#213) "Tug of War" by Paul McCartney - I know I've said this a couple of times now, but once more, Macca (uhh, yeah...about that) demonstrates that when he wants to drive an emotionally charged point home, take a break from the silly loves songs everyone has come to expect from the "cute Beatle", he's damn good at it. "Tug of War" is the title track off Sir Paul's (definitely a more appropriate nickname) most emotional album (from 1981), and not surprisingly, it contains one of the most potent lines in music for my money, reflecting, I'd be willing to bet, his state of mind in the immediate aftermath of John Lennon's murder.
And (the point being) also accurately reflecting anyone's state of mind in any kind of "aftermath"...
"In years to come, they may discover what the air we breathe and the live we lead are all about / But it won't be soon enough, soon enough for me..."
#214) "The Entertainer" by Billy Joel - I've always thought Billy Joel gets a bad rap, unfairly maligned (at least by music snobs) as a pop music sell-out to a street cred early in his career that was itself not entirely legitimate, mostly just "gangs that dance"...
But even if that's true (and I don't know that it is), he's still one of the greatest songwriters of the twentieth century. Like McCartney (maybe even a little more so), Joel is a true crafter of music. Over the years he has written and recorded countless durable ditties that never become too dated, and also reveal a far-reaching range of musicianship and vocal ability. He tries different things, different styles, and - more often than not - succeeds in getting them to sound really good.
Among the standouts on his long hit list is 1974's "The Entertainer", a sharply satirical indictment of the music industry that is just as relevant now as it was 40 years ago. If anything, things have only gotten worse, much worse, as symbolism has replaced substance, image has replaced artistry, and an undeniably lazy approach to pop music has eroded the original heart of the art form down to a barely discernible nub that is no longer freeing or enlightening or emboldening, but too often a prescription for conformity.
This song alone would seem a prime example of how drastically things have changed. It hit #34 on the U.S. Charts in 1974, but with its minstrel guitar and plunking banjo, would be unlikely to even chart today.
Top 40 music seems to be populated mostly by "entertainers" these days, rather than artists.
"I am the entertainer, and I know just where I stand, another serenader, and another long-haired band / Today I am your champion, I may have won your hearts / But I know the game and you'll forget my name, and I won't be here in another year if I don't stay on the charts..."
