The Most Philosophical Song You Ever Heard

Charles Aznavour’s Yesterday When I Was Young covered by Roy Clark amongst many others.

"I ran so fast that time and youth at last ran out
I never stopped to think what life was all about
And every conversation I can now recall
Concerned itself with me, me and nothing else at all"

When it comes to philosophical surely Jacques Brel should always get a mention.

The one that immediately comes to mind is the love it/loathe it UK smash hit Seasons in the Sun as recorded by Terry Jacks.

Oh hang on, what about Leonard Cohen’s Chelsea Hotel?

I remember you well in the Chelsea Hotel You were famous, your heart was a legend
You told me again, you preferred handsome men
But for me you would make an exception And clenching your fist for the ones like us
Who are oppressed by the figures of beauty
You fixed yourself, you said "Well nevermind
We are ugly but we have the music"


Or Lou Reed’s Pale Blue Eyes?

Skip a life completely.
Stuff it in a cup.
She said, Money is like us in time,
It lies, but can’t stand up.
Down for you is up."

@millercarbon,

"Imagine is commie pabulum, insipid nihilism, made all the more slimy for its silky delivery. A worse song it is hard to imagine. Okay, We Are The World. But that’s about it. Kharma Chameleon is more intellectually and philosophically grounded."

Good summing up, though I’m sure we can all imagine a lot worse than We are the World.
And yes, Karma Chameleon is leagues better.

However, John Lennon’s Imagine might still have a place in kindergarten.

It might even get some of these very young adults wondering why less than 1% of people own more than half of the world’s wealth.

We can, for now, leave Yoko and John’s personal assets out of this.

Champagne Socialism could be the topic for a future lesson.

@emrofsemanon,

It's hard to top that one.

It works on just about every level you can think of.

Here's a tribute posted by YouTuber DarthNub,

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ru9e2rTHeuk

@emrofsemanon,

"CD, that is a superb avid editing job on that one, wasn't it? :)"

It certainly is. That's the great thing about some fan edits, they're often better than the official videos.
Just shows that you don't always need big bucks if you're creative.

@j_husker,
"I wrote a paper my senior year at Creighton (English-Creative Writing specialty) outlining the influence of philosophy on modern rock music. I got an A."


Congrats. I guess if you didn't, you might have penned a treatise illustrating the fallacy of making value judgements on rock music critiques.

Personally I've never been much of a fan of philosophy but when you're in a semi darkened room listening to Joy Division...


[And all God's angels beware
And all you judges beware
Sons of chance take good care
For all the people out there
I'm not afraid anymore]


...you don't really have that much choice.

@sgreg1,

"Again this is only my opinion and you too are entitled to yours and I will nit assume you are a “snot nosed young punk kid” as only they are capable of liberal utopia views."

"snot nosed young punk kid" with a whole host of parental/authority issues?

Thankfully most of them/us grow out of that phase.

As soon as you’re born they make you feel small
By giving you no time instead of it all
’Til the pain is so big you feel nothing at all

A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

They hurt you at home and they hit you at school
They hate you if you’re clever and they despise a fool
’Til you’re so f*ck*ng crazy you can’t follow their rules

A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

When they’ve tortured and scared you for 20 odd years
Then they expect you to pick a career
When you can’t really function, you’re so full of fear

A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

Keep you doped with religion, and sex, and T.V.
And you think you’re so clever and classless and free
But you’re still f*ck*ng peasants as far as I can see

A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

There’s room at the top they are telling you still
But first you must learn how to smile as you kill
If you want to be like the folks on the hill

A working class hero is something to be
A working class hero is something to be

If you want to be a hero well just follow me
If you want to be a hero well just follow me




A great sentiment no doubt part inspired by Janov and his Primal Scream therapy, but a couple of questions still remain.

Did Lennon ever manage to find out the real identities of these "folks on the hill"?

Secondly, just why did JWL (acc to Goldman) retire to a darkened isolated room with just a TV for company for years and years?

Thirdly, who was paying Chapman?
That’s the trouble with philosophy, it has a habit of trying to continually swallow its own tail.

Even the so called answers only lead to more questions.

https://www.gq.com/story/john-lennon-plastic-ono-band
http://www.primaltherapy.com/about-john-lennon-primal-therapy.php

@simonmoon,
Now that's certainly a thought provoking lyric.

It's quite amazing how you get to learn about stuff from over 30 years ago.

I can't remember anything about this from the time, but then this was the UK and look what happened after that infamous Maureen Cleave Lennon interview...

Anyway, (apparently, acc to wiki - yuk!) the producer Todd Rundgren and the writer Andy Partridge had different recollections about it's initial release in 1987 when it was initially pulled off the early pressings of the XTC album Skylarking.


Producer Todd Rundgren said that Partridge himself demanded that the song be pulled because "He was afraid that there would be repercussions personally for him for taking on such a thorny subject. ..."

Whilst Partridge remembered differently,"I called them and said, 'This is a mistake."

"...if you can't have a different opinion without [somebody] wanting to firebomb your house then that's their problem."

If only it were so. If only certain cows were not held so sacred.

Or as the much respected broadcaster / journalist Robert Robinson might have once said, 

'Ah, would that it were, would that it were.'

The Games People Play by Joe South.

A vastly underated lyric.

Here's a great rendition by Lucinda Williams.