Red Mosquito

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

We fixed it!

Well... you fixed it.

you had to be my Yes Man

And happy to do it

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.