America’s Discontent And Anti-Corporate Songs

We live in a time when people have had it. They’re pissed off and want to rebel against…well, as Marlon Brando’s character Jimmy in The Wild One said, “Whatta you got?” Yes. Anger is the new black — and everyone, it seems, is eager to wear this year’s fashion. From the left to the right, rage is all the rage. A certain guy who is going to be president again rode the rails of revenge and retribution all the way to 312 Electoral College votes — and with it a unified Republican stranglehold on all four parts of the federal government. How he and his minions use that power is to be seen, but you can bet the Revenge Tour will be coming to a Blue State near you.

But hold the line, and have you heard? A health insurance CEO was shot in the back by, it seems a young man of wealth and means who received lousy healthcare for his messed up back. He’s no fringy fiend who was laying in wait for his target. Nope, he’s a Mangione! A prep school, Ivy League-educated Mangione. And even though he’s not related to Chuck Mangione, the vibe after the shooting death of CEO Brian Thompson among the youngins left and the right was, you know this is coming, it feels so good.

So, anger at the Deep State or anger at UnitedHealthcare (and maybe AllState — ’cause it blends well with Deep State) comes from a long line of citizens who are mad at The Powers That Be. Look at the image up top. That’s a t-shirt from the Alaska State Museum in Juneau worn by right-leaning, free-market lovin’ Alaskan libertarians (aka Republicans who like to smoke pot). And that was over a huge oil spill in 1989. Oil. You know, black gold…Texas tea? The stuff that’s killing our habitat for humanity is known as Earth. And the stuff that puts money in Alaskan’s wallet every year through their state’s Permanent Fund. So yes, it appears we can both love and hate the same thing at different times.

We humans are a fickle bunch, aren’t we?

Take rock or rap music. At one time, it was the music of rebellion. Of danger. Of transgression. Of taboo. Now? It’s music made by rich (or soon-to-be or wannabe rich) folks. But when the music was scrappy and the artists had a middle finger toward the world attitude, it was smash the system, fight the power, and eat the rich.

And you know, some of the music is funny. Take Dead Kennedys “Take This Job and Shove It,” a breakneck punk version of the Johnny Paycheck song from 1977. As the Wiki on the Dead Kennedys says about the album Bedtime for Democracy (1986) — where “Take This Job…” is featured: “The artwork, depicting a defaced Statue of Liberty overrun with Nazis, media, opportunists, Klan members, corrupt government officials, and religious zombies, echoed the idea that neither America itself or the punk scene were safe havens any more for “your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”

Ah, hmm…prescient much?

Or take Ill Repute’s 1983 classic, “Fuck With My Head.” Not quite an anti-corporate song, but one that gets at the whole rage theme going on in this post. The back story on how I was introduced to this song comes from that very same year the song was released. That was the year of my working in radio at KINQ. If you read my post on Radio & Records, you know the radio station got a lot 45 singles sent to them for airplay consideration. Well, guess what was buried in a stack of 45s? Yep, Ill Repute’s “Fuck With My Head.” I dubbed it onto a cassette and gave it to my friend Matt, who thanked me endlessly for the song. I suppose it summed up every messed-up relationship he had. It struck a chord with others, too.

One more, because I’m writing this right before I’m about ready to shuffle off to bed.

Yes, Dolly Parton may be a zillionaire now, but she did pen a working stiff song that, at its core, was about how crappy it is working for The Man. I’m talking about “9 to 5” — that anthem was written for the film of the same name. What, I think, made the song a fun little fuck you protest song was the way Parton wrote a catchy pop song with lyrics that had a lot of truth tucked in for good measure. For example:

Workin’ 9 to 5, what a way to make a livin’
Barely gettin’ by, it’s all takin’ and no givin’
They just use your mind and they never give you credit
It’s enough to drive you crazy if you let it
9 to 5, for service and devotion
You would think that I would deserve a fat promotion
Want to move ahead but the boss won’t seem to let me
I swear sometimes that man is out to get me!

I’ll admit, I wasn’t a fan of the song when it came out in 1980 (I loved the film), but flash forward almost 45 years later, and damn if that gal didn’t write a grand ole anti-corporate anthem for the times. Good for you Dolly! Now that you are The Man, um, Woman (i.e., a corporation), I hope you treat your employees better than Frank Hart did in the film.