Songs of economic strife

[Purple]

As economies develop grow and change skills become redundant people get left behind. From the hundreds of men who once worked as coopers for Guinness to the heavy engineering rust belt in the USA.
Songwriters often mine the rich vein of discontent and why wouldn’t they; emotive images and emotional prose there for the taking.

Now I’m a big Springsteen fan and he’s a master at that sort of song writing but everyone from Pete St. John to Christy Moore to Don Henley have written on the same themes but I often feel that the ire of the song writer is misdirected. Sometimes the reason for being left behind is straightforward but usually it’s not.

Everything changes; all jobs, all societies, all technologies. Those that fail to see that and react accordingly will always be left behind. In the case of businesses those responsible for managing that change are the directors and managers of the business. It is their responsibility to ensure that the organisation retains, trains or acquires the skills that will be necessary now and in the future. If they fail to do this then they fail their organisation and they fail their employees. If employees don’t actively change with the times then they fail their employer and their colleagues and if unions and other representative organisations don’t allow that change to happen (or impede it with unreasonable remands) then they also fail their members. It’s easy to blame “The Bosses” for turning employees into “yesterday’s men” but there’s more than one player in the game, even if they don’t all have equal power or responsibility.

[Latrade]

Do we really need another Springsteen tale of someone from the wrongside of the tracks, working in factory who decides to take a roadtrip with his girlfriend?

But I think your ire is misdirected to some extent in that mostly it's just story telling and there's better stories (or at least ones that connect more) from the downtrodden and the working man than their is from the comfortable.

And again, writing a song about somebody exaggerating an insurance claim or whose accident at work was all their fault or who was fired because of poor attendance and productivity, doesn't make for good song writing.

Cherry picking the actual injustices (as there are) is just artistic licence.

I've still to sell my song "You were made redundant Mr Jones due to the Union, you're not a member of, insisting on last in first out policy and archaic selfish protectionism against progress work practices".

[thedaras]

How about this song;
Change with the times, Van Mccoy'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PIZMK-ecZT8

Forget what used to be
change with the times

Deal with reality
change with the times

Change with the times
keep an open mind
Or you'll wake up and find the world's left you behind

The truth is loud and clear
change with the times
The good old days are gone
change with the times
And time is marching on

[Purple]

Bob could have beenh talking about unions instead of mothers and fathers when he said;

Come mothers and fathers
Throughout the land
And don't criticize
What you can't understand
Your sons and your daughters
Are beyond your command
Your old road is
Rapidly agin'
Please get out of the new one
If you can't lend your hand
For the times they are a-changin'.

[callybags]

Originally Posted by Purple

As economies develop grow and change skills become redundant people get felt behind. .

I stopped reading after this

[Purple]

Originally Posted by callybags

I stopped reading after this

Thanks, typo fixed

[Pique318]

Everlast has just such a song on his new album - Songs of the ungrateful living.

I Get By
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rXLmt6i-hBY

[Deiseblue]

Went to Steve Earle & the Dukes & Duchesses last night in the Olympia.

Plenty of vitriol poured on Bankers , the American Government & pleas for support for Trade Unions - God it was great & the music was excellent as well

The Devil really does have the best tunes !

[Purple]

Originally Posted by Deiseblue

Went to Steve Earle & the Dukes & Duchesses last night in the Olympia.

Plenty of vitriol poured on Bankers , the American Government & pleas for support for Trade Unions - God it was great & the music was excellent as well

The Devil really does have the best tunes !

American Trade Unions; Making offers that you can't refuse since the 1920's.

In the Irish context saying that you support Trade Unions but oppose the government is an oxymoron.

[T McGibney]

Originally Posted by Deiseblue

Plenty of vitriol poured on Bankers , the American Government & pleas for support for Trade Unions

Any AIB staff members present would have had an uncomfortable evening. Its all very well to pour vitrol on bankers but these are people with mortgages and families.

http://www.independent.ie/business/i...r-2927369.html

AN announcement on AIB's 2,000 job losses is now not expected to come until early next year once the nationalised bank and its trade unions have sat down with a "third party" to agree a package.
Sources this weekend confirmed that AIB had still not identified where it wants to cut the 2,000 jobs from -- even though the job cuts were announced in principle in April.
"It's an appalling scenario," said Larry Broderick, head of workers' trade union, the IBOA.
"People have been coming to work every day since April knowing jobs are going to be cut, but not knowing where from."

[mathepac]

Originally Posted by Purple

Bob could have beenh talking about unions instead of mothers and fathers when he said; ...

Good to see that Bob has a fallback trade now the building is in recession. It's good to hear that his songs are better than his buildings what with Fairy Liquid in the mortar and cement-bags in the cavities.

[Complainer]

Originally Posted by Deiseblue

Went to Steve Earle & the Dukes & Duchesses last night in the Olympia.

Plenty of vitriol poured on Bankers , the American Government & pleas for support for Trade Unions - God it was great & the music was excellent as well

The Devil really does have the best tunes !

Brilliant gig, wasn't it? I've seen Steve solo quite a few times in the last few years, but the Dukes and Duchesses really add something special.

[Deiseblue]

Originally Posted by Complainer

Brilliant gig, wasn't it? I've seen Steve solo quite a few times in the last few years, but the Dukes and Duchesses really add something special.

Brilliant & wasn't Alison Moorer's version of " a change is gonna come " something else ?

Great gig & a truly wonderful band.

[Complainer]

Originally Posted by Deiseblue

Brilliant & wasn't Alison Moorer's version of " a change is gonna come " something else ?

Indeed, she's a brilliant artist, and good looker too. But it's not easy to oogle her while her very large and very hairy husband is standing right beside her, watching you carefully.