This Land Is Your Land - Woody Guthrie
Song of the Day #7
I know, it looks pathetic to even attempt to write about this song. It's been covered, quoted, parodied, and celebrated for almost 8 decades now, and even a lot of Americans who don't know anything about the history of Western popular music probably know this one. It's been canonized on the level of the American national anthem at this point. What more is there to be said?
Well, how many people have actually heard it from the source? The original recording garners only around 13 million listeners on Spotify, which sounds like a lot, but it's really not when you consider how famous it is. And of those listeners, how many of them listen to it for its own merits rather than kowtowing to its cultural significance? Even less I reckon. As far as I know, the only serious discourse around this song is by music critics, everyone else not regarding this as more than a piece of history.
This is a great shame because I think the original recording is stunning. Forget that the melody was partially ripped from "When the World's on Fire." Folk music, and roots genres in general, is much more about personality and performing than compositional talent. Indeed, the reason this song hits so much harder than any other American anthem is that the song doesn't try to be an anthem. At its core, it's just a personal declaration of love for America's natural beauty. The song isn't much more than Woody telling you about his experience with nature and how it made him feel. It's not even a patriotic song: it could have described a personal relationship with any natural landscape. There's a reason that Woody almost called it "God Blessed America for Me," and it's not just because it was written as a response to "God Bless America."
What gets to me the most is the imagery. I mean just read the lyrics of this song. These images are not only descriptions of the American landscape but also encapsulations of the awe and reverence towards the natural world. The personalized emotional lens is what gives the lyrics their magical property: "ribbon of highways," "sparkling sands," and "endless skyway" are all exaggerated descriptions, but when we are head-over-heels in love, those big emotions effectively become our reality. The song may not have the most intricate lyricism, but in this intimate setting, it takes on a very personal context, describing the innate spiritual bond all people feel towards where they come from. I'm sure that's the real reason for its timeless value: it's merely not relevant to an American in the 1940s but to everyone who loves the world in all of its natural glory. Don't merely enjoy this great song as an artifact of the past. Go take a road trip late at night through the highway in the desert and put this song on: I'm sure you'll get what he's talking about.
You were right -- there is nothing more to be said about this song... but you still did. Solid work 👏
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
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