This Week's Forgotten Gem of the '80s - Jackson Browne's "For America"
Monday January 19, 2009
On the eve of a moment in political history that many so deeply hope signals real change and genuine advancement toward a nation we can all be proud of, it's hard to go wrong with Jackson Browne, one of pop music's most consistent songwriters of authentic political conscience. This 1985 tune from the singer-songwriter's revered Lives in the Balance cuts across the decade nimbly, somehow finding a way to combine strong guitars with saxophone and clean, sharp melodies with weighty statements of difficult truths.As President Obama (man, that sounds good) prepares to lead us forward starting tomorrow, Browne's cautious lyrics in "For America" slice easily through layers of dated production to function as a call to action for us to truly change our ways from ignorance to understanding: "And from the comfort of a dreamer's bed and the safety of my own head, I went out speaking of the future while other people fought and bled." Matching actions with ideals may be a lot to live up to, but for the first time in many years I feel there just might be enough light at the end of the dark path to make it actually mean something to say, "We can do it. We're Americans, dammit!"
Album Cover Photo Courtesy of Elektra/Asylum Records
Comments
Great song, great CD, and Browne’s new CD Time the Conqueror feels like a sequel to it (with less production than was typical in the 80s…).