I really love America. I just don’t know how to get there anymore…”
John Prine
This post is for my American friends and followers. I truly appreciate the support. If you still follow Ted Tocks Covers it is reasonable to sense that you stand on the right side of things.
Today’s post replicates to some degree, the format I used to write a post for Canada Day on July 1. For a unique listening experience, I will share the top five Ted Tocks Covers posts by readership, featuring songs by American artists. I began writing this blog on January 1, 2018 so the numbers reflect page views over the past five-and-a-half years. Speaking to this introduction, I should emphasize that I had no influence on these numbers. I just write, and the people read. There is no telling which songs will get the most readership. They just seem to get swept up in online searches and I just let the chips fall where they may.
As a result, you are about to receive one of the most unique sets of ‘Americana’ music you will ever hear.
#5. Black Betty
‘Black Betty’ was made most famous by Ram Jam in 1977. The band formed from the seed of a pop group called the Lemon Pipers. When they broke up, Bill Bartlett began a group called Starstruck. It was during the short time that Starstruck existed that Bartlett imagined a jammed-out version of an old song known as ‘Black Betty’. They were most familiar with the one-minute lament by blues legend, Lead Belly. The Starstruck version was actually, the precursor to the famous Ram Jam edition. This is really good.
Two producers in New York named Jerry Kasenetz and Jeffrey Katz decided to form a band around Bill Bartlett, and that group became known as Ram Jam. The re-release of ‘Black Betty’ became a nationwide hit, which also received top ten status in the U.K. and Australia.
Despite the success, there was controversy in the midst because the lyrics contained references to a ‘Black Betty’ which has direct ties to America’s blatantly racist past.
Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-lam)
Trad. LeadBelly
She’s from Birmingham (Bam-ba-lam)
Way down in Alabam’ (Bam-ba-lam)
Well, she’s shakin’ that thing (Bam-ba-lam)
Boy, she makes me sing (Bam-ba-lam)
Whoa, Black Betty (Bam-ba-lam)”
Let’s just say ‘Black Betty’ is way more than the object of Ram Jam’s affections.
The history of the term ‘Black Betty’ becomes the story that this Ted Tocks Covers post speaks to, and through the years it has generated a steady flow of views.
It’s fascinating, especially since America’s racist past is literally bleeding into the present, all the way up to the grossly misguided and corrupt Supreme Court.
Oh…There are some great covers here, including the original by James ‘Iron Head’ Baker, Lead Belly, Odetta, Tom Jones and even Meat Loaf.
#4. Almost Cut My Hair – This has gone down as a David Crosby classic even though it is a great example of Crosby Stills Nash and Young working together in the studio and creating magic. ‘Almost Cut My Hair is a hippie anthem, and a pledge of freedom that stands to this day. Real freedom. Freedom of expression. Hair can be used as a euphemism for any example of a person being denigrated for their physical presentation. Fast forward to today, and we can draw a connection to a person’s sexuality and gender identity. Because America has a propensity for never leaning from their mistakes of the past, which really does define the country.
Radical right fools in government have waged war on ‘Drag Queens’.
Yep…
‘MeriKKKa’.
The land of the ‘white’ and the home of the ‘intolerant’.
‘Almost Cut My Hair’ goes all the way back to 1970.
I feel like letting my freak flag fly
David Crosby
And I feel like I owe it to someone
This premise remains.
David Crosby knew.
Here is a great quote from 2016.
It’s a very tough time in the United States, man. Donald Trump has pulled a scab off an ongoing infection in this country of racism and stupidity that is beyond belief. He’s made it obvious that the big part of the bell curve of the intelligent distribution is at a room temperature IQ. And there’s a whole shitload of not very smart people out there who buy into Donald Trump. Trump is an obvious charlatan, an obvious liar, an obvious piece of shit. The only people who would believe in him are dummies. People who are politically primitive. His and their world is laced with racism. The racism in this country is fully active and fully discouraging in how pervasive it is. I love my country, man, it was a good idea when it was a democracy. But it’s not a democracy now, it’s a corporate-run place. The corporations have so much money and they throw it at congressional elections and then the Congress does what they tell them. And that’s a very discouraging fact. I have been working at trying to make things better when I can. [CSNY] has always been there for civil rights and women’s rights and anti-nuclear and anti-war. But things are not good in the United States right now. I did a swing though Canada recently and every night I would say, “You know, you think I’m up here on tour but I’m actually checking out the real estate!” I get them laughing so hard.”
David Crosby
As a Canadian, it says here it would have been great to host David Crosby through his golden years. Clearly, he was never coming, but the idea was fun.
He loved his country, even as he sat and watched wealthy white men and religious hypocrites systematically destroy it.
#3. Tiptoe Through the Tulips – Whoa! Here’s one from way out in left field. This song goes back well over 90 years to a United States that was on the precipice of the Great Depression. That other time where capitalism and corporate greed nearly crippled the country. The political model that was created by Franklin D. Roosevelt that carried the nation out of the Depression was considered ‘socialism’ by the naysayers of the day, but I digress.
‘Tiptoe Through the Tulips’ was written by Al Dubin and Joe Burke, and it was first performed by Nick Lucas in ‘Gold Diggers of Broadway’. The over-the-top rendition by the eccentric, yet captivating Tiny Tim, whose real name was Herbert Butros Khaury was an ode to the music that his mother shared with him as a young child. He had a propensity for imitating the vocal patterns of virtually every singer he heard. He took this gift to the folk clubs of Greenwich Village in the early ‘60s and carved out a career as a memorable novelty act.
This post was fun to write, and to be honest I thought people would say “What the Hell” and skim past it. It was the complete opposite. ‘Tiptoe Through the Tulips’ is the fourth most read Ted Tocks Covers post of all time with over 1500 page views.
So, here I should say, thank you for reading, and for indulging my aim to be somewhat diverse.
Diversity is a good thing.
#2 – Keep Me in Your Heart – Just thinking of the emotional power that drove this song makes me well up a little. Truth be told, this song and the next one are both steeped in sadness. Because the human condition exists on the wings of resilience, as listeners we can draw strength from the message and literally keep everything good about those who came before, in our collective hearts.
I began this post by calling ‘Keep Me in Your Heart’ one of the most beautiful songs ever written. I stand by these words.
It seems over 3300 music lovers and Warren Zevon enthusiasts agree.
Warren Zevon used this song to say good bye to the people he loved. ‘Keep Me in Your Heart’ was released in 2003 on his last studio album, ‘The Wind’. He was joined by many great friends from the recording industry. Those who were present recall Warren performing the vocal track for ‘Keep Me in Your Heart’. He could barely get it out, because he was deteriorating physically due to the ravages of mesothelioma and the emotional toll of the message weighed heavily.
The end result was one of the best albums of Warren Zevon’s career and a parting gift to everyone who stuck by him through a turbulent adult life.
Hold me in your thoughts
Warren Zevon and Jorge Calderon
Take me to your dreams
Touch me as I fall into view
When the winter comes
Keep the fires lit
And I will be right next to you”
Typical of Warren Zevon’s character, he left us with a few interesting thoughts to consider.
First, he was clearly concerned with the direction his country was taking.
It’s the home of the brave and the land of the free
Warren Zevon and Jorge Calderon
Where the less you know the better off you’ll be”
Man, this was prescient. A nod to Reagan and the Bush puppets.
But, even more importantly, you get this worthwhile gem.
Enjoy every sandwich.”
Warren Zevon
All politics aside, this is some advice we can all agree.
#1 – He Was in Heaven Before He Died – Sadly, Ted Tocks Covers is on record as saying that the most read post of all time is the one post I wish I never had to write.
When John Prine died of COVID-19 in April 2020, I felt the loss quite personally. I can honestly say that the death of no other musician has impacted me in such a strong way, and I am not sure any other ever will.
In this post I allude to the fact John Prine is one of my favourite songwriters, right up there with the aforementioned Warren Zevon. I speak to the accessibility of his lyrics and the fact he comes across as a wise friend that you can always turn to for some pearls of wisdom when it is most needed. For about a half century the world was blessed with John Prine as a recording artist and as a contemporary philosopher.
Here is a passage from ‘He Was in Heave Before He Died’.
The sun can play tricks
John Prine
With your eyes on the highway
The moon can lay sideways
‘Til the ocean stands still
But a person can’t tell
His best friend he loves him
‘Til time has stopped breathing
You’re alone on the hill”
All I can say is, if you ever need to reflect on life and consider your present circumstances, you could do a whole lot worse than taking a moment to read through John Prine’s lyrics to gain a positive perspective on the human condition.
Another point Ted Tocks Covers is on record as stating, is that if everyone took the time to listen to the music of John Prine, the world would be a better place. I am often amazed at the love and admiration that John Prine receives from his fans on his Facebook fan pages. To a person they are just good people.
America, the good.
I feel this is a testament to the man himself. John considered himself an ‘optimistic pessimist’ and this is the way he saw the United States.
This segues perfectly into the quote from John Prine that introduced this post. When John uttered these words, the President was Richard Nixon.
Yep, that cute little criminal President, who in 1972, recorded his political rivals and had a few sycophants steal some important documents.
Tricky Dick resigned from the President’s office in shame, two years later in 1974.
Of course, investigations into these crimes yielded countless additional crimes committed by a veritable who’s who of the Nixon administration, and several did prison time.
Truth be told, John Prine wasn’t prescient. When he wrote ‘The Great Compromise’ he was actually writing about U.S. foreign policy and the involvement in the Vietnam War.
He used a troubled relationship as an allegory.
The idea I had in mind was that America was this girl you used to take to drive-in movies. And then when you went to get some popcorn, she turned around and screwed some guy in foreign sports car. I really love America. I just don’t know how to get there anymore.”
John Prine
John Prine never suggested that the guy in a foreign sports car was a Saudi Prince. If the story was re-written today, perhaps it could be a homosexual tryst between the President’s son-in-law who presents as a eunuch, and a ruthless Crown Prince, who dangles his riches before the soulless American ghoul. Much like the President, the son-in-law comes from a family involved in decades of criminal activity. To mask his sexuality, in an intolerant country he is involved in an arranged marriage of convenience. They project an image of being the U.S. version of the Royal Family, but about 60-70% of the country sees through the charade.
I used to sleep at the foot of old glory
John Prine
And awake in the dawn’s early light
But much to my surprise
When I opened my eyes
I was a victim of the great compromise”
The problem of course, is that the other 30-40% of the country seem to have been hypnotized into a cult-like trance. They are hopelessly head over heels in love with the compromised charlatan.
So, I give you ‘The Great Compromise’ in its original splendour, but I submit my modern- day theatrical version for consideration.
So, let’s move on to the concept of American exceptionalism. For anyone who subscribes to this jingoistic image, I wish you well, but you are hopelessly delusional.
Wake up.
The American dream is over and you have been duped. You have been lured into a false sense of security by a group of right-wing charlatans, who have sold out to the corporate elite. America is for sale. It has been for years. The model is to hypnotize citizens into a false sense of security through fake religion, formulaic TV shows and bad music with no substance.
While more than half the country sleep-walk through their days, the people who are in power manipulate the masses into thinking that manifest destiny is still a thing. If things don’t work out, they deal out objects of scorn like a Las Vegas poker dealer. First it was the ‘blacks’, then it was the ‘browns’. The ‘Mexican rapists and murderers’ have been under a watchful eye for about a century and a half. Over the past half century, a movement to suppress women’s rights has become front and centre, and in recent years as a result of regressive fools at the highest level they are succeeding. Sensing victory in this space, they have moved on to condemn the LGTBQIA2S+ community, with a particular interest in the ‘Trans’ community. Drag Queens have really drawn the ire of a bad actor like Ron DeSantis, who has waged war on the ‘woke’ which is really a desire to stop educating people because a truly well-read person could never have the level of awareness to vote for a Republican/Conservative candidate.
The truth is, at its very core, racism is the founding principle to which the United States was created. As far back as colonization, leaders turned people away from their own dubious practices and suggested to the lowest element of society that any one particular group was the reason for their perceived negative lot in life.
First it was the ‘native savages’. They must be slaughtered. Then it was the ‘African Americans’. Enslave them. Free them, but deny them equal rights. Okay, we will give them some rights. Okay, how about 1/5 of the rights of their lighter skinned ‘brother’. If it’s land you want, how about a dilapidated tenement in a downtrodden inner city? The more worldly among the leaders began to focus outward. Let’s dominate the world oil markets. In order to do that we will need to make an enemy of the ‘brown’ people, but only those who are not filthy rich. Let’s destroy communism, and socialism and when the ‘huddled masses’ you have displaced attempt to enter your country you vote for a lifelong criminal and sexual deviant who proposes to ban immigration and build a wall.
And on and on and on it goes…
With all due respect…
Anyone, who supports these people or worse actually votes for them can quietly go and fuck themselves with a giant flag pole that is waving a blood stained flag.
Again…WAKE UP!
The puppeteers at the top are thriving, while they turn 99% of the population against each other.
And this is why you need guns. You are not safe, because at any given moment you could be cut down by one of those people you are told you cannot trust.
If the perpetrator is a person of colour, it validates the flawed premise of the wealthy, fake religions, con-artists who created this system. If the killer is white, it is written off as an aberration. Let’s call it a mental health defect and offer thoughts and prayers.
Hysterical… Endlessly frustrating…
Don’t even get me started about the most recent right-wing dismantling of affirmative action. Yet another, in a long line of social justice disgraces. This is nothing more than a power play to maintain white dominance in a nation whose white population is on a declining trend toward no longer being the majority. The striking down of Affirmative action is white supremacy wearing a veil, brought to you by a Supreme Court with at least five members who are so hopelessly corrupt it would be laughable, if they weren’t destroying the social fabric of what could and should be a great nation.
Bringing it all back around, the news reel feels like we are living in an endless loop of ‘The Adventures of Scooby Doo’. When we unveil the dastardly criminal at the end of each episode, it is a Republican politician, or one of the ultra-wealthy corporate barons, who they have protected through tax cuts and hopelessly flawed domestic policy.
And the big wheel continues to spin…
It is spiralling downward, but there is hope. The younger demographic does seem to be very active. They are speaking out, and they are socially aware and infinitely more tolerant than previous generations.
They see through the bullshit.
This gives me hope for the future.
Dear America
It’s time to take your country back.
Sincerely
The World”
Mock Letter
Sorry, but this is the United States through the eyes of the rest of the world.
Please stop saying that – insert the issue – is “not America”.
IT IS.
If you don’t like it, then change it. The time has come.
Ted Tocks Covers 