Bob, Baez & Britney: The Death of An Era
Yesterday, out of the blue, I popped a CD that had a collection of songs by Joan Baez and Bob Dylan.
Simply listening to their voices and their lyrics drove a shiver down my spine. I could literally feel myself standing there and it was beautiful, and quite moving.
In a way, they defined an era when artists actually cared for the world around them, and a culture where they stood for what they believed in. Baez’s voice is gorgeous, deep and her lyrics are from a time when people like her were willing to drive home their point at whatever cost. Dylan was no different, and he was a poet first, a poet who sang for the soul of the world.
When the CD got done, I turned on radio, where songs ranged from some meaningless rap (on women, booze and assorted nonsense) to unadulterated junk. I turned to some news channel that talked about the importance of Christians to be aggressive, while another one was saying how poor Britney Spears needed help for her idiocy.
In a way, it is an unfortunate turn of events. We’ve moved away from artists who cared about the world, such as Baez, Dylan and Lennon, to people like Spears who don’t give a damn about anything other than their own tantrums and fame.
I cannot see Britney Spears protesting against the War in Iraq, or joining the Olympic protests against China. Instead, I see her doing unbelievably immature things for the sake of attention. I see the death of an era of responsible global citizens and the emergence of immature, childish fame-hogs who care for nothing other than themselves, and sometimes, not even that.
But for the moment, listen to the song that beautifully captured a time that I’d have been proud to have been a part of.
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