Music Videos & Lyrics on Urbanity
Popular culture often influences society — Leave it to Beaver set an expectation that was different than The Cosby Show (homemaker vs professional mom), for example. Although these are more a reflection of what existed than influencing. Â Yet I can’t help but think the Brady Bunch, Soap, The Jeffersons and other 70s shows influenced me.
Long before television, music has played a role in societal attitudes. Â With music videos these setting can project positive or negative images about certain places. I couldn’t think of any video set in the parking lot of a big box store but videos in urban settings are numerous. Â One of my favorites is Doo-Wop (That Thing) by Lauryn Hill. Â This video shows a block party in 1967 on the left and the 33rd anniversary block party on the right.
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T6QKqFPRZSA
Should have been 31 years, not 33, in 1998. Â The imagery is great though, I love the use of the buses as backdrops.
The lyrics to songs also bring up imagery in our minds. I’ve excerpted parts of a few songs that came to mind, the links are to the full lyrics.
Living for the City – Stevie Wonder (YouTube)
His hair is long, his feet are hard and gritty
He spends his love walking the streets of New York City
He’s almost dead from breathing on air pollution
He tried to vote but to him there’s no solution
Living just enough, just enough for the city…yeah, yeah, yeah!
Downtown – Petula Clark (YouTube)
Just listen to the music of the traffic in the city
Linger on the sidewalk where the neon signs are pretty
How can you lose?
The lights are much brighter there
You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares and go
Downtown, things’ll be great when you’re
Downtown, no finer place for sure,
Downtown, everything’s waiting for you
(Downtown)
Dancing in the Street – Martha and the Vandellas (YouTube)
There’ll be dancin’, they’re dancin’ in the street.
This is an invitation, across the nation,
A chance for folks to meet.
There’ll be laughin’ singin’, and music swingin’
Dancin’ in the street
Big Yellow Taxi – Joni Mitchell (YouTube)
They took all the trees
And put them in a tree museum
Then they charged the people
A dollar and a half just to see ’em
Don’t it always seem to go,
That you don’t know what you’ve got
‘Til it’s gone
They paved paradise
And put up a parking lot
Little Boxes – Malvina Reynolds (YouTube)
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes made of ticky tacky
Little boxes on the hillside,
Little boxes all the same,
Theres a pink one & a green one
And a blue one & a yellow one
And they are all made out of ticky tacky
And they all look just the same.
Turn your volume up to 11 and enjoy some music this weekend.
– Steve Patterson
You’re showin’ your age old man - urban music these days is rap and hip-hop! ;)Â
You’re showin’ your age old man – urban music these days is rap and hip-hop! 😉
That is why I said “urbanity” in the title.
That is why I said “urbanity” in the title.
Arcade Fire -Â The Suburbs
This is a fantastic video, directed by Spike Jonze.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Euj9f3gdyM
Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
This is a fantastic video, directed by Spike Jonze.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Euj9f3gdyM
Here are a couple of more good ones:
Hot Town, Summer in the City
http://youtu.be/zWXcjYNZais
Looking for the Heart of Saturday Night
http://youtu.be/Hk4wn_YPocc
Here are a couple of more good ones:
Hot Town, Summer in the City
http://youtu.be/zWXcjYNZais
Looking for the Heart of Saturday Night
http://youtu.be/Hk4wn_YPocc
Here is a recent video which uses downtown St. Louis as its stage. http://vimeo.com/15908765 (it gets off to a slow start. give it a minute)
Here is a recent video which uses downtown St. Louis as its stage. http://vimeo.com/15908765 (it gets off to a slow start. give it a minute)
Vagabonds – The Classic Crime singing about their love for Seattle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55NWpxaa-mI&feature=related)
I can’t get enoughOf livin’ in the cityI get off the busAt Dexter and DennyThe sun’s comin’ upOver the lake to my eastAnd I feel the loveIn the rhythm of the music of the street, yeahAnd no one is gonna take that away from meSo I pick up a Real Change paperAs I walk on down the streetYeah, becauseVagabonds and troubadoursI built this city on punk rock coresAnd I for one cannot ignore the facts, yeahSo we will make music’Til no one refusesWe will take our airwaves backYeah, come onIn the jet city of loveNorthwest in the evergreen statePeople can’t get enoughOf living in the darkness and the rainBut when the sun comes outThe streets are filled with songsAnd people playing it loudSo the whole world can sing along, yeahAnd the cops go screaming by on the 99There’s a man with a smile and his guitar onAnd he’s holdin’ a signAnd it saysVagabonds and troubadoursI built this city on punk rock coresAnd I for one cannot ignore the facts, yeahSo we will make music’Til no one refusesWe will take our airwaves backYeah, come on
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Vagabonds – The Classic Crime singing about their love for Seattle (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=55NWpxaa-mI&feature=related)
I can’t get enoughOf livin’ in the cityI get off the busAt Dexter and DennyThe sun’s comin’ upOver the lake to my eastAnd I feel the loveIn the rhythm of the music of the street, yeahAnd no one is gonna take that away from meSo I pick up a Real Change paperAs I walk on down the streetYeah, becauseVagabonds and troubadoursI built this city on punk rock coresAnd I for one cannot ignore the facts, yeahSo we will make music’Til no one refusesWe will take our airwaves backYeah, come onIn the jet city of loveNorthwest in the evergreen statePeople can’t get enoughOf living in the darkness and the rainBut when the sun comes outThe streets are filled with songsAnd people playing it loudSo the whole world can sing along, yeahAnd the cops go screaming by on the 99There’s a man with a smile and his guitar onAnd he’s holdin’ a signAnd it saysVagabonds and troubadoursI built this city on punk rock coresAnd I for one cannot ignore the facts, yeahSo we will make music’Til no one refusesWe will take our airwaves backYeah, come on