Song for Day 20 of a 4 Year Funeral - "Oh, Lucky Man" by Alan Price

Day 20 - "Oh, Lucky Man" by Alan Price

Songwriter Alan Price.

    Lindsay Anderson's 1973 satirical musical comedy movie, "O Lucky Man!", complete with Alan Price's sound track, comprise arguably the most political feature film of the last half century.  It skewers almost everything:  capitalism, our "justice" system, nuclear brinkmanship, politicians, the media, even "family values" and [gasp!] scientific research.

     Yes, that is keyboardist Alan Price of The Animals, who gave us hits like "We Gotta Get Out of this Place", and their arrangements of "Don't Let me be Misunderstood" (with its interesting provenance) and the classic, "House of the Rising Sun" before hooking up with Eric Burdon to produce successful tunes like "Sky Pilot" and "San Francisco Nights".

      Here comes the uncomfortable part:  One single, game-changing line from the title song, "Oh, Lucky Man", explains why Democrats lose elections.  Overlooking the sexism (apparently, there are no lucky women on this planet), we hear:

If knowledge hangs around your neck like pearls instead of chains you are a lucky man

These memes might not help our cause.

      I'm betting that most politicos have above average IQs.  Judging from how we--this contributor is among the worst offenders--write about knuckle-dragging, mouth-breathing, anencephalic Cro-Magnon RepTealians, one gets the sense that few of us suffer fools gladly.  That is probably true in our everyday lives, too.  Needless to say, this limits our ability to empathize and communicate with Trump voters.  With all of our individual and combined intelligence we can't even begin to outfox Fox.  This is of particular import now, as we enter the impeachment phase of this election cycle.

      With apologies for the bluntness, here is something to contemplate when speaking outside our echo chamber, at least:  By definition, being clever means others are less so.  To get frustrated with people stupid enough to vote against their own interest is to get frustrated with our own intellect.  Flip side, same coin.  Thus, our resenting this chasm is more ridiculous than the people we ridicule.

Lyrics:

If you have a friend on whom you think you can rely you are a lucky man
If you've found the reason to live on and not to die you are a lucky man

Preachers and poets and scholars don't know it
Temples and statues and steeples won't show it
If you've got the secret just try not to blow it
Stay a lucky man!
A lucky man!

If you've found the meaning of the truth in this old world you are a lucky man
If knowledge hangs around your neck like pearls instead of chains you are a lucky man

Takers and fakers and talkers won't tell you
Teachers and preachers will just buy and sell you
When no one can tempt you, with heaven or hell, you'll be a lucky man
You'd be better by far to be just what you are
You can be what you want, if you are what you are
And that's a lucky man!

Oh yeah!
A lucky man!
And that's a lucky, a lucky, a lucky man
A lucky, a lucky, a lucky man


Links: 

Songs for a 4 Year Funeral