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Quotation
"To protest, to show that you are a human being who believes in something, one who doesn't give up! That your strength can be used for something good. That your dreams can be sensational and creative.That wrath can be positive and a healing power. All this is a sort of background to ”Barn av vår tid (Children of our times)”.
Ulf Dageby
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Read and listen
Lennon's "Working class hero" in
"John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band",
Lennon's debut solo album after the break up of the Beatles (released Dec. 11, 1970).
Dageby's "Barn av vår tid" in
"Nationalteatern, Barn av vår tid"
1978, Nacksving 031-16 (Nacksving)
1991, MNWCD 11R
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Find out more
Lennon lyrics
www.lyricsfreak.com/l/lennon-john/82554.html
Dageby lyrics
www.nationalteatern.nu/texter/Barn.txt
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Read about Lars Gullin and Gerry Mulligan - front runners in jazz (no 1). Find out about the Swedish booksellers' reading promotion in schools, "A book for every child" (no 2).
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| Hard Rain No 8 December 31, 2005 |
| Lennon and Dageby - same anger and pain |
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Hard Rain allows John Lennon and Ulf Dageby to webcast a New Year's greeting worthy of the present times. Their already classical musical message has not lost its actuality. Happy New 2006! |
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The two songs, Working class hero and Barn av vår tid (Children of our times) seem different enough. Lennon is low key, matter-of-fact. Dageby hisses and roars his musical lines.
But the analysis is the same. It is sharp, clear, disturbing. "They hurt you at home and they hit you at school. They hate you if you're clever and they despise a fool." How many people recognize themselves? Lennon knows.
"The youth place closed a long time ago. The cops are chasing teenage gangs. The night is tough for kings of concrete." Dageby sings. Same thing today as forty years ago.
The analysis of classes floats in time. The same goes for music with a message. But don't confuse the messenger with the message. Or as Dylan said: "I don't think of myself as Bob Dylan.
Lennon and Dageby don't write about themselves. They want to convey their deep insight - one in a low voice, the other one as loud as he can. Listen man! This is the way it is. Do something!
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"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." Lennon takes a step backwards, gives more weight to his belief.
"Humble man bowing to authority. Calling the cops to get your kids. Then you sleep well in you citizen grease. Are you afraid of your own child, you yellow bastard???" Harsh words, but Dageby's rage is sincere and well founded.
Lennon is bitter, sarcastic and full of irony. He accompanies himself on acoustic guitar, and the message is even more powerful. Dageby's furious attack hits the target as well.
Alfred Tennyson's " Ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky" is quite all right. But why not give some listening as well to the brilliant music of John Lennon and Ulf Dageby this New Years's Eve!
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