Our series "Seven Sins: The Deadly Medley" concludes with a look at how pride has shaped music in a variety of genres. Considered the most serious of the "seven deadly sins," pride turns out to be a pretty versatile tool in songwriting. New York Times music critic Nate Chinen and author and radio host Katherine Lanpher join us to share their lists of prideful music.
List: Nate Chinen's "deadly medley"
List: Katherine Lanpher's "deadly medley"
Soundcheck blog: John Schaefer on prideful music
Comments [27]
Please allow me to introduce myself...
.... No mention of the JAGGER SWAGGER?? M.I.A. was mentioned because she refers to pride as 'swagger'. Mick Jagger invented this frontman 'tude... c'mon!... "Start Me Up"," Sympathy for the Devil", "Midnight Rambler","Shattered", "Get Off My Cloud"...
LADIES & GENTLEMAN, THE ROLLING STONES!... all of that glamourous make-up! I can't seem to get enough of him. He pumps us up and we by his music.
After slavery and segregation in every sense imaginable, from beauty standards to acceptance in sports and entertainment to attaining "appropriate" positions in the workforce, Blacks were put down. James Brown's "Say It Loud" is a poor example of pride as a sin. This song was a message to his community that kinky hair and wide noses were god given and therefore beautiful too...that blacks had helped strengthen the US and had earned 1st class citizenship. Unlike the Lee Greenwood song ( and very much like U2's "Pride") this song was meant to uplift the down trodden not add coal to the fires of the pride of a country already riding high.
For me, the most annoying line in the Lee Greenwood song (an exceptionally annoying song in general) was always not forgetting 'the *men* who died, and gave their lives for me'... (i may be wrong on the exact words). An added twist of sexism - disregarding the thousands of women gave their lives in the service of their country.
YOU GUYS ARE MISSING IT BY A MILE.
PRIDE IS NOT BRAGGADOCIO.
IT'S NOT PETER GABRIEL'S BIG SHOT....IT'S ''MR BIG SHOT--WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?'
IT'S DYLAN'S ''YA GOTTA SERVE SOMEBODY'' EVEN KATHERINE LAMPHER CAN UNDERSTAND WHAT DYLAN MEANS HERE
IT'S BEN E KING'S 'I WHO HAVE NOTHING'
IT'S QUICKSILVER'S ''OH GOD PRIDE OF MAN BROKEN IN THE DUST AGAIN''
What about Guthrie's "This Land is your Land"?
The Right Said Fred song is actually ironic. It's subverting pride and criticizing the frivolity of the fashion industry, among other things.
How about Cocky, from Kid Rock, from his album Cocky
Keeping it Kanye- "I'm Amazing" off the lastest album
David lee roth with Van Halen specific:
Ice cream man
"I'm your Ice cream man baby stop me when I'm passing by//
all my flavors are guaranteed to satisfy."
"Cream" by Prince. Pride as motivation. The best kind of pride.
You gotta have "Damn it feels good to be a gangsta in there" From Office Space by Geto Boyz. Best song to rip open a freshly executed Ponzi scheme bonus paycheck envelope!
"kool thing" by sonic youth is a great song about someone who thinks he's the greatest. it's based on an interview that bassist/singer kim gordon did with l.l. cool J, where she found him to be really full of himself and misogynist. it's a very sarcastic song mocking the prideful target of its ire.
"everybody loves me, baby" by don mclean
What about the Beastie Boys? Many of there tunes are drenched in Brooklyn/NY pride. Another hip-hop phenomenon: the shouting out of area codes. 917, bitches!
You're the Best Around by Joe Esposito- A catchy yet unbearably iritating song from the movie Karate Kid, a movie in which the Cobra Kai embody the dangers of pride.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Qae_TUTeGo
Rocky Horror Picture Show
"Sweet Transvestite"
-- The most prideful song I can think of. And Tim Curry delivers it with such smug vanity. Love it!
The line from Bon Jovi's "Wanted Dead or Alive", "I've seen a million faces and I've rocked them all" always struck me as terribly prideful as well as dubious.
Did they actually poll everyone at the turnstiles to confirm that their faces had been adequately rocked?
And just about anything David Lee Roth sang with Van Halen back in the day oozed with unctous pride!
"Rehab" by Amy Winehouse has got more than a tinge of pride in it. The narrator definitely believes she knows better than everyone else, and is very assertive in letting the listener know.
"You're So Vain", Carly Simon's ultimate song on pride. Says it all. You probably think this song is about you!
I hope you don't use the simple definition, and focus on the contextual definition. One definition means pride that leads to hatred of others without proper appreciation.
In some sense, nearly all modern celebrities (by definition) suffer from pride, or hubris.
I would also suggest that pride is the fount for the downtrodden to reach for equality. Again, as long as it doesn't lead to hatred of others or lack of appreciation of others, modern pride does not always rise to the level or equate with the most deadly sin.
Ia Ms. Lanpher proud of her former co-host, Mr. Franken? Uh, yet?
May I suggest that the Beatles offered a warning about pride in, of all songs, "She Loves You". After all, "Pride can hurt you too".
Hey! I did NOT recommend "Your So Vain," which is, in fact, "You're So Vain." Someone's masquerading as me and better quit now!
I GOT LIFE from HAIR
I AM A ROCK by Simon and Garfunkel
How about "Your So Vain" by Carly Simon. A classic.
I am very much looking forward to this.
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