have to disagree with your interpretation of Laura Laurent. Taking the song in it's most simplest form, at the ending I could see how he tries to console her, but still that would be just him servicing her.. I don't really even like how that was worded..but anyway, that's not the message that I got from the song, but everyone has their own interpretations so...I also feel that you contradicted yourself when you wrote: "I feel that this is really what the Hindu people see as service, making the world better one person or one day at a time; not running to Haiti for a week after the earthquake to volunteer, helping a few thousand people and then returning to America and doing nothing more." First off, by going to Haiti, isn't that helping one day at a time? Yeah it may only be for a week, but that is more than most people are capable of doing... Also if they have the compassion to go there in the first place, don't you think that they would have enough compassion in their everyday life to do other community services? I realize that you are making it seem like they are only doing it after a disaster, but could you argue that it wasn't the best time to go to help? There are a lot of "disasters" that go on in America today as well as in other countries. Right here, right now is the focus.. I dont feel that americans should be required to help out every country that is suffering. There are people in all countries that are capable of helping out a neighbor and who DO. By the way, as a personal belief, I think that in the Hindu religion they focus on "community service" such as helping each other specifically with thought advancement as well as basic community services (the ones most cultures can relate to). The main difference between America and the Hindu way of community service is the former.
ReplyDeleteOne of the things I really enjoyed about your post was the fact that you included partying for pleasure, and not just love and sex. Also, you made an excellent point when you said that the some of the community service songs were made by artists as a response to a specific situation. This i found to be true during my search for community service songs.
ReplyDelete@ Belinda. In Laura Laurent the subject of the song is clearly depressed. The simple act of caring about her, to me, represents service. He's helping, trying to help, showing compassion, showing love and basically giving a shit about another human being for which he receives nothing in return. He is helping "one person at a time". My goal with that song was to bring forth the idea of consoling as a service and that you don't have to always go looking for crisis (haiti) or a person to help as they are probably just around the corner. But "around the corner" doesnt make for good songs; earthquakes and famines do. In no way was I trying to make the Haiti volunteers seem less important than they were, that was obviously a great thing that they did. I guess what i meant to say was that crisis is a catalyst for people to write songs and do things.
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