|
 Mac
and I traveled down to Bloomington to cheer on our daughter-in-law,
Angie, as she ran a half marathon for St. Jude’s. She came in 1st
place and I’m extremely proud of her. I would have been equally
proud if she had come in last place. Running for St. Jude’s is
commendable, and it was a privilege to cheer on all the competitors.
There was a half marathon, a 10K, a 5K, and a walk. People of all
ages participated, and I believe some of the walkers were as
exhausted as the half marathoners as they were definitely out of
their comfort zone. Congratulations and a huge round of appreciation
to each and every one of you.
As we stood on the Illinois Wesleyan track, there was a DJ doing her
thing. I truly thought everyone was ignoring her until she stated…on
radio…that we were at Illinois State. Oh my! Shouts of protest
filled the air. She. Was. Horrified. Her bad.
The DJ announced her nieces and nephews were there to cheer on the
participants. They requested Silento’ “Watch Me (Whip/Nae Nae)” Her
kinfolk were preteens. At that age they are all legs, knees, elbows,
and big teeth. They got out there and danced their hearts out. At
first it looked as if they were drowning without the water. Their
facial expressions and gyrations led me to believe they were in dire
need. One arm was kept straight up in the air as if to desperately
catch the attention of a lifeguard. Long, skinny legs were going
every direction and being bent and twisted into bowed conditions
that actually made several of them fall to the pavement. They
passionately righted themselves and ferociously went into even more
desperate dance positions. It was amazing. Plus; it was ok for me to
stare. They were in a big circle being joined by more and more
people and not one person cared about being observed. It was a
community of dance like no one is watching. Actually, after
listening long enough….it is a long song….and the beloved auntie
played it twice….I wanted to join in. The place was rocking, and I
wanted to be bop with it. Unfortunately, this body didn’t want to
join in the fun as much as my mind did.
Being blatantly curious about everything, I looked up the performer
and the lyrics. Richard Lamer “Ricky” Haw…Silento…had a tumultuous
life to say the very least. After much research, it’s like
everything else and people want to find lyrics fraught with meaning
about the civil war, slavery, etc. My understanding is that Silento
merely wanted people to dance and have a good time regardless of
age, creed, race, or color.
Naturally, other songs came to mind, and I wanted to research them.
Remember when we were kids and the old jalopies had horns that would
play “La Cucaracha”? Well, it’s just what it sounds like. They are
singing about cockroaches. Online it compared “La Cucaracha” to
Mexico as “Yankee Doodle Dandy” is to the USA. I read the
translation of lyrics is, “The cockroach just died and they carried
him off to bury him among four buzzards and the sexton’s mouse.”
Hey, I know no Spanish. That’s just what the internet said.
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That led me to investigate the meaning behind the lyrics of “Yankee
Doodle Dandy”. Here’s what “Ashland Source” has to say:
“Yankee Doodle was written by British Army surgeon, Dr. Richard
Shuckburgh, in about 1755 and its purpose was to mock our colonial
soldiers serving in the war against the British. The term “Yankee”
became popular and referred to any American living in the colonies,
not just our soldiers. The word “doodle” referred to anyone who was
a ‘fool’ thus the name for our soldiers who were ridiculed because
their appearance and manners didn’t rise to the strict standards of
the British Army. Many Americans soldiers wore a feather in their
cap which caused the British to mock them. During this time,
macaroni was a new and exotic Italian food that became popular in
England.
A young group of British noblemen founded a private club they named
the Macaroni Club and dressed in highly fashionable clothing with
very high headwear.
The uniformly dressed “Redcoats” teased the Americans by implying
that the errant feather in their cap was a failed attempt to achieve
the high level of fashion worn my themselves as members of the
Macaroni Club.
After the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, the Americans
turned the tables on the British and the meaning of the song
completely changed. As British soldiers were forced back, the
Americans militias began to sing the song back at them and turned it
into a battle cry. Eventually, the British reportedly despised
hearing the song because it became a constant reminder of their
losses during the war.
The song was played after various battle surrenders during the
Revolutionary War and at the surrender. In later years, it also
became the unofficial national anthem for colonial forces and in the
very early years of the USA.”
No study into songs should be complete without Leonard Cohen’s,
“Hallelujah”. It reaches down inside your soul and wraps itself
around your heart even if the lyrics confound you and the
explanations elude you. It’s haunting melody simultaneously soothes
your spirit while fanning the flames of your strength. I’ve heard
about 300 totally different lyrics to the melody, each leaving me
wanting more.
In a blog by Alex Harris, “At its core, Hallelujah is a Hebrew word
meaning “praise the Lord”. The song, in its entirety, is a mosaic of
emotions, juxtaposing spiritual elation with earthly despair.”
“Hallelujah is not just a song; it’s an anthem that has transcended
generations.”
In finishing, be you happy hip hopping to “Nae Nae”, whistling
Yankee Doodle Dandy, honoring a cockroach, or singing any and all
words to “Hallelujah”, thank God for the presence of the present of
music.
L. Maxine McQueen may be contacted at
maxmac.1@juno.com |
