Long time Arlington residents will recall the old Arlington Community Bike Rides, generally laid back affairs for the slower set. Â They went away, and then were (sorta) replaced by BikeDC. Â Well, it’s (sorta) back, in the form of the Phoenix Bikes Arlington Fun Ride. Â See my Clarendon Cycles piece about it here.
Author: MB Page 17 of 227
So OK Go did this:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oiMZa8flyYY#![/youtube]
So, I generally think of myself as somewhat informed about the genealogy of much music.  One of my thrills in the early 90s was being able to instantly ID the 70s samples that 90s hiphop relied upon.  And really, on the whole, I still like to think I’ve got a decent grasp of 20th Century American music.
With an intro like that, you know where I’m going, right?
Today, I followed a link to this God’s Gonna Cut You All Down mashup – a Johnny Cash/All-Star Band mix that relies on a(n incredibly violent) Rambo video as the punch line:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mEHh0bRnVL8[/youtube]
All-star video, that. Â But as I listened, I thought – huh, I’ve heard those lyrics before, no? [hamster wheels spinning] Â Ah, right. Â Moby’s Run On. Â 1999:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rrBGUqNBEgE[/youtube]
And since we all knew Moby’s never started with any original material, it got me wondering. Â Turns out I was *completely* clueless, and that it’s all based on an old folk song – God’s Gonna Cut You Down. Â Lyrics (beautiful, indeed):
You can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time, run on for a long time
Sooner or later God’ll cut you down
Sooner or later God’ll cut you downGo tell that long tongue liar, go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut’em down
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut’em downWell, my goodness gracious let me tell you the news
My head’s been wet with the midnight dew
I’ve been down on bended knee
Talkin’ to the man from GalileeHe spoke to me in the voice so sweet
I thought, I heard the shuffle of the angel’s feet
He called my name and my heart stood still
When he said, “John, go do my will”Go tell that long tongue liar, go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut’em down
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut’em downYou can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time, run on for a long time
Sooner or later God’ll cut you down
Sooner or later God’ll cut you downWell,youmay throw your rock and hide your hand
Workin’ in the dark against your fellow man
But as sure as God made black and white
What’s down in the dark will be brought to the lightYou can run on for a long time
Run on for a long time, run on for a long time
Sooner or later God’ll cut you down
Sooner or later God’ll cut you downGo tell that long tongue liar, go and tell that midnight rider
Tell the rambler, the gambler, the back biter
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut you down
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut you down
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut you down
Pretty much gets to the heart of humanity’s darker needs, doesn’t it? Â Incredible. Â An age-old theme, to be sure. Odetta Gordons knocked it out in 1956:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJZ5fFVO86A[/youtube]
Tell ’em that God’s gonna cut you down.
In the middle of contemplating (and deciding against) responding to this ridiculous piece at the Ballston Patch, and getting a rather positive impression of recent ACPD enforcement efforts along the Custis Trail, I came across one of the smartest posts on cycling and the law that I’ve ever seen:
If you tried to survive [on the road] by counting on people to follow the formal rules, you’d be toast. Some of this is just ignorance of the law, but some of it–like speeding–is the result of informal practices that dominate the formal rules. Some of those informal practices might be more efficient than their formal counterparts, but surely some are not. So, even in places where “rule of law†supposedly prevails, many of our daily practices are still built around shared expectations based on unwritten and sometimes inefficient rules, and these unwritten rules can be very hard to dislodge when they are widely followed.
Check the rest of it out. Â Lots to think about.
(The best response to the Ballston Patch piece came courtesy of WABA’s Executive Director, Shane Farthing.)
Some artists’ work is so ubiquitous it’s almost immediately part of the background, never really appreciated on its own. I suspect that’s the case with Buddy Holly’s music for most of you. We all know the songs as soon as we hear them, though I bet we couldn’t name more than one or two. Like Oh Boy:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIpc2nsYQUs[/youtube]
Fun, kinda mindless, part of the background to so many things, right? Then I found this album of incredible covers – Rave On Buddy Holly. And it has me listening to so much of his work with a completely new ear and appreciation. Here’s She & Him taking on the same:
Oh Boy (She & Him) by concordmusicgroup
Buddy Holly’s original Crying Waiting Hoping:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsjI7ekciZs[/youtube]
And Karen Elson’s cover:
Crying Waiting Hoping (Karen Elson) by concordmusicgroup
Go click around the album. It’s incredible (and coming out next week – I’ll be buying it).
Most seasons accumulate a playlist, as do most trips. But it’s usually a gradual process. This track, though? I’m confident that it is Summer 2011:
Cali Swag District vs Led Zeppelin vs Katy Perry – Whole Lotta Extra Dougie (Dj Lobsterdust) by Mixes and Mashups #22
This comes from DJ Lobsterdust, whom you should know.
Bollywood is one of mankind’s least achievements. It is overindulgent, dishonest, and empty. And if you corner me in person, I’ll even lodge moral complaints against it. So, uh, yeah, I don’t pass on Bollywood stuff. Except this. Because a friend posted it earlier, and I unexpectedly enjoyed a video from this film.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o7lBUU_xm0w[/youtube]
But still, Bollywood delenda est.
Remember the last time we got together, you and me? Yeah, I’m a little fuzzy on the details, too. And . . . man, this is an awkward conversation I never really wanted to have. I’ve always been careful, and want to be up front about things. But, well . . .
Look. Someone else I know kind of had a weird experience recently, so I decided to get checked out. Turns out I had a bit of a problem.
Now, there’s no guarantee that you’ve got a problem, too. I was just a carrier, and never suffered any symptoms. But you should probably get yourself checked out.
I’m sorry. I really am.
Now let’s never talk about this again.
~
[I really hope that it’s clear that I’m talking about this site having been compromised by an iframe attack, and that it has resulted – in at least one instance – of a reader getting a virus. So really, make sure you’re all scanned up. And please accept my sincere apologies if this caused a problem for you, too.]
Paul Simon’s You Can Call Me Al will never fail to put a smile on my face. Â It’s irreversibly associated with summer streets and long-ago friends and general youthful goofiness.* Â Issued in ’86, this is the original that everyone knows:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsEjsIbWq88[/youtube]
Now, I’ve never had an ear for covers of this song, but I ran into one today that had me thinking about them. Â This is not it:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMkEXVyqnrI[/youtube]
That was Inspection 12. Â Not bad, I think. Â And really, I can see how this could be a kickass concert cover. Â Alas, YouTube never captures those very well. Â But what got me thinking about this? Â A very simple cover with a bass line:
Paul Simon – You Can Call Me Al (Cover-dance remix) Dj Rebel and FTW by Mixes and Mashups #22
This has been playing all.day.long.
*Of course, 25 years later, the opening lines gain a new appreciation.
Florence & the Machine:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpsDegqioVA[/youtube]
Miranda Lambert:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHGPmbu3QNk[/youtube]
Guns ‘n Roses:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXIuAz7aryo[/youtube]