![]() ON THEIR 16TH STUDIO ALBUM, Indigo Girls tell their origin story. Welcome to the real world.īut it’s also teens who are most likely to go out and do something anyway.Folk-rock favorites Indigo Girls -Amy Ray and Emily Saliers – are returning to the Garde celebrating their 16th studio album Look Long. It’s why society is so bent on planting seeds of doubt in their minds and stop them from asking questions about the injustices of the world. The teenage crowd is the one we’re most likely to limit in their ability to do anything–because it’s the teenage crowd that is most likely to do something. Stand up and make your point in whatever medium moves you–whether it be marching the streets, creating art, speaking out, or volunteering for something that you care about–go out into your community and make change. The song stresses that the only way to fight back against doubt is to refuse to stand aside. from “ I Was Marching” by Meridel Le Seurīoth the song and Le Sueur’s piece seem to reiterate that the strongest form of control is doubt. And I was filled with longing to act with them and with fear that I could not. The truth is I was afraid … I felt I excelled in competing with others and I knew instantly that these people were NOT competing at all, that they were acting in a strange, powerful trance of movement together. She was also blacklisted as a communist during the 1950’s: The poetry read during part of the song is from Meridel Le Seur’s “I Was Marching.” Le Seur wrote about injustice, struggles of the working class, and government indifference. Find your passion and use it to better your community. This song was written after the shows mentioned above were cancelled–because teens and young people should not be discouraged from asking questions and should never be discouraged from doing work within their community or speaking out about something they strongly feel is wrong. The song recognizes the ways in which society likes to punch down its most rebellious demographic, and it reminds them that it’s because they really can make a difference that society pushes hardest on them. While Sarah McLachlan’s song Wait relented on the ways in which people get sucked back into society’s constraints, Go is a word of encouragement for teenagers to keep rebelling and fighting for change–it encourages them to fight against being sucked back into complacency. This particular song, Go by the Indigo Girls is an anthem to young activists who want to make a change in the world. That moment is limited and short, but it’s the closest way to experience this, which makes it powerful. Art breaks the walls between human beings and allows us (if only for the briefest of moments) to see through somebody else’s eyes. This is also why art and activism go hand in hand. It’s not just an escape–it’s a journey into another’s experience, and that journey makes us more compassionate human beings. ![]() Though escapism is often viewed as a negative thing (“ why don’t you get off your butt and do something useful!”) many people return to the “real world” after their escape with their eyes, minds, and hearts more open than when they first went off on their journey. You escape those constraints put around you and you’re able to explore other people’s worlds in the safety of your own mind, using a medium such as an album, a book, or a TV Show. ![]() Teens don’t want to fake their way through life–and this is why escapism can be so strong. This fear of young people asking questions and exploring the world outside of society’s set of norms is part of what makes some rebellious teenagers rebel. When the Indigo Girls were scheduled to play at high schools in South Carolina, parents complained that they didn’t want their children coming home asking questions about homosexuality. I remember watching an interview with her in which she said if she wasn’t a musician, she would be a teacher because she loves young people. My last post talked about teenagers and the ways adults look down on them, so it’s probably not much of a surprise that I have a special place in my heart for artists who like teenagers and work to inspire them.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |