Kansas City Playlist: Apropos Depression-Era Listening Session

On Kansas City streets there has been constant debate over U.S. political leadership. 

Typically, we notice that endless arguments over macroeconomics, austerity, federal spending and culture war rarely prove productive and merely provide an infinite loop so that advertisers can fund the careers of mediocre personalities and hack writers. 

As always, we encourage our readers to dig deeper.

What we can't help but notice is that NOBODY is arguing that Americans are currently enjoying increasing prosperity and greater confidence about the future. In fact, objectively, uncertainty and a great deal of anxiety seem to dominate the Western zeitgeist.

Noting rising fear isn't just an examination of political sentiment, economists actually quantify numbers so that business can gauge risk.

AP: Consumer confidence is sliding as Americans’ view of their financial futures slumps to a 12-year low

Again, we'd like to see debate about this report . . . Instead most of the "discourse" is focused on either Nazi-name calling or "owning the libs" and crushing dissent rather than extolling the virtues of the "American Golden Age" that voters were promised. 

And this brings us to the kicker . . .

Maybe, just maybe, the current economic turmoil and instability isn't the result of political change but rather an indicator or symptom of U.S. global hegemony influence evolving.

That sentence was fun to write and makes a basement blogger feel smart . . . However . .  

This is where we come to a FULL STOP and remind readers and ourselves that NOBODY CAN PREDICT THE FUTURE. The only thing that seems certain, and already underway, is worsening economic hardship for most Americans; showing no sign of relenting any time soon despite constant, cynical partisan gambits to assign blame and find scapegoats. 

Accordingly . . . 

Tonight we share www.TonysKansasCity.com depression-era favorites in order to hearten our blog community as harsh times prove inescapable and part of the human condition for the vast majority of us on the losing side of the post-capitalist equation whilst we witness American wealth inequality spiraling out of control.

And so . . . 

This is the best place to start and Wikipedia did all the heavy-lifting for us: "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" is one of the best-known American songs of the Great Depression. Written by lyricist Yip Harburg and composer Jay Gorney, it was part of the 1932 musical revue Americana; the melody is based on a Russian-Jewish lullaby. The song tells the story of the universal everyman, whose honest work towards achieving the American dream has been foiled by the economic collapse.

Bing Crosby probably has the most celebrated cover of this song but we like this clip of Tom Jones singing a more soulful version . . . 

Written by a partially blind beggar from Kentucky in 1912, "Man Of Constant Sorrow" is classic Americana that was popularized in 2000 by the Coen Brothers movie "O, Brother Where Art Thou? . . . The track earned its name in 1928 and more listeners throughout the 1930s. It's a favorite of anyone who appreciates thoughtful folk music . . .

Pennies from Heaven is one of the most notable and hopeful songs of The American Depression of the 1930s. Produced in 1936, the song has been covered by countless artists. This version from Rod Stewart is surprisingly recent and kinda fun . . .

For the bridge . . . A bit of a confession . . . TKC sings this track at full volume whenever waiting too long for a lady friend or listening to inordinately sad stories from women regarding problems at work, "unexplained" weight gain or a rainy day . . . It's obnoxious but part of the cultural tradition of this blog.

More importantly, "Hard Times Come Again No More" is quintessential Americana that was penned by in 1864 but still continues to speak to the soul of the nation. The tune gained significance during the 30s and again during the folk music renaissance of the 1970s along with another rise in popularity amid the Internets era when hipsters raided music archives searching for something more "authentic" than stupid hats. 

We stumbled upon this clip featuring a younger and much feistier Bob Dylan singing the tune that we wanted to share . . .

Tonight's TKC playlist finale and even more late night hope . . . Here's a quote from a scholar of American music as he notes that Al Dubin "wrote the lyrics to what is formally called 'The Gold Diggers’ Song (We’re in the Money)', from the 1933 film Gold Diggers of 1933, sung in the opening sequence by Ginger Rogers. The song’s lyrics reflect a positive financial turnaround and a fantasized end to the Great Depression, which in the U.S. began to turn around in early 1933 but wouldn’t actually end until the late 1930s."

Another confession from TKC's college days and cinema classes where we actually paid attention . . . We always wondered why there was a pig Latin verse in the song and tonight, finally found the explanation . . . 

In the "Gold Diggers of 1933" film, Ginger Rogers sang a verse of "We're in the Money" in pig Latin because she was amusing her fellow dancers between takes, and someone (either Darryl Zanuck, Busby Berkeley, or Mervyn LeRoy) saw her and decided to make it part of the routine.  

And so . . . 

Here's a clip from the movie about hash times, the world's oldest profession and the constant hustle/grind . . .

As always, thanks for reading tonight have have a safe & fun Saturday night.