Toby Keith
In some ways, as we live apolitical and more cultural lives, you can chunk policy decisions by the wayside and assess political eras by way of what pop culture floats around.
Why did Carter have to go? Because nobody had a damned clue what Foreigner was talking about. (No. Feel free to tell me what that song means.) And the Reagan era would, at the very least, spawn some music reacting against the Reagan era… if we have a waterd down retro-50s feel, then go ahead and bring out Black Sabbath!
Unfortunately, this ties Clinton to Limp Bizkit. Unless we mark Limp Bizkit as a prelude to Bush (but we can’t… because Limp Bizkit is just an echo of, say, Korn.) Britney Spears, borne of 1999, was, on the other hand, a definite prelude to Bush. (Her demise may well prove to be a prelude to Bush’s demise.)
The VH1 “Behind the Music” episode on 1992 (this was more or less after they ran out of bands to do) has James Carville saying describing the pop cultural shifts in league with the demise of Reagan – Bush and the rise of Clinton… The vestiges of the Bush I era being “Hair Metal”, Vanilla Ice and Milli Vanilli, and the final popular faze of Michael Jackson. For whatever it’s worth, Clinton heralded in with the whinings of Kurt Cobain… analyze the ramnifications at your disposal.
Anyways… we’re not so much gunning to get rid of George W Bush era, as we are trying to get rid of the Toby Keith era.
American Girls and American Guys
We’ll always stand up and salute
We’ll always recognize
When we see Old Glory Flying
There’s a lot of men dead
So we can sleep in peace at night
When we lay down our head
My daddy served in the army
Where he lost his right eye
But he flew a flag out in our yard
Until the day that he died
He wanted my mother, my brother, my sister and me
To grow up and live happy
In the land of the free.
Now this nation that I love
Has fallen under attack
A mighty sucker punch came flyin’ in
From somewhere in the back
Soon as we could see clearly
Through our big black eye
Man, we lit up your world
Like the 4th of July
Hey Uncle Sam
Put your name at the top of his list
And the Statue of Liberty
Started shakin’ her fist
And the eagle will fly
Man, it’s gonna be hell
When you hear Mother Freedom
Start ringin’ her bell
And it feels like the whole wide world is raining down on you
Brought to you Courtesy of the Red White and Blue
Justice will be served
And the battle will rage
This big dog will fight
When you rattle his cage
And you’ll be sorry that you messed with
The U.S. of A.
`Cause we`ll put a boot in your ass
It`s the American way
Hey Uncle Sam
Put your name at the top of his list
And the Statue of Liberty
Started shakin’ her fist
And the eagle will fly
Man, it’s gonna be hell
When you hear Mother Freedom
Start ringin’ her bell
And it feels like the whole wide world is raining down on you
Brought to you Courtesy of the Red White and Blue
Yes. Let Freedom Reign … Down onto you, if you know what I mean.