Music is a universal teacher. It transcends cultural and geographic boundaries, touching the hearts and minds of millions across the globe. The American singer Bruce Springsteen once said he learned far more from a 3-minute record than he ever learned in school. If what “the Boss” says proves to be true, then get ready for Mother Nature’s master class. Bucolic and frugal, these songs will redefine what it means to be “green.”
Folk singer Melanie Safka, known professionally as Melanie (having coined that single-named trend way before Madonna ever made it cool) urges a pastoral simplicity in her 1971 track, “Some Day I’ll Be A Farmer.” Her tone has candor and chirp:
I’m gonna pick an apple right from the tree,
I’m gonna eat the apple ‘cause it grew there for me…
It’s funny to think this song is more than 40 years 2014’s senior; it’s theme–though transparent–elicits deep thought on recent food issues. The growth and variety of the human diet is evident; anyone can see we’ve come along way from savaging roots and herbs to ordering Chinese takeout. Thanks to a study conducted at the University of Colorado, proving that the nutrient density of food has declined 40-60% in the past 100 years and is still tanking, suggests to us that this growth might not be in our best interest. Our 21st century food “revolution” (if one can even call it that) has evoked a question our great grandparents never had to face: what are we eating, anyway? Melanie seemed to know the answer. Her song’s forthright title suggests a yearn for food that comes straight from the ground, that is, in opposition to a Big Mac, which among the many popular processed foods of our time, leaves a lot of wiggle room as to where it came from and what it’s made of.
Rush’s prog-rock hit “The Trees” is not your average tree-hugger’s anthem. It narrates the conflict between a maple and oak, dipping its roots into motifs of socialistic failure with a liberation leaning. Lyricist Neil Peart says the inspiration came to him when he wondered what it would be like if trees acted like people. That thought sure sets things in a new perspective. One may wonder how many incidents of excessive clear-cutting would still occur if the maple trees really did scream, “oppression!”
Mention Jack Johnson and one might conjure up images of acoustic beach-folk and bare feet, but the Hawaiian native is far more than just mellow vibes. Johnson is a special breed of “rock-star” that cares far more for the environment than caviar or cigarettes. His 2008 album Sleeping Through the Static was recorded using solar energy. His tour shirts are crafted of organic cotton, and his tour bus runs not on gasoline, but biodiesel. So it seems that Jack Johnson’s tour is not only good for our souls, but for the environment too.
As well as striving to be green, Johnson also yearns to remind people of the finer things in life. His song “Gone,” which is featured on Johnson’s second album On and On, does just that:
Look at all those fancy clothes,
But these could keep us warm just like those.
And what about your soul? Is it cold?
Is it straight from the mold, and ready to be sold?
His crooning ballads are hard-hitting in our narcissistic and material world, standing out from the usual hits of the Top 40 that often feature a singer and/or rapper bragging about their wealth and all the things they’ve bought with it.
It’s idealistic to think that the entire population would somehow be on board with this internal, money-can’t-buy-you-happiness brand of thinking, but perhaps Johnson’s words will convert a few more lost souls. And sometimes a few souls are all you need to cha
