Home, that someone would describe as "flat as a pancake". Yeah. From what I see in this land of rolling hills of corn, the ample barns and silos and desolate towns and villages is the integrity of the people who live here. The integrity of who we are... Farmers and industrial workers. The blue collar of America's Heartland and taking pride in who we are....
Yet, some amazing music has come from America's heartland... First we have John Cougar Mellencamp. Born and raised in Indiana, Mellencamp often sang about teen rebellion, the plight of the farmers and life of the heartland of America.... He often gets political, but we're not going to into to it are we? Here's one of my favorites, "Small Town", from the Scarecrow album.
Next is Kansas, a progressive rock band from where else? Kansas, of course. This six piece band rose to fame in the '70's with their heart warming lyrics of spiritual uplifting, Native Americans and other things that will ponder the mind. Their music is a mix of American-style boogie-rock and complex, symphonic arrangements with changing time signatures. Here is a cool video of one of their lesser known songs, "Cheyenne Anthem" off of their best album, Leftoverture.
The recent passing of Clarence Clemons, of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band had affected me deeply. Few musicians can match the "Big Man" in the terms of the sax.His sax solo on "Jungleland" is one of the most impressive I've ever heard. I've never seen Bruce Springsteen in concert, but I've heard it's an experience itself. An experience I'd always wanted to try. "The Boss", lyrically has the most visionary approach to the America's Heartland that I've ever known. His blue collar feel singing away about the misfortunes of America, yet embracing to the heart. Springsteen is the true defender of the faith in the heart of America.
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2 comments:
Thanks for the tunes, drew.
The Mellencamp song is now an anthem.
I never heard (or saw) "Cheyenne Anthem" before. Nice visuals. You're right about Kansas' time changes. They must shift a half dozen times in that song alone.
I agree with you about Bruce Springsteen's blue collar ethic. The passing of Clarence Clemons is a tragedy.
A pleasure Orbs! In this blog post,I wanted to take a look at music directed to heartland of America. As I'm driving the country roads, seeing rolls of corn, I'm getting a vision from music like this.
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