Geographically Challanged

[fairybasslet]

I've never met an African American. I do know one Caucasian woman who was born and raised in South Africa... I know plenty of black Americans, though.

When I grow up, can I be a hyphen too?

 

[Fish_Whisperer]

Really.... I am a Chippewa-Irish-English-American. *rolling my eyes*

 

[Hank49]

I look in the mirror and practice every night...." I love Extra Crispy...I love KFC...it's so good"...actually I haven't eaten that greasy mess for years but my new boss owns 250 of them in 11 states. All in Hawaii...and the Burger Kings too. I suppose at some point I'll have to choke some down in his presence and smile while doing so....well at least I may get to listen to Lynyrd Skynyrd while suffering through it...

 

[H2Andy]

Neil YOung's "Southern Man" is a song dealing with the aftermath of slavery
and racism in the South, in the context of the late 60's civil rights movement:

Sothern Man

Southern man better keep your head
Don't forget what your good book said
Southern change gonna come at last
Now your crosses are burning fast
Southern man

I saw cotton and I saw black
Tall white mansions and little shacks
Southern man when will you pay them back?
I heard screamin' and bullwhips cracking
How long? How long?

Southern man better keep your head
Don't forget what your good book said
Southern change gonna come at last
Now your crosses are burning fast
Southern man

Lily Belle, your hair is golden brown
I've seen your black man comin' round
Swear by God I'm gonna cut him down!
I heard screamin' and bullwhips cracking
How long? How long?


Lynard Skynnerd's Sweet Home Alabama is a celebretion of the south,
and it references Neil Young's Southern Man, and, most disturbingly,
make reference to "the governor," most likely George C. Wallace,
4 time governor of Alabama:

Sweet Home Alabama

Big wheels keep on turning
Carry me home to see my kin
Singing songs about the southland
I miss alabamy once again
And I think it’s a sin, yes

Well I heard mister young sing about her
Well, I heard ole neil put her down
Well, I hope neil young will remember
A southern man don’t need him around anyhow

Sweet home alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet home alabama
Lord, I’m coming home to you

In birmingham they love the governor
Now we all did what we could do
Now watergate does not bother me
Does your conscience bother you?
Tell the truth

Sweet home alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet home alabama
Lord, I’m coming home to you
Here I come alabama

Now muscle shoals has got the swampers
And they’ve been known to pick a song or two
Lord they get me off so much
They pick me up when I’m feeling blue
Now how about you?

Sweet home alabama
Where the skies are so blue
Sweet home alabama
Lord, I’m coming home to you

Sweet home alabama
Oh sweet home baby
Where the skies are so blue
And the governor’s true
Sweet home alabama
Lordy
Lord, I’m coming home to you
Yea, yea montgomery’s got the answer

-------------------------------------------------------------------------


a brief history of Governor Wallace, from the official Alabama Governor's site:

In 1958, Wallace formally entered the governor's race and received more than a quarter million votes placing second in the primary to John Patterson. Patterson ran strong on the racial issue and accepted the support of the Ku Klux Klan; Wallace refused it. Wallace thereupon received the endorsement of the NAACP. In the run-off, Patterson defeated him by over 64,000 votes. This devastating loss forced Wallace to significantly adapt his socio-political ideologies to appeal to the state's voters. (Stewart, p. 214)

Following his devastating defeat to Patterson, Wallace resumed his legal duties all the while forming a plan to achieve his goal - the governor's office. Wallace's views on race relations and segregation underwent a drastic metamorphosis following the defeat. By the primary of 1962, Wallace defeated his mentor Folsom, among others, and in the run-off he defeated the rising young politician Ryan DeGraffenried. In the general election of November, Wallace polled the largest vote ever given a gubernatorial candidate in Alabama up to that time. (Stewart, p. 214).

http://www.archives.state.al.us/govs_list/g_wallac.html


so.... Lynard Skinnard say that Neil Young is "putting down" the Southland
by saying that there are racial problems around, and then invoke the name
of a Governor elected on his anti-civil-rights platform...

:34:

what does it all mean?

 

[Jcsgt]

Really.... I am a Chippewa-Irish-English-American. *rolling my eyes*

Hey, me too!! Plus a little Scottish and Norwegian.

 

[MSilvia]

Yeah, "Southern Man" mentions Alabama, but I think "Alabama" is worth looking at too.

Neil Young - Alabama

Oh Alabama
The devil fools
with the best laid plan.
Swing low Alabama
You got spare change
You got to feel strange
And now the moment
is all that it meant.

Alabama, you got
the weight on your shoulders
That's breaking your back.
Your Cadillac
has got a wheel in the ditch
And a wheel on the track

Oh Alabama
Banjos playing
through the broken glass
Windows down in Alabama.
See the old folks
tied in white ropes
Hear the banjo.
Don't it take you down home?

Alabama, you got
the weight on your shoulders
That's breaking your back.
Your Cadillac
has got a wheel in the ditch
And a wheel on the track

Oh Alabama.
Can I see you
and shake your hand.
Make friends down in Alabama.
I'm from a new land
I come to you
and see all this ruin
What are you doing Alabama?
You got the rest of the union
to help you along
What's going wrong?


Incidentally, my vote for "worst song choice for a commercial" goes to Carnival Cruise Lines for Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life". Yeah, nothing says "cruise" like a good old fashioned heroin song.

Here comes johnny yen again
With the liquor and drugs
And the flesh machine
He’s gonna do another strip tease.

 

[MSilvia]

I know plenty of black Americans, though.

A good friend of mine, a self-described black woman, told me she was once angrily scolded by a NAACP activist for not identifying herself as African American instead. I guess the look on the other woman's face was pretty priceless when she responded, "Actually, my family's from Haiti."

 

[RocketMan]

I agree that the song doesn't go with the ad....but I still like the chicken.

Yeah, "Southern Man" mentions Alabama, but I think "Alabama" is worth looking at too.

.....snip.....[/I]

Well it wasn't Alabama were Rodney King was beat by white cops in 1991.

 

[Hank49]

so.... Lynard Skinnard say that Neil Young is "putting down" the Southland
by saying that there are racial problems around, and then invoke the name
of a Governor elected on his anti-civil-rights platform...

:34:

what does it all mean?

OR, "in Birmingham they love the governor, boo hoo hoo" may be very sarcastic, in reaction to Wallace getting shot. And Watergate doesn't bother them because they could care less about politics. We're talking a bunch of guys that liked to get drunk, fight and play rock and blues in honky tonk bars.
It's hard to get three guitars together and play Sweet Home just like they did. I know it was done in a studio but still.....What a solid sound. ahhhh.... the 70s.

And if we're talking about songs that don't go with the ad, why does Bush beer (I think it's them) use another Skynyrd song, "Simple Man" in their ad? It takes me forever to remember words to a song...but I'll pick up the music quick. The sound is what sells to men.....the beer drinkers...women go for words.

 

[Nomad]

And if we're talking about songs that don't go with the ad...

Then there are the Panasonic ads the have the beatles song that goes "Its gettin better all the time"

On the Sgt Peppers album, the next line says "It can't get no worse" but for some reason they leave that part out of the commercial...