On reading a NYtimes article
I read an article on the New York Times website titled Should Classic Rock Songs Be Toppled Like Confederate Statues?
I wrote a comment in response, but it's left me thinking about some of the points. Anyway, here's my comment ---
Curiously, when I first clicked on the link I thought it was gonna make a case against "Sweet Home Alabama". Anyway, all I could think while reading the article was "C'mon! Enough already."
btw, after listening to "Brown Sugar" most of my life only found out what it's about after learning to sing and play it a couple of years back. What I mean to say by that is that a lot of people don't really pay attention to lyrics even if they like a song.
As far as Don McLean, his recent behaviour does not nullify the greatness of "American Pie".
Or say, the song "Layla" by the Eric Clapton led Derek and the Dominoes, whose beautiful piano part was brought and played by drummer Jim Gordon, who later went crazy and murdered his mom.
It can be complicated to separate the artist from the art. Is it possible to just celebrate the art and not the artist ?
Looking back with today's eyes on past works and their creators is an interesting exercise.
Even now, writing this comment, I have to think that generally we've loved art, specially music without really knowing much about who made it, wrote it or whatever. Going further back to when musical artists were packaged in clean cut personas so as not to rattle any feathers and sell the work. It's really now that people basically know everything about artists.
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