Music Video Monday: Sacrifice

Next up on the "worst book of the 1980's" survival kit playlist: "Sacrifice" by Venom.

Seems appropriate, since it also features a bloody sacrifice to Satan--and although the victim is a "virgin," I don't get the impression that she's an actual minor child here. Nor does Satan speak in rhyme. I approve. I also approve of the moral-crusader-baiting nature of the song. Interestingly, the outrage factor was probably partially what saved Venom from obscurity. They weren't the most skilled or talented band out there and relied heavily on gimmicks to make their stage performances memorable (I love the idea of the portable fans to make their hair flow constantly. I may have to steal that for the Devil Music sequel.) yet that same lack of technical skills forced them to go for speed rather than proficiency in playing, letting them create something that was uniquely their own.

Not to mention that they made the perfect kind of music to get heavy-metal-fearing parents' knickers in a twist, thus further encouraging rebellious teens to seek out their work. And of course the fact that the band's "Satanism" is nothing but a gimmick (confirmed by the band members themselves, according to my trusty Encyclopedia of Heavy Metal) didn't register with those panicky parents.

By the way, anti-metal moral crusaders? If someone mentions using images of Baphomet in their eeeeevil rituals like this song does, they're almost certainly trolling you. Baphomet started life as a "deity" made up of whole cloth to make the Knights Templar look like filthy idol-worshiping pagans so the king of France would have an excuse to steal their land and money. The only group I can think of off the top of my head that seriously uses Baphomet as a religious/ritual symbol today is the Church of Satan, and they were pretty much formed for the express purpose of trolling you. Then again, if Michelle Remembers is anything to go by, trolling you is depressingly easy.   

Music Video Monday Election Day Special: Born In The USA

So you know how politicians running for office sometimes choose official campaign songs?

Quick! You're running for president in 1984 and you need a popular song to serve as your campaign song--what do you choose?

Hmm. Not a bad choice, at first glance. It's upbeat, the chorus repeatedly makes it clear that the guy in the song was, in fact, born in the USA, and there's even a big American flag waving all up in our faces at the beginning of the video. Plus, how could you go wrong with Bruce Springsteen?

Oh.

That's how.

This song does not mean what a lot of people, in 1984 when it was released, seemed to think it meant. One of those people, unfortunately, was Ronald Reagan, who thought that the song about an isolated, PTSD-ridden, possibly homeless Vietnam war veteran who was used and discarded by his government and scorned by his fellow Americans made an excellent sound bite for his upbeat, optimistic presidential campaign. So much so, in fact, that he used it as a talking point even after Springsteen had politely turned down an offer to endorse his campaign.

I guess if you seem kindly and grandfatherly enough, there's a certain amount of blatantly disrespecting other people's wishes you can get away with.

But it's unfair of me to put the blame for this squarely on Reagan, since the idea to use this song--and Springsteen's name in general--seems not to have originally been his idea. It was conservative columnist George Will who originally put forth the idea that Springsteen might be a good candidate for endorsing the Reagan campaign, based mainly on the fact that "flags get waved at his concerts," he "sings songs about hard times" without seeming to complain about them, and there was "not a smidgen of androgyny" to be found about him.

Evidently George Will does not appreciate our newfangled hair metal. He also cordially invites us to get off his lawn.

Oh, and he also admitted to not knowing--or really seeming to care--what Bruce Springsteen's personal politics were. He strikes me as one of those people who listens to music without actually hearing it--or only hearing what he wants to hear. He picked up the words "Born in the USA" and the rest of the song became irrelevant to him.

Someone should have told him that it was secretly about Satanism. Then he might have bothered to look up the lyrics before handing it to President Reagan and saying, "I bet this'll help get you re-elected. It's about patriotism and stuff."

Remember to vote tomorrow!