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.”
Calypso by John Denver – My parents were big John Denver fans, and I grew up with this song, which was released the year after I was born. I remember watching television specials about Jacques Cousteau and the crew of the Calypso, and for much of my childhood I was inspired to become a marine biologist. This is just one of his many environmental songs, but arguably the best. Oh, and he donated all the royalties to The Cousteau Society. We miss you John.
Cement Octopus by Pete Seeger – This song was written by Malvina Reynolds but recorded on Seeger’s seminal album God Bless the Grass in 1965. It’s one of many candidates by the legendary folksinger, but especially worth revisiting as the federal government decides how to put shovels to work on transportation project. “The men on the highways need those jobs, we know. Lets put them to work planting new trees to grow.” Well said.
Nothing But Flowers by The Talking Heads – This is another song about urban development. This one beats out strong competition from the Pretenders’ My City Was Gone and Joni Mitchell’s Big Yellow Taxi, because of its humorous take on back-to-nature living. Plus, I spent a long summer in high school working at a Pizza Hut, so I particularly like the image of it “covered in daisies.” The Talking Heads are still the champs of smart songs.
Earth and Sun and Moon by Midnight Oil – This is the title track from a 1993 album by this Australian band. The nuclear threat that influenced the earlier work of this socially conscious group had largely subsided by this point and environmental issues are central to many of the songs. However there is still an unstated question about man’s fate in the chorus of this song, which ends: “Earth and sun and moon will survive.” Lead singer Peter Garrett was elected to the Australian parliament in 2004 and became environment minister in Kevin Rudd’s Labor Party in 2007. On Tuesday, Midnight Oil announced plans to reunite for a concert on March 14 benefiting victims of the Australian wildfire.
Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) by Marvin Gaye – This is the one song likely to be on everyone’s list. It’s undeniable in its sorrow and simplicity, and yet it still grooves thanks to a brilliant arrangement and Gaye’s unmatched vocals. It is without a doubt the most commercially successful environmental song of all time, and as such has probably done more to raise awareness than any other. And yet we’re still trying to move beyond “fish full of mercury.” Mercy mercy me.
As a bonus, I’d like to add one more tune to the list that isn’t specifically an environmental tune, but as a metaphor for addiction, is perfect for my performance on Saturday. Sting’s riveting song Mad About You could very easily be about dependence on oil from the Middle East. It opens with the line “A stone’s throw from Jerusalem, I walked a lonely mile in the moonlight,” and concludes with the insightful: “And though you hold the keys to ruin of everything I see, with every prison blown to dust, my enemies walk free. Though all my kingdoms turn to sand and fall into the sea, I’m mad about you. I’m mad about you.”
I’d love to know what your favorite environmental songs are, if you’d like to add them to the comments section.
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Editors Note: “Running On Empty: the fossil fuel addiction” opened
January 31, 2009 at Athens Institute for Contemporary Art (ATHICA) in
Athens, GA. Artwork from the exhibit can be viewed at www.athica.org under “Illustrated Checklist,” and Bart King’s catalog essay is available for download.
King distributes his music through the independent record label Fair Shake Music.
Bart King is News Editor of SustainableBusiness.com. This column is available for syndication.
Contact bart@sustainablebusiness.com.
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