'American Lullaby' CD [plus 20-page Lyric/Credit Booklet]
‘American Lullaby’ reflects my personal view of all the crazy, insane stuff that’s been happening, in America – and around the world - for the last six years.
Like all lullabies, it’s filled with tales of dark deeds and disaster, but couched in soft, gentle tones, meant to soothe and comfort the listener, while gently bracing them for the potential terrors that await.
The songs express my admittedly biased perspective as a marginally middle-class American, who’s just as confused, dumbfounded and befuddled by - and incredulous at - recent events, as everyone else.
A few notes about the title track… Despite the very real, if incremental, progress we continue to make, it would be impossible to reflect on America’s current state of turmoil and disarray without acknowledging some of its origins, including our original sins - indigenous genocide and slavery – along with our uniquely enduring addiction to guns.
‘Half Moon’ is the name of a Dutch sailing ship, captained by Hendrick Hudson which, on a September morning in 1609, seeking the legendary Northwest Passage, sailed into the mouth of what’s now called the Hudson River; originally called Mahicantuck – the river that flows two ways - by the indigenous Lenape inhabitants.
The ‘Drinking Gourd’ refers to the ‘Big Dipper’ constellation, a celestial signpost relied on by escaped slaves as a directional guide on their perilous journey north to freedom.
‘Peg Leg Joe’ is a semi-mythical figure said to provide assistance along the way. Paradise is the name of an area adjacent to Las Vegas, site of the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history.
We didn’t get here overnight.
The album, ‘American Lullaby’, touches on a broad range of topics, including: the calamitous pandemic, looming environmental disaster, racism, sexism, and an intractable culture war… all exacerbated by our inane and disastrous politics.
All these things really happened – and continue to happen: Every word of ‘The Russians are Coming’ is true - confirmed by the 5-volume, bi-partisan ‘Senate Intelligence Committee Report on Russian Active Measures, Campaigns and Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election’. A predictable pandemic caused the unnecessary deaths of millions and brought the world to a grinding halt. Clean water is growing scarce, and America’s west coast is burning, the air unbreathable – ‘sorry ‘bout that’. ‘Ridin’ with Biden’ is not just a catchy campaign song – it’s a reminder that we just dodged a bullet, and that the tag team of tyranny and despotism are relentless, with democracy still in its sights.
But, hey! I promise – the album is not all gloom and doom; it’s filled with optimism and faith – not in any god, but in our humanity. I’m insistent on hope, laughter and joy. Our shared emotional trauma is palpable and requires tending to, so some serous silliness is called for. (Hopefully, the full-time residents of ‘Stupid Town’ can take a joke. As for ‘Just Another Birthday Song’, you can’t deny that, after 125 years, the Hill sisters have had a good run.) And for those of us lucky enough to have survived the recent cataclysms, it seems to me it’s incumbent upon us, to not just work to heal our wounded world but, to seize every chance we get to celebrate wonder… and propagate joy.
……………………………………………………
Includes unlimited streaming of American Lullaby
via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality download in MP3, FLAC and more.
...more
ships out within 4 days
Purchasable with gift card
$22USDor more
USB Flash Drive
'American Lullaby' - USB card [credit card size USB drive contains both .wav and mp3 versions of the album plus .pdf of 20-page Lyric-Booklet
‘American Lullaby’ reflects my personal view of all the crazy, insane stuff that’s been happening, in America – and around the world - for the last six years.
Like all lullabies, it’s filled with tales of dark deeds and disaster, but couched in soft, gentle tones, meant to soothe and comfort the listener, while gently bracing them for the potential terrors that await.
The songs express my admittedly biased perspective as a marginally middle-class American, who’s just as confused, dumbfounded and befuddled by - and incredulous at - recent events, as everyone else.
A few notes about the title track… Despite the very real, if incremental, progress we continue to make, it would be impossible to reflect on America’s current state of turmoil and disarray without acknowledging some of its origins, including our original sins - indigenous genocide and slavery – along with our uniquely enduring addiction to guns.
‘Half Moon’ is the name of a Dutch sailing ship, captained by Hendrick Hudson which, on a September morning in 1609, seeking the legendary Northwest Passage, sailed into the mouth of what’s now called the Hudson River; originally called Mahicantuck – the river that flows two ways - by the indigenous Lenape inhabitants.
The ‘Drinking Gourd’ refers to the ‘Big Dipper’ constellation, a celestial signpost relied on by escaped slaves as a directional guide on their perilous journey north to freedom.
‘Peg Leg Joe’ is a semi-mythical figure said to provide assistance along the way. Paradise is the name of an area adjacent to Las Vegas, site of the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history.
We didn’t get here overnight.
The album, ‘American Lullaby’, touches on a broad range of topics, including: the calamitous pandemic, looming environmental disaster, racism, sexism, and an intractable culture war… all exacerbated by our inane and disastrous politics.
All these things really happened – and continue to happen: Every word of ‘The Russians are Coming’ is true - confirmed by the 5-volume, bi-partisan ‘Senate Intelligence Committee Report on Russian Active Measures, Campaigns and Interference in the 2016 U.S. Election’. A predictable pandemic caused the unnecessary deaths of millions and brought the world to a grinding halt. Clean water is growing scarce, and America’s west coast is burning, the air unbreathable – ‘sorry ‘bout that’. ‘Ridin’ with Biden’ is not just a catchy campaign song – it’s a reminder that we just dodged a bullet, and that the tag team of tyranny and despotism are relentless, with democracy still in its sights.
But, hey! I promise – the album is not all gloom and doom; it’s filled with optimism and faith – not in any god, but in our humanity. I’m insistent on hope, laughter and joy. Our shared emotional trauma is palpable and requires tending to, so some serous silliness is called for. (Hopefully, the full-time residents of ‘Stupid Town’ can take a joke. As for ‘Just Another Birthday Song’, you can’t deny that, after 125 years, the Hill sisters have had a good run.) And for those of us lucky enough to have survived the recent cataclysms, it seems to me it’s incumbent upon us, to not just work to heal our wounded world but, to seize every chance we get to celebrate wonder… and propagate joy.
……………………………………………………
...more
ships out within 4 days
Purchasable with gift card
$22USDor more
lyrics
I Got Too Much Stuff
by Dean Friedman
I got too much stuff.
I’ve got way more shoes than it’s possible to use.
I got too much stuff.
I’ve got a myriad of devices (and way too many vices).
I’ve got no recollection of ever starting this collection.
And I guess my innate curiosity, combined with sheer fastidiosity,
Reached escape velocity, determining my ultimate direction.
And upon careful reflection, I can’t ignore my obvious predilection for
Too much stuff.
I’ve got multiple containers full of colanders and strainers.
I’ve got too much stuff.
I’ve got various vessels filled with mortars and pestles.
(It’s a real mess, I’ll tell ya)
Probably started as a child collecting bottle caps and stamps.
Gradually, over time, it grew to keyboards, guitars, and amps.
I never saw myself as a hoarder with an order-disorder,
But after the court-order, I concluded I was clearly on the border.
I’ve got too much stuff.
I admit it’s almost comical, it’s certainly not economical.
I’ve got too much stuff.
I once tried to keep a chronicle - storage fees alone were astronomical.
A friend said, it’s a symptom of some deep-seated neurosis.
So, I went to a shrink for a professional psyche diagnosis.
So, I said to him, “Doc, give it to me straight - what’s my likely prognosis?”
He scheduled me for fifty-two weeks of hypnosis.
I’ve got too much stuff.
My basement is cluttered with things best left unuttered.
I’ve got too much stuff.
I recommend you avoid the attic; especially if you’re asthmatic.
Now some may be somewhat skeptical, but everything’s collectable.
And pardon my inelegance, I don’t mean to impugn your intelligence.
But stop by one afternoon, you’ll see my entire bedroom is strewn
with autographed production cells from a Bugs Bunny Cartoon,
Plus my prized signed photograph of Reese Witherspoon,
And the actual Raccoon Cap worn by Daniel Boone,
Or maybe Davey Crocket. Plus this gold-plated locket, I keep in my pocket.
Along with this watch, it keeps really good time – so don’t knock it.
I’ve got too much stuff.
My house is a mess. It’s really quite stressful.
I’ve got too much stuff.
I tried to create order, but I’ve been unsuccessful.
I’ve got tchotchkes and doodads and trinkets and knickknacks,
Plus the world’s largest collection of fruit-flavored Tic Tacs.
Novelties and mementos and assorted paraphernalia,
Plus a stuffed duck-billed platypus, all the way from Australia.
I’ve got too much stuff.
I’m filled to the brim with packages of Slim Jims.
I’ve got too much stuff.
I’m stacked to the rafters with glasses from LensCrafters.
I try not to grumble, but my life’s an absolute jumble.
I take one step in any direction, and I stumble.
I need to minimize and reorganize and downsize and revise,
And optimize and prioritize and everything that that implies.
I’ve got too much stuff.
I’ve got sixty-two cases of Marshmallow Fluff
I’ve got too much stuff.
And, believe me, that’s way, wa-a-a-a-y more than enough
I’m stuffed to the gills with hammers and drills,
And poster and pamphlets and flyers and handbills.
I can’t help but categorize, classify, and collate,
Dean Friedman entered pop consciousness with his Top 20 hit, Ariel, a quirkily irresistible and uncategorizable pop song
about a free spirited, pot-smoking, vegetarian Jewish girl in a peasant blouse. Since then, hits like Lucky Stars, Lydia, Rocking Chair, McDonald’s Girl and Woman of Mine have earned him a loyal international following, devoted to his work as a master songsmith and performer....more
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