Posted by admin on 22 Feb 2007 | Tagged as: politics, protest
As its policing role brings it to some of the world’s most violent areas, the UN is used to dealing with violence. But people in the impoverished island of Haiti are having a go at the UN using a more subtle weapon: lyrics. The country hosts some 9000 UN troops, charged with bringing stability and [...]
Posted by admin on 08 Feb 2007 | Tagged as: RIP, awards, gadgets, meanings, politics
Thanks for dropping by. As you can see, we have moved - and I’m still in the process of unpacking virtual boxes. The new design is easier to use, and faster. Plus you can now navigate by Tags such as Tribute, RIP, Awards and Meanings. I’ve put a few in on this article for you [...]
Posted by admin on 26 Aug 2006 | Tagged as: politics, protest
The Lebanese guerrilla leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah is the subject of a song that is being circulated widely in Palestine. A five-piece wedding band, Firkat Ishaman, rewrote lyrics to an existing song to praise the man that has become a folk hero in many parts of the Middle East following the conflict between his party [...]
Posted by admin on 26 Jun 2006 | Tagged as: news, politics, tip
Given the debate about refugees that is currently raging across the world, Cibelle’s choice of “London, London” as a single is accidentally topical. Written by Caetano Veloso, one of the founders of the Tropicalia movement, it is a simple, breezy account of staying in London and feeling safe in the 70s. Despite coming on the [...]
Posted by admin on 20 Jun 2006 | Tagged as: politics, protest
n case you’ve been away from the blogoshpere, there have been ripples of consternation when a video of a US marine singing “Hadji Girl” turned up on YouTube, and susbequently news sites across the world.
The problem came from a severe case of over-analysis and misinterpretation. The song is actually a spontaneous parody of “Team America” [...]
Posted by admin on 13 Jun 2006 | Tagged as: politics, protest
The debate concerning lyrical content will seemingly never go away. Faced with a marked increase in violence, Britain is asking questions about the media’s role. New Conservative leader David Cameron recently pointed the finger at the media and local rappers that “promote” weapons and violence. One of the rappers, Lethal Bizzle, has since hit back [...]
Posted by admin on 16 Nov 2005 | Tagged as: politics, protest
The ongoing trouble in France was foreseen.That is the feeling amongst many rappers in the country. Already ten years ago, bands such as IAM and MC Solaar were sending out warning signals. More radical groups such as NTM were even brought to court for their confrontational style.And now, when it’s too late, the media are [...]
Posted by admin on 23 Aug 2005 | Tagged as: news, politics
The upcoming election in Germany has provided another example of how music and politics are not necessarily made to get along. Opposition leader Angela Merkel has been using the Stones’ “Angie” to open her appearances. But does she really want to be associated with the words: “Angie, you’re beautiful. But ain’t it time we said [...]
Posted by admin on 17 Jun 2005 | Tagged as: politics, protest
Human rights groups have expressed concern about the upcoming trial of Zhang Lin, to be put on trial for subversion after posting essays and lyrics to a Chinese punk song. “The use of the words of a punk rock song to charge Zhang Lin with subversion shows the lengths to which the Chinese authorities [...]
Posted by admin on 15 Apr 2004 | Tagged as: news, politics
I’ve been watching some lyric news stories in the press recently. Funny how news-worthy they can be. Elvis Costello, for example, has grown up and signed a deal for a number of books. He promises a “series of intimate narrative chapters taking their cue from the styles, themes and characters found in a number of [...]