Clint Black has a new pro-military song available for free download from his website.
It hasn't so far gotten the attention of other war related songs, but Clint Black has a new pro-military song available for free download from his website. So far, I'd say this rates as probably the best of the current war related songs, pro or con.…
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26 - Bubba
Country singers are always writing songs about ruined relationships. We used to love him now we hate him. Same old crap.
27 - boner
Right on, Brian. I am never surprised when people buy the whole Saddam is a terrorist like Bin Laden thing; most Americans can't even find Iraq on a map, let alone distinguish a secular regime from those who tout a twisted minority version of Islamic theocracy. So it's easy to make them feel threatened, even without any credible proof (the link to African nuclear material was forged! Hmmmm)
But when they claim that killing Iraqi civilians is somehow protecting my rights at home? And offer vague threats that link those opposing the war to those supporting Saddam- well, that says it all. The real genius of the Bush brigade is their use of words like "evil" and "devil" to divide messy grey issues into black and white for the average stupid country music listener, whose brain can't imagine let alone handle the complex realities of anything beyond a dichotomy (look it up, Al, under "d", for dumbass." Your wrath is the unsupported whining of a complacent fool. If you're all about this shit, go enlist, please. The Pentagon already bought 77,000 body bags, maybe you can reserve one.)
This song might motivate the boys and make their families feel better, but it won't stop Bush from cutting military healthcare by 25% or, save our dedicated men and women from exposure to depleted uranium from their own weapons. Support Our Troops my ass. Our government has consistently betrayed our troops. They tested nukes on our own people back in Utah, adn they knew damn well the risks.How easily the jingos forget! Must be all that flag waving deprives their heads of ciculation, that or the diet of freedom-fried food.
I am not surprised about songs like Clint's, just saddened, scared even, at the ignorance of the voting public, the lack of any historical perspective. Governments lie, people, around the world, even here in the good ol' US of A. Some Americans actually bought the idea that we were liberating the Vietnamese by killing them, and bought the Dept. Of Offense lies that Agent Orange was perfectly safe. Now everybody up to the top brass admits it was all fucked.Time will prove that this war has only destabilized the region and bred more Bin Ladens than we can bomb. We had, after 9-11, the support of every major Muslim nation in the world. Now, from Lebanon to Indonesia to Bangladesh, members of the worlds' largest faith are enlisting to fight us. I only hope the next terror attack speeds the collapse of this unwieldy empire, before we send troops to kill and die in Iran and Syria. We can't afford this. Trick question of the day: how will we know when we have 'taken care of' all the terrorists? Answer: never! perpetual war! Now where's my copy of that cool video game, Desert Storm...Ka-boom, take that, evil camel jockeys!
28 - Chicken Hawk
Boner's right...that is to say correct.
29 - Brian Flemming
boner,
Well said. I have a family member who was poisoned by the Navy with chemical weapons they tested on thousands of unwitting sailors during the Vietnam War (govt. has finally admitted it--it isn't in dispute).
He's very sick and has no idea...was it the testing back then? Or not? There's really no way TO know. Symptoms are consistent...but there's no way to know for sure.
On a strict party-line vote, the House Republicans have cut $25B from veterans health care, while simultaneously lobbying hard for tax cuts for the wealthiest 2% of the country's citizens, whose wealth these abandoned vets were protecting with their lives.
It makes me sick that these right-wingers claim to be supporting the troops. And they're getting away with it. None of the right-wingers here at Blogcritics are even up in arms about it. If Republicans do it, it's okay.
Clint Black's audience is made up of many of the same working-class folks that the Republican Congress is treating with such compassionless conservatism. And still they've got Clint all riled up, sending his fans happily off to fight in this war. They're going to get killed, or maybe just maimed. And years from now, when they are suffering, their govt. will just abandon them. And it will be these same powerful politicians who did it--the same ones that Clint Black is propagandizing for.
It's stunning. The hypocrisy is so blatant...
Veterans: no
Tax cuts: yes
And they're doing this, while we're at war! I don't know how they're getting away with it.
30 - Joseph Scott
Do the words shut the hell up you cheap ass bunch of liberal fucks mean anything?? You got a problem with whats going on, the Canadian borders' over that way.
31 - Al Barger
Mr. Scott, while I sympathize with your frustration with our liberal friends, might I gently suggest that you're not helping the cause by cussing them out. It only creates sympathy for them and really doesn't add to the net store of human knowledge.
Plus, all you're doing is telling them that they have indeed gotten your goat.
My goat, on the other hand, San and Flemming don't get. It's all mine. They can get their own.
32 - SGT M.
Let's just pretend for a second that Presedent Bush is wrong, that Saddam doesn't have these banned weapons. His country has been under an embargo for the past 12 years because he has refused to cooperate with the UN weapons inspectors, his people are living the lives of paupers when they have the resources to be a very rich people. Now if he doesn't have these weapons why did it take him 12 years of subjecting his people to this before he finally allowed the weapons inspectors back into the country and only under a threat of "dire consequenses" if he refused? Okay, we can stop lying to ourselves now. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that he does have them, that his regime is responsible for countless killings of his own citizens. Why have the liberals, and the UN for that matter,come to the conclusion that this would not have come around to bite us if we had left it alone? I agree that Saddam is no Usama Bin Laden but, he has the capability to be much worse. He doesn't depend on a handful of criminals scattered across the globe to carry out his bidding. He has teams of scientists cooking up this junk for him, he has an entire army to stash it away for him, he has his own network of spies and agents to carry out his recon missions. He also has displayed in actions and words his willingness to bring harm to his neighbors and his own people. He's basically a Super Bin Laden. Is war a good thing? God no! But sometimes it is a necessary thing. And this is one of those times. Yes, innocent Iraqi people as well as American soldiers will die, this is unfortunate but will be avoided as much as possible. When the end of this comes we will see that what we have done is just what needed to be done. I will not say that oil doesn't at least enter the minds of our present officials, but think about it people. Who will reap the benefits of opening the Iraqi oil markets again? Do you really think we are just going to claim this oil in the name of the good ol US of A and ship it all back to Texas? No, we will buy it from Iraq and the people of Iraq will benefit, not this dictator. It is unfortunate that the UN would not back up its words with action. But really it may turn out to be a good thing that they aren't along for the ride. We went into Iraq the last time under a UN mandate and didn't finish the job. Maybe now we will deliver on what we claim to stand for and not cower to these dictators like dogs instead of what we are, the lone super power and the greatest damn country in the world. Might doesn't make right I agree but we aren't exactly in the business of colonizing the world, if we were all you would hear out of France and Germany would be from their Senators in Washington and we would have quite a few more stars on the flag. America seems to be turning out to be one of only a few countries on Earth that know that with power comes responsibility. And before any of you tell me to go enlist I'll tell you that I already did........SGT McVey
33 - Al Barger
Thank you for your service, sarge.
34 - jeff cortez
i love the new song iraq and i roll everything he says in the song is tru and its the best song i heard yet so ither come along,stay behind or get out of the fu**ing way cause our troops do take out garbage for our good old usa
35 - jeff cortez
hell yea i think this is the best song for the peopls to listen to cause if u think about it if it wasnt for our freedome all u protesters would be shot go live in iraq for a day and protest i bet u dont get out alive so u can ither come along stand behind or get out of the fucking way so our troops can clean up the garbage over there and make it free so our troops wont have to go there again and as soon as we make every country free and we get them going the way we live then u will have i right to protest a war cause then there will be no reason for it but as of now we got the best reason in the world to be over there we are there to free everyone from the dictaters and liberate the countrys and if we shouldnt be there god will sort that out if he ends the world over freedome we dont deserve to live here we got the greater power and that is god and yes im for the war there is nothing u can say about it so quit protesting
36 - the evil queen
i *heart* brian flemming.
it's interesting (and by "interesting", i mean "irritating") how brian goes through each stanza and makes direct and thoughtful points and the best y'all can come up with is someone telling him to shut up and move to canada or someone else calling him "poopie pants", etc.
wow, how can you argue with THAT logic? y'all must be so PROUD!
the lyrics are cheesy, juvenile, and predictable. like MOST pop-country music. just because you like the sentiment or message of the song doesn't make it good. i still love that bananarama song, "cruel summer". not because it's brilliant or earth shattering but because, as they used to say on AMERICAN BANDSTAND, "it's got a good beat and i can dance to it."
xoxo,
jared "these colors don't run...the world" greer
37 - Al Barger
You have a curiously backward statement there, Evil Queen. My original point in the post was that Black wrote a pretty good song, lyrics aside. It sounds good jamming down the highway.
You take that point with Bananarama, but lose it entirely with Black.
The lyrics of Black's song do not particularly constitute a sophisticated political argument supporting the war effort. That's WAY too much to demand of a song. Read a book.
They do, however, constitute a decent encapsulation of a particular type of outlook. The soldier is proud and willing- resolute, but less than eager. There is in fact some nuance there, some particularity.
On the other hand, you just declare that ol' Brian has refuted the lyrics, so therefore the song sucks. Again, exactly the opposite of your point with Bananarama.
38 - the evil queen
sorry al, from reading your post (ie."...they're pretty good...they are well above average in their execution...they are on message. Contrast them to, say, the Beastie Boys crappy excuse for an anti-war song. The lyrics are just generic scattershot liberal crap about Bush doing coke and taking corporate contributions.") and the comments relating to it, i thought your point was more about the quality of the lyrics and then brian made good points refuting their quality and then you posted another link where you berated him for making such a stupid argument.
my point was that the bananarama song is cheesy and the lyrics are goofy, but the song is enjoyable.
you seemed to go the extra mile when you claim that "So far, I'd say this rates as probably the best of the current war related songs, pro or con."
maybe i should've just clung to the "WAR related song" and ignored the rest of the content. i do enjoy the bananrama song, but i wouldn't go so far as to say it was the best song about summer or anything.
xoxo, jared
39 - Al Barger
Re: post #38-
I'm not saying the Black song is the greatest song ever, just among the current crop of Iraqi war related songs. That's a lot smaller pool to be the kind of than all songs about summer. Jiminy, you'd have to compete against the Beach Boys catalogue for starters.
By the way, since this Black song, I have a new favorite war related song- an anti-war song, as it happens. Terence Trent D'Arby aka Sananda has a groovy thing called "Daddy, Can I Have a War." I have a write-up for it elsewhere on Blogcritics.
40 - Meghan Black
Hey i know that u get tons of e-mails but i just wanted to let u know that im your cousin, my father is your second cousin, his name i Paul F. Black Jr. and his father Paul F. Black Sr. if u get this message could u please e-mail me back? thanx
41 - Al Barger
On the other hand, I just saw a video for Toby Keith's "American Soldier." Ohmygod, but I wanted to reach through the tv and SLAP him for this mushy piece of jingoistic dreck. Damn but this song is awful. It just about makes me nostalgic for "God Bless the USA."
The song was bad enough, but the video was just so over the top with the weeping girlfriends and the Civil War re-enactments.
Damn, this was a waste. Think of all the Ripple and hookers that could have been provided to the homeless just for the cost of that stupid Civil War scene.
42 - Dan
Al, that is a decent song. I liked your description of "maximum understated menace". I downloaded it and found a really cool parallel: Clint's chorus where he sings "There's no price to high for freedom" tracks closely with Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young's "Find the cost of freedom..." And when Black's back-up sings "so be careful where you tread" they do it in a three or four part harmony that sounds so CSN&Y. The same way they sing "buried in the sand". To me it seems intentional, but it could be what I'm smoking.
Still, with your extensive knowledge and eclectic good taste in music, I find it hard to believe no other Clint Black song comes to the fore for you. How about "Killing Time"? Excellent lyrical content, and a real archtype 'Drinkin' Country Wailer' too.
43 - Al Barger
I'm not necessarily against any other Clint Black. I haven't listened real close. I should probably check out a hits album or something.
I generally actively avoid modern commercial country radio/video. It all seems so un-country to me-homogenized and bland, removed from the soil.
Of course, this sweeping generalization may unfairly sweep up the occassional outstanding artist or song.
44 - Jay
Well looking back on all these comments from 2 1/2 years ago---those of you who insist Iraq had bio and chem weapons were completely and totally and utterly wrong. Iraq's a big friggin mess, mostly because Bush fired the general who said twice the number of troops were needed, so the US troops couldn't guard the ammo dumps that litter Iraq and were looted by the insurgents in the guerilla war Bush and most of you who crowed victory insisted wasn't happening for months. Right now Iraq's a big mess and it looks more apparent everyday that the President's plan is to run out the clock until 2009 and dump this problem on the guy who succeeds him.
And finally, for all the bloodthirsty talk and flag-waving, neither Clint Black or Toby Keith or 99% of the yahoos put their money where there mouth was. If you haven't signed up and put your yellow-stickered butt over there in Iraq by now, you don't think Iraq was worth fighting for anymore than I did.
45 - sola
"I'VE GOT INFRARED, I'VE GOT GPS AND I'VE GOT THAT GOOD OLD FASHIONED LEAD"
haha - this is such a bad song.
46 - ss
SOME SEE THIS IN BLACK AND WHITE
OTHERS ONLY GRAY
WE'RE NOT BEGGING FOR A FIGHT
NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY
We had to go half way around the world and fight a country of 25 million people because, well what ever reason fits this week.
'We're just really mad at Arabs and want to kick some Arab ass'
Was good enough until the picture of the ten year old orphan with his arms blown off hit tv. Or was it when our own death toll hit 500. Or 1000. Or 1500.
Distort how ever you want Al, none of you people gave a shit about Iraq till it all went wrong and the terrorists proved they could keep bombing other countries no matter who we put in charge of that one.
If some idiotic country song helps blot out the truth, knock yourself out.
47 - Al Barger
SS, your comments don't relate to reality in any significant way.
But beyond public policy issues, again this is a MUSIC review. This is one of the better country songs to come out in the last several years.
If it's a good song, it's a good song whether you agree with some political or religious point in the lyrics or not. I'm still listening to those pinko Clash records cause they're GOOD.
48 - Kanuck
Cindy Sheehan's real democracy camp site needs toilet paper - Clint Black should donate his unsold cd covers for recycling mulch or should I say "patriot sludge"... then head to Iraq to do' some fightin' (if that's what you want to call slaughtering innocent people.) I hope this f*cking idiot's career tanks because of this bullshi*. Same goes for the zombies who buy into the war and those who do f*ckall about it.
49 - Sampo
Ha ha, you're right...these are very wiity and insightful lyrics. Move over Baudelaire, Cohen, Crane, etc.
Here's some more great lyrics, please judge only by the rhyming scheme and not the content sine your good taste transcends your infantile politics:
I like sugar, and I like tea
But I don't like nlggers...no siree!
There's two known things that'll make me puke
And that's a hog eatin' slop, and a big, black spook!
You know it...cause I show it
Like a barn-yard rooster I crow it!
And the NAACP
Would sure like to get a-hold of nlgger-hatin' me!
Roses are red, and violet's are blue
And nlgger's are black, you know that's true
But they don't mind, cause what the heck!
You gotta be black to get a welfare check!
And I'm broke...no joke
I ain't got a nickel for a coke!
And I ain't black, you see
So Uncle Sam won't help poor nlgger-hatin' me.
Jig-A-Boo, jig-a-boo...where are you?
I's here in the woodpile...watchin' you
Jig-A-Boo, jig-a-boo...come out!
No! Cause I'm scared of the white man's a-way down South
You know it!...cause I show it.
Stick your black head out and I'll blow it!
And the NAACP
Can't keep you away from little old nlgger-hatin' me!
Mirror, mirror...on the wall
Who is the blackest of them all?
A man named King, and there ain't no doubt
That he's causin' lots of trouble with his baboon mouth.
Brewin'...he's a doin'
It's caused by the trouble he's a-brewin'
And the NAACP
Can't win if the white men stick with nlgger-hatin' me!
Hey! Mr. President! What do you say?
When are we whites gonna have our day?
The nlgger's had there's such a long, long time
I'm white, and it's time that I had mine!
You know it...cause I show it!
Stick your black head out and I'll blow it!
And the NAACP
Can't win if the white man sticks with nlgger-hatin' me!
50 - Al Barger
Yes Sampo, I'm familiar with that song. But what's your point in inflicting this obviously inflammatory lyric? It's not particularly well written, in fact. Nor is it obviously relevant in any way to Clint Black.
Are you intending to argue by inference that anyone who doesn't stick to some idiot PC liberal line of thinking is just like someone who'd write the lyric you're quoting?