Austin, Gagné, and Orend describe the domestication and marketing of this image in their article, “Commodification and Popular Imagery of the Biker in American Culture,” which tracks the history of the biker image from the early twentieth century to the present. ![]() The association of motorcyclists with “danger and an outlaw lifestyle” (Austin, Gagné, and Orend 946) achieved widespread cultural currency “in a paranoid Cold War context in which deviance of any sort was considered a threat to the domestic social order” (Austin, Gagné, and Orend 946). This image, according to Bill Osgerby, was constructed partly through alarmist press reports and B-movies that depicted motorcyclists as “snarling, maverick outsiders” and “conjured themes of an uncontrolled, macho “Otherness” whose unrestrained lusts and sneering disaffection set it beyond the pale of mainstream culture” (99). Most motorcycling pop songs, such as the Shangri-Las’ “The Leader of the Pack” (1965), Manic Street Preachers’ “Motorcycle Emptiness” (1992) or even Lana Del Rey’s 2012 hit, “Ride,” depend upon the image of the motorcyclist as a dangerous and hyper-masculine gang member. But “The Motorcycle Song” is anything but: it has its roots firmly in the links between the motorcycling community and the counter-culture in the late 1960s, and points toward important elements in the history of North American motorcycle culture. The facile rhymes may make the song seem trivial, and the story-telling style sounds improvised. Another reason why the song has endured is that it’s funny: the comic spoken-word performance that explains how the song was written while “going a hundred and fifty miles an hour sideways and five hundred feet down at the same time” continues to appeal to audiences, and was made into a stop-motion animated film in 1979. Its long-standing appeal is now partly nostalgic: Guthrie was at the center of hippie culture in the late sixties and early seventies, and he continues to fill his live concerts with crowds of boomer fans. I just wanna ride on my motorsickle.” If you ask me to name a song that features motorcycles, this is the one that pops into my mind right away: Arlo Guthrie’s “The Motorcycle Song.” The lyrics may be nonsense, but they stick in your head, and the song has had enduring popularity a radio hit in the late sixties, “The Motorcycle Song” appears on five of Guthrie’s albums across the length of his career from 1967 to 2011, and in at least four versions. ![]() A song to cry to, the emotions are high within the lyrics and Sam’s vocals, and there is a real connection between Sam and the listener, as we feel his determination to carry on in spite of everything.“I don’t wanna pickle. As the song builds, and the lyrics end at a resolution to stay alive, there is a long instrumental with the piano joined by drums to create an uplifting ending to what is quite a melancholy song. Written during lockdown last year, the feeling of isolation in the song is amplified by the solo piano and the lyrics of ‘I’m alone here, even though I’m physically not.’ The sensation of being alone in a crowded room really brings home the aspect of mental health, and with lockdown a recent memory in our minds, the feeling of physical isolation plays into the song too. ‘The Dying Light’ is such a deeply personal song, and yet so many listeners will relate to it, and will understand the struggles both Sam and so many others have felt. Coming from the city myself, it is a real issue amongst my age group, and is something that is exacerbated by the high poverty and unemployment levels in the North East. ![]() Hailing from North Shields, in Newcastle, the area has the highest number of suicides in the country and both songs highlight how prevalent of an issue this is, especially amongst young men in the area. ![]() Shortened slightly in length for the radio, the song is similar in style to ‘Dead Boys,’ his first single and the song that shot him to fame.Ī song to cry to, the emotions are high within the lyrics and Sam’s vocals This touching and emotive song has been given the winter treatment, honing in on the emotion of the lyrics and creating a starkly moving song. However, during the song, they vow to keep going, if not for themselves, but for those they love and those who did not make it. Last week, Sam released a Winter Edit of the final song on the normal album (not deluxe), ‘The Dying Light.’ Written when Sam was at his lowest, the song is sung from the perspective of someone considering taking their own life. If you read my previous album review of Seventeen Going Under, you will know that I am a big fan of Sam Fender and his latest release. Content Warning: Contains a discussion of suicide and death
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