Comments on the Freedom Playlist

I just love doing the Independence Day show. I made the DJ after me cry, well not me really, Bob Marley and his "Redemption Song" which is indeed about the most beautiful and hopeful song ever. I'm just glad she didn't look in on me a couple songs earlier, because "A Dream Goes On Forever" always gets me right in the heart. I'm getting misty eyed now just thinking about it. That song should be the national anthem. Or at least we should commission Todd Rundgren to write us a new one, given his record of having written The Perfect Song several times.

The show must always begin with Richie Havens and end with "Redemption Song."

One big reason I love to do this show is the excuse to play all that civil rights gospel music. They speak directly to my soul. You bet I am on my way to freedom land and there is nothing you can do to stop me, your slavery won't stop me, your dogs and water hoses, your jail, your taxes, your eminent domain, I don't care, 99 and a half won't do, I won't stop until we all are there together. Oh Lord, Freedom Land! God bless those gospel singers! As far as I'm concerned, they saved America and I'll be forever grateful. I was bummed that the library had both copies of my favorite collection Sing for Freedom checked out already, but I did find plenty of great material on Voices of the Civil Rights Movement which is at the station.

"This Land is Your Land" has actually been renamed "This Land is Our Land" by order of the Supreme Court.

I really miss Phil Ochs. The They Might be Giants version of "One More Parade" on the "Rubaiyat" Elektra Records compilation is superb. When I first got the record I didn't think they had a serious bone in their bodies, but they play this one totally straight up and it works. I could just play Phil Ochs songs for three hours and be happy calling that my Independence Day show.

"Kick Out The Jams" got me at least one vote when I ran for US Senate in 2002. The Charlotte Observer sends the best questionnaire, full of favorite song and book kind of stuff, but they really get creative. One of the questions in 2002 was "In 25 words or less, describe the difference between eastern and western NC barbeque and tell us which you prefer." Brilliant. Anyway, I was talking to an editor there later who said I won his vote by picking this song as my favorite. Yes, absolutely, it will be played at my inaugural ball when I become Governor. Loud enough that the editorial staff of the Charlotte Observer can hear it.

Songs I probably shouldn't have played:

"Do Want You Wanna" - last year I used that song and we had different speakers in the station, which made the vocal track seem more prominent, but this time with better equipment all I could catch was someone saying the title at the end. I remember when I was 13 and at my first girlfriend's house and she pointed out her parents' Ramsey Lewis records as if to say this means they were cool and I thought, my word that's the uncoolest thing I've ever heard in my entire life. I am so glad he has become so hip since then. I didn't know he had it in him.

"Netsanet" - which means "Liberty" in Ethiopian, and it's a wonderful song, but still it's an instrumental. Still gotta plug the whole Ethiopiques series (they're up to Volume 19!), especially vol. 8 which contains two of the very most amazingly rockin' songs ever back to back in "Mar Teb Yelal Kafesh" by Mahmoud Ahmed and "Hasabe" by Ayalew Mesfin. When I worked on the Libertarian Party convention committee last year, I got in real good with mostly Ethiopian staff at the Atlanta Marriott due to my love for the Swingin' Addis sound. Except for one waitress in the hotel restaurant, in a classic bilingual faux pas I asked her what the word "Hasabe" meant. She told me it means "my thoughts," but the look on her face explained the rest, "you just told me that your thoughts are you want to get in my pants, and you can forget about it." Good thing I'm happily married or I'd be still be neurotically working on my Ethiopian pick up lines.

My favorite line in all these songs is from Atari Teenage Riot: "Don't tell me that I was raised for Armageddon."

Songs I really wanted to play but didn't for some reason:

"My Way" - imagine my surprise when I could not find this either in my own collection or the station's. How can you have so many Sinatra records all around you and not find "My Way" ??

"The Trees" - wanted to go with an angrier Rush song this year, but couldn't find it, so I went with the old chestnut "Free Will," a tip o' the hat to all my skeptic friends. I might play them both next year, hard not to choose "Free Will." Yes, Rush is cheesy. I don't care. I love Rush.

"La Marseillaise" - I'm so glad "Casablanca" has become the traditional Independence Day movie, works for me. Having seen it three times in the last week, of course I wanted to play this, and I did find plenty of versions but they were all so stilted, like it's some kind of national anthem or something.

"Won't Get Fooled Again" - the only versions I could find are over eight minutes long. Not that I object to playing long songs ("Monster" and "Move On Up" are both that long), but by the point I was ready to mix it in I didn't have eight minutes left to spare for it. It's Fela Kuti syndrome -- I want so much to play some Fela during this show, but that's an investment of more than 10% of my time in one song.

Other songs I need to look for well in advance of next year are "People Want to be Free" by the Young Rascals, "Sunshine" by Jonathan Edwards, and "War" by either Edwin Starr or DOA.

If you have any suggestions for next Independence Day, I'm taking requests all year.