By Bart King
As you may remember from an earlier editorial, I am the curator of a fine art exhibit called “Running on Empty: the fossil fuel addiction,” which is currently on display at the non-profit gallery ATHICA in Athens, Georgia.
The gallery has a tradition of hosting associated events for its exhibits including curator-led discussions and musical performances. Since I moonlight as a singer-songwriter, I decided to combine the two types of events into a single performance this Saturday.
I’ll be discussing the artwork and performing a mix of original songs and cover tunes that speak to the environmental and social issues addressed in the exhibit. Preparing for the performance has given me a chance to revisit some favorite environmental songs and discover a few I hadn’t heard before. So here’s my new list of favorites:
Rainbow Stew by Merle Haggard – This song, with its promise of free “bubble-ubb and rainbow stew,” fantasizes about a future when the gasoline car is gone and sunlight heats our homes. It’s been almost 30 years since the song was recorded live in Anaheim Stadium, and we’re still trying to figure out how to “burn water.” But we just might have a President who “goes through the White House door, and does what he say’s he’ll do.” Catchy tune shows the liberal side of the Okie from Muskogee.
Sleeping In by Postal Service – This is a relatively new edition to the genre and the only song on the list that specifically references global warming. Most of the lyrics on this deceptively simple and stunningly beautiful album (Give Up, 2003) are unexpected, and Sleeping In is no different, jumping from the “mystery of who shot John F. Kennedy” to “concerns about the world getting warmer… Now we can swim any day in November.”
Long Line of Cars by CAKE – The only other song on the list recorded in the new millennium, this one by the Sacramento-based band CAKE is an anthem to the scourge of California living: traffic. Keeping with the band’s signature style, there’s a terrific base line and a funky horn part accompanying tongue-in-cheek lines like “We’ve got to keep this fire burning and accept a little gray.” It twists at the end with the confession: “And this long line of cars is all because of me.” Good stuff.
Traffic Jam by James Taylor – Not surprisingly, James Taylor was hip to the dangers of fossil fuels in 1977. This short track from the album JT is more of a jam than a fully formed song, as he riffs on the frustrations of sitting in traffic. He takes a shot at our car-centric society, joking about how he wants to be buried in his automobile. Then in the final seconds the music drops out and he lays down a little rap: “Now, I used to think that I was cool, running around on fossil fuel. Until I saw what I was doin’ was driving down the road to ruin.”
