Jacques Attali Writing political lyrics can be a risky venture these days. Not only do they require audiences be familiar with the described events to be understood, but they also risk alienating fans on ideological grounds: unlike a love song’s implicit striving for longevity and “universal” appeal, a political song is purposefully confrontational, delineating an artist’s stance on the status quo while investing stock in both the immediate absorption of its ideals and the impact of its content. In other words, the goal is to be timely, not timeless. But this also means that, theoretically, the timeliness of political lyrics will eventually expire. Here’s the problem: if the issues raised are in the headlines, the lyrical content is considered relevant. But as soon as they’re filed in the archives, the content becomes something “of the past.” Mention NAFTA and you’ve already established a clear temporal relationship; name-drop Dick Cheney and you’re quickly tick-tocking your way to anachronism.
