Retrograde

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Rate Retrograde

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Total votes: 142

Ms Harmless
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Re: Retrograde

Post by Ms Harmless »

durdencommatyler wrote:
Ms Harmless wrote:
durdencommatyler wrote:
Ms Harmless wrote:
durdencommatyler wrote:
Ms Harmless wrote:
durdencommatyler wrote:
Ms Harmless wrote:I don't mind the direct government reference but I think there could be a less weak sauce word than "discontent", from a guy who's Thing is doublespeak and propaganda; something like "disinformation" is too long but that's the kind of meaning I want there; it just feels like at the moment the line says "as the government thrives on making people sad", which is true, but not very specific and I think specificity is one thing that makes poetry poetry
I mean "discontent" is more accurate than "making people sad" though. Disinformation, while I take your point, also isn't what this administration is after either. Disinformation is a means to an end: discontent.

Division is maybe the most accurate word but it also doesn't quite ring in the line. Still, I hear you and I agree.
they want to push capitalist and fascist policy, making some people discontent and others extremely happy, and Ed is usually better at saying that

what if he just went "mmmm-mmmm-mmmm-mmmm-mmmm-mmmm-hee-hee! and there's no such thing as clear" (actually it's that second line that made me think "disinformation / doublespeak / deliberate obfuscation" was what he was getting at)

e.g. Boris' latest statement about Covid precautions was deliberately vague and nonsensical so that when people interpret them however they want and loads of people die, the government can blame us instead of their leadership
Double-speak is good. And carries a nice history/reference with it. I like that.
ooooh yes it's the right number of syllables too
:hooray:

We fixed it!

Well... you fixed it.
you had to be my Yes Man :cool:
And happy to do it
:heartbeat:
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Ledbetterdays
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Re: Retrograde

Post by Ledbetterdays »

digster wrote:Trump is barely a part of Quick Escape; he's mentioned almost as an aside.

I'm not as big a fan of the 7:00 line, but that's more because I think the line is kind of silly, rather than the fact that political content is included. Politics is certainly fair game for song content, in the same way love, religion, death, sex, or anything else is.

It could have just as easily been "find a place that wasn't f***ed up yet," sounded almost the same, had the same impact without the direct reference which dates the song in a future context.
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Rob
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Re: Retrograde

Post by Rob »

EJ wrote:Those Trump references don't bother me at all.

The one line that does take me out of a song on this album is in River Cross:

"While the government thrives on discontent"

Really wish Ed found something else to use in place of that one.

The "thrive on discontent" line is one of my favorite political lyrics on the album.

I do think the "sitting bullshit" line is a bit much. I'm indifferent to the Trump reference on QE.
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Re: Retrograde

Post by Ms Harmless »

Ledbetterdays wrote:
digster wrote:Trump is barely a part of Quick Escape; he's mentioned almost as an aside.

I'm not as big a fan of the 7:00 line, but that's more because I think the line is kind of silly, rather than the fact that political content is included. Politics is certainly fair game for song content, in the same way love, religion, death, sex, or anything else is.

It could have just as easily been "find a place that wasn't f***ed up yet," sounded almost the same, had the same impact without the direct reference which dates the song in a future context.
I think it would be much more rich for white Americans to call the rest of the world "fucked up"; at least putting a name to some of the damage makes it clear that the problem is colonialism etc
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Leatherhead
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Re: Retrograde

Post by Leatherhead »

The Trump reference in QE is fine by me. I have 0 problem with a song having a reference in it that "dates" it. Years from now, Trump will still have been a shitty president, and I'm never going to forget about it.
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Re: Retrograde

Post by Ms Harmless »

Leatherhead wrote:The Trump reference in QE is fine by me. I have 0 problem with a song having a reference in it that "dates" it. Years from now, Trump will still have been a shitty president, and I'm never going to forget about it.
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PHATJ
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Re: Retrograde

Post by PHATJ »

Ms Harmless wrote:
Ledbetterdays wrote:
digster wrote:Trump is barely a part of Quick Escape; he's mentioned almost as an aside.

I'm not as big a fan of the 7:00 line, but that's more because I think the line is kind of silly, rather than the fact that political content is included. Politics is certainly fair game for song content, in the same way love, religion, death, sex, or anything else is.

It could have just as easily been "find a place that wasn't f***ed up yet," sounded almost the same, had the same impact without the direct reference which dates the song in a future context.
I think it would be much more rich for white Americans to call the rest of the world "fucked up"; at least putting a name to some of the damage makes it clear that the problem is colonialism etc
“Find a place we hadn’t fucked up yet” would be the most palatable lyric going forward if the Trump reference proves problematic in the future. “We” as in the royal we, as in humanity fucking up earth so badly we have to flee to Mars. Anyway, just my .02.
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Re: Retrograde

Post by Ms Harmless »

PHATJ wrote:
Ms Harmless wrote:
Ledbetterdays wrote:
digster wrote:Trump is barely a part of Quick Escape; he's mentioned almost as an aside.

I'm not as big a fan of the 7:00 line, but that's more because I think the line is kind of silly, rather than the fact that political content is included. Politics is certainly fair game for song content, in the same way love, religion, death, sex, or anything else is.

It could have just as easily been "find a place that wasn't f***ed up yet," sounded almost the same, had the same impact without the direct reference which dates the song in a future context.
I think it would be much more rich for white Americans to call the rest of the world "fucked up"; at least putting a name to some of the damage makes it clear that the problem is colonialism etc
“Find a place we hadn’t fucked up yet” would be the most palatable lyric going forward if the Trump reference proves problematic in the future. “We” as in the royal we, as in humanity fucking up earth so badly we have to flee to Mars. Anyway, just my .02.
that would be a good compromise
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Monkey_Driven
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Re: Retrograde

Post by Monkey_Driven »

PHATJ wrote:
Ms Harmless wrote:
Ledbetterdays wrote:
digster wrote:Trump is barely a part of Quick Escape; he's mentioned almost as an aside.

I'm not as big a fan of the 7:00 line, but that's more because I think the line is kind of silly, rather than the fact that political content is included. Politics is certainly fair game for song content, in the same way love, religion, death, sex, or anything else is.

It could have just as easily been "find a place that wasn't f***ed up yet," sounded almost the same, had the same impact without the direct reference which dates the song in a future context.
I think it would be much more rich for white Americans to call the rest of the world "fucked up"; at least putting a name to some of the damage makes it clear that the problem is colonialism etc
“Find a place we hadn’t fucked up yet” would be the most palatable lyric going forward if the Trump reference proves problematic in the future. “We” as in the royal we, as in humanity fucking up earth so badly we have to flee to Mars. Anyway, just my .02.
That works too.
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Re: Retrograde

Post by Ms Harmless »

let's tell Ed
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Rob
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Re: Retrograde

Post by Rob »

No matter your political views, "we" versus "trump" in QE would have worked better anyway. More accurate and less controversial.

(edit - basically just agreeing with the last few posts)
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stip
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Re: Retrograde

Post by stip »

That lyric is fine. Taking shots at Trump is fine. He is American history’s sorriest monster
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stip
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Re: Retrograde

Post by stip »

Having said that, We does work better
digster
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Re: Retrograde

Post by digster »

I actually think I prefer the Trump line; if politics are being overtly expressed in a song, I think if often works better when it's framed as one of the emotional facets of life; the line grounds the song in the here and now and then doesn't dwell on it. I tend to prefer that kind of thing as opposed to something like No More, which is the political analog to how a sappy, treacly love song approaches talking about romance.
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Re: Retrograde

Post by guitar_davey »

Leatherhead wrote:The Trump reference in QE is fine by me. I have 0 problem with a song having a reference in it that "dates" it. Years from now, Trump will still have been a shitty president, and I'm never going to forget about it.
And the damage he has done will live on. Make no mistake, he's done a lot of damage.
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Jaeti
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Re: Retrograde

Post by Jaeti »

Poor Retrograde.

It's really getting lost in the shuffle here. First amid diversions about two superior songs, granted, but now it's also sharing its space with a No More reference.

Poor Retrograde.
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Leatherhead
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Re: Retrograde

Post by Leatherhead »

Rob wrote:No matter your political views, "we" versus "trump" in QE would have worked better anyway. More accurate and less controversial.

(edit - basically just agreeing with the last few posts)
Less controversial does not make a song better. In fact it might make the song worse.
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Rob
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Re: Retrograde

Post by Rob »

Leatherhead wrote:
Rob wrote:No matter your political views, "we" versus "trump" in QE would have worked better anyway. More accurate and less controversial.

(edit - basically just agreeing with the last few posts)
Less controversial does not make a song better. In fact it might make the song worse.
Agreed, but do you think this song would be worse if he said "we" instead of "Trump?"

I don't think it makes a difference here, but "we" is more accurate, and I do think you can make a message harder to take if you go too hard.
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PHATJ
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Re: Retrograde

Post by PHATJ »

It doesn’t bother me that he says Trump. It’ll be something fans cheer at shows. But “we” is a perfectly acceptable lyric there, and might have a deeper affect when it insinuates we all are contributors to the greater problem, not just one man you happen to hate. Either way, I love the song.
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Re: Retrograde

Post by Tj »

PHATJ wrote:It doesn’t bother me that he says Trump. It’ll be something fans cheer at shows. But “we” is a perfectly acceptable lyric there, and might have a deeper affect when it insinuates we all are contributors to the greater problem, not just one man you happen to hate. Either way, I love the song.
I teally tlike that man fucked up because it is and has been and will always be each of us. I mean what is the environmental toll for creating anything from a album to skate board to glock it all has consequences. No doubt to widely different degrees. We as in man are all tilters.
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