Just A Song

Two more entries on Just A Song:

• Cliff remembers Michael Jackson through The Jackson's "That's What You Get For Being Polite";
• Roy compares different versions of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow".

Roy writes:

What is it about this song? The RIAA has declared it the #1 song on their "Songs of the Century" list. Artist after artist takes their turn at singing it. And I'll be willing to bet that the most hardcore, baddest metal-heads and rappers all saw the movie when they were kids and listened open-mouthed and transported as Dorothy sat on that tractor and sang to Toto. This isn't a song, it's a bloody archetype - The American Song. How did it get there?...

Cliff thinks that in "That's What You Get", Michael:

was trying to tell everybody that all he really wanted was just a chance to find out who he really was but knew there wasn’t a chance of that happening. He disguised it as a love song with lyrics about buying things for girls but the way his life played out fits the tone of this song perfectly...

Read their complete thoughts on these two very different but affecting songs about longing here.