Problematic Lyrics

[Lorizael]

Some time late afternoon to early evening on 9/11 (iirc), one of my local radio stations (DC101) played Creed's "One" after only relaying news the whole day. This was done intentionally as a kind of why can't we all get along and live in peace kind of thing. And that's how I've always remembered the song, with that message and tied to that day. But awhile back I took a look at the lyrics with fresh eyes and realized something a little problematic:

Affirmative may be justified
Take from one give to another
The goal is to be unified
Take my hand be my brother
The payment silenced the masses
Sanctified by oppression
Unity took a backseat
Sliding further into regression

One, oh one,
The only way is one

One, oh one,
The only way is one
I feel angry I feel helpless
Want to change the world
I feel violent I feel alone
Don't try and change my mind

Society blind by color
Why hold down one to raise another
Discrimination now on both sides
Seeds of hate blossom further
The world is heading for mutiny
When all we want is unity
We may rise and fall, but in the end
We meet our fate together

One, oh one,
The only way is one
One, oh one,
The only way is one
I feel angry I feel helpless
Want to change the world
I feel violent I feel alone
Don't try and change my mind

I feel angry I feel helpless
Want to change the world yeah
I feel violent I feel alone
Don't try and change my mind

I feel angry I feel helpless
Want to change the world yeah
I feel violent I feel alone
Don't try and change my mind

This song is a pretty transparent screed against affirmative action and "reverse discrimination" that comes off a bit, let's say, tone deaf these days. So the question is, how should this affect my understanding of/appreciation for the song? I mean, regardless of the lyrical content, this song is not by any means a masterpiece. But it takes me back to that period of my life, and the emotional resonance of the song for me is just in the "all we want is unity" bits. Can I appreciate the song in that dimension only while ignoring the other parts? Or should I reevaluate?

This doesn't keep me up at night. I'm mentioning it today because it's 9/11 and DC101 intentionally replayed this song today, so it was on my mind. I'm sure there are other songs or books or what have you that we all enjoyed at one point in our lives but that now seem problematic when we return to them. When that happens to you, how do you respond? Does it change how you think of that piece of art? Do you not care? Monkeys.

[Jon Miller]

I think that I liked Queen better when their lyrics expressed me better. Doesn't change my respect for them but does change my interest in listening to them.

M

[Elok]

Well, I kind of liked Jack White's Freedom at 21. Looked up the lyrics. He appears to be whining that feminism, and possibly cell phones, make it difficult for him to get a girlfriend. I concluded that Jack White is kind of an ass (which I knew already) and continued enjoying the song. Brown Sugar doesn't bother me, but for some reason Under My Thumb, which is far less objectionable lyrically, strikes me as gratingly misogynistic. In general, however, I don't get that into songs based on lyrics. I kind of like the Hives, and more or less all of their songs involve Pelle talking smack at the audience.

On a vaguely related note, I just learned that the thrilling chorus to "Battle on the Ice" from Alexander Nevsky, translated from Latin, goes "a pilgrim I awaited, my feet in cymbals," repeated over and over. It's believed to be a joke at the expense of Stravinsky, and has no relevance to the scene, movie, or anything else. I kind of like that. Prokofiev discovered, before anyone else, that moviegoers will find any idiot thing impressive as long as it's chanted in Latin during a cinematic climax.

[Elok]

OTOH, I kind of liked the Killers when they came out, but when 2012 came around and they were still releasing songs full of defiant youthful rebellion, I couldn't listen without reflecting that all those guys had to be like thirty years old at the least. It was kind of sad.

[Lorizael]

Huh. I just looked this up now and apparently (according to Sting) "Every Breath You Take" is supposed to be creepy. I didn't even remember the title and instead googled "the police stalking song."

[Broken_Erika]

No matter where you go i'll be watching you.....

[The Mad Monk]

I wonder how he feels about its use as a wedding song...

[Aeson]

Theme song to the NSA!

[Lorizael]

I wonder how he feels about its use as a wedding song...

According to wiki:

Sting later said he was disconcerted by how many people think the song is more positive than it is. He insists it is about the obsession with a lost lover, and the jealousy and surveillance that follow. "One couple told me 'Oh we love that song; it was the main song played at our wedding!' I thought, 'Well, good luck.'"^[12]

[Elok]

Kind of like Hillary used "Taking Care of Business" as a campaign song even though it's about being a slacker? Or the numerous use of Fortuna Imperatrix Mundi for triumphant music even though the message of the Latin lyrics is "Life is crap, I might as well give up now"?

[giblets]

Or how Bruce Springsteen is always telling Republican politicians to stop using "Born in the USA" at their campaign rallies.

[Ben Kenobi]

La Marseillaise is probably the poster child.