Monday was Labor Day in the USA, so today I decided to celebrate songs with "work" in the title, except with the twist that they have nothing whatsoever to do with the labor movement or economic productivity. An anti-theme, maybe? Subversion? Lazy theme substitution? You be the judge!
It looks like this first song was written by Shel Silverstein, and until starting this post, I had no idea how prolific he was as a songwriter. I mainly know of him from books like Where the Sidewalk Ends and A Light in the Attic, so quirky lyrics are no surprise, and I did know he also wrote material for Playboy, so salacious innuendo isn't that much of a surprise either. Anyway, here's the bluegrass giants Lester Flatt & Earl Scruggs performing Workin' It Out.
If you know much about American folk music, you may have heard of Flatt & Scruggs, but the second song is probably unknown to almost everyone reading this.
Pun intended?
The Works of Unknowns is by Joy Electric, a.k.a. Ronnie Martin. He composes and records synthesized music according to his own whims on the periphery of Contemporary Christian Music. Neither bland "praise and worship" nor an attempt to make a sound-alike of any particular mainstream music trend, he never even became a big fish even in the small pond of religious music. I appreciate his independent creative drive to produce what he wants. He also doesn't shy away from melancholy.
I divide, multiply.
Write what I learn and why.
Lecture to younger minds,
With sense and reason.
I devise formulas,
With chemical and minerals,
Ponder life through telescopes,
And question one's purpose.
Now there's nothing left to be shown,
The works of unknowns.
And let's close with a well-known crowd pleaser: We Can Work It Out by the Beatles. Honestly, what can I say by way of introduction here? The band was only together for a decade, but produced some of the most influential popular music of the 20th century. Here's a link. If it doesn't work in your country, I guarantee you can find a different upload with a simple web search. Obscure, this is not.
Did you find a new band here? What other work-that-isn't-related-to-a-job songs can you think of? Are you a lunatic with an axe to grind and an impulse to spam? Add a comment and I will vote accordingly!
If you're not on Hive yet, I invite you to join through InLeo or PeakD. If you use either of my referral links, I'll even try to delegate some Hive Power to help you get started.
