Ignored Obscured Restored
I’ve been reading Won’t Back Down: Heartland Rock and the Fight for America by Erin Osmon, and it’s an outstanding book. Osmon traces the evolution of Heartland Rock throughout the 1980s, with each chapter devoted to a single year.
Right off the bat, I’ll confess to stealing an idea from the book.
In the chapter covering 1982, Osmon highlights several songs she calls “recession rock” — songs that “proffered evocative vignettes of those without work or much hope.”
Since this is Labor Day weekend, it seems like the perfect time to revisit a few of them.
First up is Billy Joel’s “Allentown.”
The second single from Joel’s The Nylon Curtain, “Allentown” tells the story of a city and its people struggling with the decline of the manufacturing industry that had once been the engine of its economy. The song is less about the demise of a single steel town than it is about the people left behind when the jobs disappear.
Next is “Rage in the Cage” by the J. Geils Band.
Built around a prominent horn-driven riff and the band’s mix of rock and early-’80s new wave, the song captures the frustration, boredom and desperation of a young working-class person stuck in a dead-end town with few prospects.
And then there’s “Out of Work,” recorded by Gary U.S. Bonds but written by Bruce Springsteen.
Bonds takes a somewhat lighter, almost tongue-in-cheek approach to a decidedly unfunny subject, offering a relatable portrait of unemployment — standing in line, looking for work and finding precious few jobs to be had.
What struck me about Osmon’s “recession rock” selections is how little the underlying subject matter has changed. The economic circumstances may be different, but the anxiety that comes with not being able to find work, make ends meet or see a better future is hardly confined to the 1980s.
With so much of today’s economic conversation focused on affordability — the rising costs of gas, groceries, housing and healthcare — these songs from more than four decades ago sound surprisingly timely.
Maybe that’s the thing about good songs: Sometimes they don’t just capture a moment in time. They capture something that refuses to go away.
Enjoy… until next week.