I watched the stream today of the Macworld Expo in San Francisco. After Steve Jobs had finished his presentation, he introduced a musical guest - friend and Academy Award-winning songwriter Randy Newman.
I was fairly floored by the song he chose to sing. It was a masterpiece of bitter, righteous political sarcasm. A sly backhanded "compliment" to the current leadership of the United States. I am frankly amazed that Jobs permitted something so subversive.
Lyrics after the flip.
After some witty banter with the audience where he observed that the leadership of the United States was not currently well-liked abroad, Newman (just him and his piano) began the song, titled "A Few Words In Defense Of Our Country."
This is only part of the song - there's a link to Randy Newman's site below as well as above.
I’d like to say a few words
In defense of our country
Whose people aren’t bad nor are they mean
Now the leaders we have
While they’re the worst that we’ve had
Are hardly the worst this poor world has seen
Let’s turn history’s pages, shall we?
Take the Caesars for example
Why within the first few of them
They were sleeping with their sister
Stashing little boys in swimming pools
And burning down the City
And one of ‘em, one of 'em
Appointed his own horse Consul of the Empire
That’s like vice president or something
That’s not a very good example, is it?
But wait, here’s one, the Spanish Inquisition
They put people in a terrible position
I don’t even like to think about it
Well, sometimes I like to think about it
Just a few words in defense of our country
Whose time at the top
Could be coming to an end
Now we don’t want their love
And respect at this point is pretty much out of the question
But in times like these
We sure could use a friend
Hitler. Stalin.
Men who need no introduction
King Leopold of Belgium. That’s right.
Everyone thinks he’s so great
Well he owned The Congo
He tore it up too
He took the diamonds, he took the gold
He took the silver
Know what he left them with?
Malaria
A President once said,
"The only thing we have to fear is fear itself"
Now it seems like we’re supposed to be afraid
It’s patriotic in fact and color coded
And what are we supposed to be afraid of?
Why, of being afraid
That’s what terror means, doesn’t it?
That’s what it used to mean
...See the rest here.
It made me sad to listen to this song, but I admired him for writing it. In little more than two minutes, Newman made a criticism that struck me more emotionally than a detailed and itemized treatise on the wrongs that Bush and his cronies have perpetrated on our world. Dragging the country through the mud in our names.
Of course, there will be people, the ones unfamiliar with nuance and biting sarcasm (Republicans), who will hear this song and attempt in all seriousness to use it as a talking point. "Our leaders aren't as bad as Hitler, Stalin, or the Spanish Inquisition."
Now that's what I call a ringing endorsement. Not.
It also made me acutely aware of the massive reputation repair job ahead for our next president, whoever it ends up being. I can imagine the world breathing a collective sigh of relief when Barack Obama steps off Air Force One on a foreign visit, or if Hillary Clinton speaks at a press conference in Germany and talks about something more substantive than "the pig."
I don't even want to think about what happens if the Republicans win again.