Snobbin: Beautiful Trash in the Pop Culture Gutter

This jaunty folk song parodies how different Americans act on this important day, particularly along party lines that never seem to change. Showing how frustrated those who vote are with those who do not, the song, prime Foremen tradition, makes fun of various sides of the political spectrum. Even though the song is always pertinent because voter turnout tends to be low, this year many of the lyrics feel particularly relevant, including "I kicked the pamphlets off the porch" and "felt distinctly disenfranchised."  Perhaps these are always perennial concerns, yet most of the characters that are asked what they did on election day tend to have done very little, so when one says that they voted, it seems surprising. That he is a "distant cousin" is telling as those closest to the speaker are too busy thinking briefly about politics before doing something odd like tossing out their Bee Gee records. These actions demonstrate the disregard that many have for vot...

I've been exploring the back alleys of American folk music all morning. There is a subtlety and  true flair for melody in many of these songs. I haven't been able to get "Richmond is a Hard Road" out of my head. The song was originally a Union Army song that had been adapted from "Jordan is a Hard Road to Travel," a song which was written by Dan Emmett, who also composed "Dixie." The roads these songs lead listners to, the familiar melodies, the catchiness of the tunes all give them a timeless quality. Greil Marcus wrote, "America is a place and a story, made up of exuberance and suspicion, crime and liberation, lynch mobs and escapes, its greatest testaments are made of portents and warnings." These qualities are the backbone of the American songbook. There is hardship and joy, faith and doubt, uncertainty, and great hope wrapped up in these songs. None of these qualities are true binaries -- just gradations of sentiment and feeling. A...