The end of the decade would also see an end to this age of innocence. Of course it works on the level of a finely crafted pop song about young love too, inspired as it appears to be by a Brian Wilson approach to the arrangement (listen to the “ba-buh-bap-bap-ba” backing vocals – pure Beach Boys brand aural sunshine!) which perfectly captures the feelings of unadorned teenaged love, untroubled by the cynicism which often sets in later. People held onto the idea that the simplicity of love could change the world for the better and this song shimmers with that hope, that love could create a vision for people to follow. When the song was released in the Spring of 1967, the Summer of Love was just around the corner, as a sort of optimism epicenter. Happy Together – The TurtlesĪnother song that evokes the image of the blue sky as a metaphor for a hopeful future is the Turtles smash hit, ‘Happy Together’ from the album of the same name. This is one of my favourite songs of all time. ‘Blue Skies’ has been covered by an incredible range of performers from Al Jolson to Bing Crosby, to Willie Nelson (watch the clip above), to Lieutenant Commander Data from the film Star Trek: Nemesis, proving that when something is true, it never gets old (even in the 24th century, presumably). This song celebrates the perspective that love in one’s life is the way to clarity, and that this perspective has the power to make one notice that the world, despite its troubles, can be a beautiful place after all. Blue Skies is surely an anthem to innocence and young love, an optimist’s song that comes from the point of view of those who see the simple things as being the most meaningful. I like to think that the models of unforgiving reality and the sweetnes and light in popular song is more like William Blake’s idea of innocence and experience, and that the two can co-exist. At one time, the role of music and of film was seen to provide an escape to those faced with the harsh realities of life I suppose to an extent, that’s still true. Written in 1926, Irving Berlin penned a tune which would embody the optimism necessary for many who would need it as the Great Depression set out to crush the spirits of a nation in the decade to follow. Here are 10 songs for the optimist, 10 anthems to the power of a positive perspectives that help the listener to go beyond the darkness and seeming hopelessness of the present and catch a glimpse of a future that is not only hoped for, but longed for. There are plenty of songs which voice the latter.īut today, I’d like to talk about those tunes which makes you believe that the sun will shine someday, even if today is rife with rain clouds. Ultimately, we can believe that humanity will triumph over adversity, or that the forces of the unthinking, the random cruelties of life, or the lack of vision suffered by those in power will doom us to an unbearable future. It reminds me of Bo Burnham's "Inside," which is one of the highest compliments I can think of.One of my favorite things about pop music is that it can be a way to make sense of the world and of circumstances, or at least allow us to see different perspectives. This is a song about how annoying the world is from a person least poised to make that observation, and I'm annoyed by how much I enjoy it. Putting aside the fact that Marie Antoinette likely never said this, I so admire the guts to take history's most famous summary of privilege and somehow make it charming. He takes the bridge to address his own wealth, whiteness, and hypocrisy, only to brush it off with a self-aware smirk: "But enough about me."īest lyrics: "Whatever's on the news, the other side'll call it fake / I wish I was the queen, I'd tell 'em all to eat their cake." These are themes he's explored before, most notably with "Can't Wait to Be Dead," which is one of my favorite songs. "The Kids Are All Dying" touches upon a veritable feast of heavy, controversial topics: capitalism, climate change, gun violence, internet outrage, political partisanship. "The Kids Are All Dying" is the second track on "Optimist." Account icon An icon in the shape of a person's head and shoulders.
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