Blog Assignment Week 10: I am the Piano Man

The song that I chose for this blog is the song "Dear God" by XTC (take the name as you will). The link to the lyrics are here

How does this song seek to influence the listener? Their main objective is for the listener to see the contradictions in religion, especially monotheistic religions. A second objective of the song is to question the existence of God. There are so many negative aspects about the world we live in now, and they point out these aspects, and they ask why? The main argument they make in the song is contradiction. The music also does the song justice, at points; very intense and convincing.

Is the song positive or not? Hell no, this song is not positive. It is very bleak and there is a feeling of abandonment. The suggestion that we made up God is not well received, yet may very well be true (I don't have a clue).

Does the band have a lot of songs like this? I don't know a lot of other tunes by the band. From the 1 album I have they are pretty political, however they don't focus on religion throughout the album.

Is this song being serious? Absolutely they are being serious. They really portray that throughout the song, through the intensity and the lyrics themselves.

Which bands do I think put thought into the messages of their songs? Pretty much any band that writes their own songs. I may not agree with what all the different bands stand behind, but I do believe that they have the right to express their opinions.

Bands that are prefabricated crap? Anyone who doesn't write their owns songs, music and lyrics. To record something that someone else wrote and claim it as your own is just wrong. Look at American Idol, that is the pure definition of crap.

Which ones are out to only boost their record sales? All that prefabricated shit.

Does it matter? I won't buy their songs, or for that matter I won't even pirate them.

Does it change whether I will listen to them or not? I have already answered that question.

Are there any other songs that are worth exploring in this regard? Pick one, most all musicians has a point behind their music (at least the ones who write their own).

Why did you assign this? Partly for entertainment, and partly for information. It is always fun to see what other people listen to. On the other hand, you may be bored with your own musical choices and looking for something different. Yet, a part of me believes that the reason for this assignment is to get people to think about what they listen to and how it influences them.