Comments on: Patriotic Battle of the Bands

By: 4 of 7

4 of 7 — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 02:10:40 +0000

What the heck!
‘The Preamble’ is easier to remember, and I like the graphic that shows the country covered with single family homes, each with a large American flag proudly flying.

By: 4 of 7

4 of 7 — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:28:34 +0000

#11 – Dunkirk,
That’s true. ‘Yankee Doodle’ was originally a British song, but the Revolutionary Army proudly made it their own.
‘The Star-Spangled Banner’ was set to the tune of a British drinking song.
There have been many commercially successful Patriotic Broadway Musical, Hollywood Blockbuster or Country/Western songs in the last century, but since they also were purposely written that would disqualify them all from being spontaneously adopted as the anthem for a popular movement.
Maybe we could commandier some old hippy anti-war protest song like ‘Eve of Destruction’ or ‘Peace Train’.
But ‘tea-bagging’?
((Zombie Helen Thomas shudders))
The Colonists had other ways of protesting British taxation besides throwing tea into Boston Harbor.
Tar-and-feathering tax collectors, for instance.
Would holding a Tar-and-Feathers, Pitchforks-and-Torches rally on July 4th send the wrong message?

By: Daniel

Daniel — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 00:27:54 +0000

not really a fan of either, but the first gets my vote, on the count a the guy in the intro sounds like bud hedinger

OH WAIT, IT IS!

i saw lloyd live, i was at the orlando tea party, which was hosted by bud, and lloyd played the tea party anthem for the first time live there.

By: John B.

John B. — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 21:12:32 +0000

My favorite, at least for now.

http://music-videos.grouchymedia.com/2001/10/taliban-bodies.html

It has a certain bluntness that I appreciate.

By: The Mann

The Mann — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 20:21:19 +0000

Did anyone else catch that in “We The People”, the word ‘punishment’ was spelled wrong at the end? Not like it’s that big a deal; unless Bush had done it. The song sort of went over the top though so “Preamble” gets my vote. Besides, Schoolhouse Rock might be the only thing on the level of learning that the current administration can actually understand.

By: urbuggenme

urbuggenme — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:31:24 +0000

It all seems a bit cloudy (smoky) now but seems like I remember being stoned on some gold back in the ’70s when I first heard this

By: Andrew

Andrew — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:27:31 +0000

My vote:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SMWF3rJ-lo&feature=channel_page

By: Harvey

Harvey — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:46:54 +0000

Here’s what a catchy rebellious ditty ought to sound like – Johnny Horton’s “Battle of New Orleans”. Sadly, YouTube fails on this one, so you have your choice of “badly-timed unrelated photo slideshow”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T2E9m0BcYI

or “laughably wrong lyrics slideshow”:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxB42cjHTGg

or a cute live version from the Ed Sullivan show, with people in costumes acting out the lyrics in the background. However, the audio is a little fuzzy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsRK3DNoa_Q

By: IH8Socialist

IH8Socialist — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 14:13:38 +0000

I’ll go with the “preamble” it’s smiple and catchy like the rest of school house rock. Simple and easy to understand helps young kids learn. Things went down hill when they stopped doing thing like school house rock for kids. “We the People” was well done too but a little over the top.

By: seanmahair

seanmahair — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:22:06 +0000

Most people like that which we are familiar with. Besides like NunyaB I’ve been singing the Preamble for a long time. It’s already our theme song.

By: Dunkirk

Dunkirk — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 12:13:55 +0000

A good theme song really needs to rise organically and Preamble fits perfectly. When a well-intentioned true-believer sits down at the piano with the idea, “we need a theme song!” I cringe at what I am about to hear. We the People sounds like a SNL parody of Tea Bagging (see? organic naming strikes again with one of the best ever!) A good movement always takes the insulting characterization used against them by their opponents and makes it a badge of honor. When your opponents slap you on the forehead with a name that happens to be an over the top, literally IN YOUR FACE, victory dance, one must thank the gods for such a gift and proudly wear it. I think we need a taunting little Tea Bagging Pelosi/Reid/Obama dance for our rallies. The vision of little old ladies crooking their arms and doing a quick set of shallow bent knee squats while yelling “BOO-YAH!” delights the hell out of me. The key to victory is not to take yourself too seriously and have fun. DAily SHow/SNL/Colbert yourself before they can. It follows then, that a saturday morning cartoon theme song is golden.

By: island girl

island girl — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:18:45 +0000

I’m thinking of making a cd and this will certainly be on it. Tonight I’m going to a protest and if I knew this well I’d sing it there.

By: 4 of 7

4 of 7 — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 08:06:29 +0000

“We The People” sounds like something sung at a funeral, but the words are good.
With a better tempo it could do what Patriotic Songs are meant to do.
You could sing it at a rally, at a protest march, while manning a barricade, while repulsing the reactionary forces of oppression, while storming their last stronghold, while parading their leader’s head through the streets on the point of a spear, and at a memorial service for fallen comrades.
Depending on the tempo.
“Yankee Doodle”, “Battle Hymn of the Republic”, “The Yanks Are Coming”, “We Shall Overcome”, and “We’re Gonna Hang the Kaiser From a Sour Apple Tree” can be sung smiling, snarling, or somberly, depending on the occassion.
A Patriotic Song should stir up our courage, honor the courage of others, and remind us of what we need courage for.
“The Preamble” is a handy aid-to-memorization, which, I expect, it was intended to be.
“We the People” could become a classic … if there’s anyone left to sing it.
I’m just saying …

By: Liz985

Liz985 — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:53:02 +0000

“We the People” is a little too “up with people” and propaganda-like for me. “Preamble” is a simple, wonderful learning tool. And it’s also unabashedly proud of the American heritage. Got love that in a 3-minute cartoon.

By: AR

AR — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 05:20:30 +0000

We the People is way overdone, Preamble wins by far. Not entirely related, but as far as Capitalist Propaganda music, this is more up to my speed.

By: island girl

island girl — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:54:26 +0000

Yup, your right, the Preamble is better, but heck, I’m going to sing this and record the whole thing. Maybe I’ll get someone in my choir to do a duet with me (only she is a drone liberal but has a nice voice so maybe I can talk her into it)

By: SaltLick

SaltLick — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:51:30 +0000

The Preamble is a great song to get drunk to…

By: island girl

island girl — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:47:01 +0000

Actually I’m going to play this a couple more times to go to sleep to, I like it so much.

By: island girl

island girl — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:41:42 +0000

I’m in the 26th percentile. I based my choice on the music only. Both are very nice though, I just happen to like the constitution for singing more. I am obviously a product of public education and this was the first I’d every heard either of these songs.

By: innominatus

innominatus — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:38:25 +0000

Gotta side with Nunya. I didn’t play the vid – I don’t need to. I haven’t seen it in about 30 years, but I remember it perfectly.

By: NunyaB

NunyaB — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 04:29:48 +0000

The Preamble definitely. Because of that song, I have since grade school been able to recite from memory (okay, sing in my head from memory) the opening lines of the U. S. Constitution.

Plus it’s got a better beat I can dance to.

(Both songs are nice though; I especially like the image of Ronnie in the first one. I really miss that guy.)