The preceding comments all pretty much sum up what this song is about - it's an indictment of the false promises and twisted lies used by corporations, in order to market their latest gimmick or service.
However, the way I see it, this song is also a bit more profound and philisophical. It tackles the "human condition", and implicitly expresses the view that there is no cure for the failings we, as human beings, exhibit.
When we are young, we are open-minded, and willing to believe that there is a solution for every problem. We don't understand why adults act the way they do, and become frustrated when we are unable to comfort and attend to our elders - we thrive for some magical means to cure their sadness and afflictions.
The stepfather corporation plays on this naive assumption, marketing a means via which the "sadness in your mommy can be rooted out, burned, scorched, turned out, forgotten", thus demonstrating the manner in which advertising prays on our mental weakness and insecurity by offering us belief, in the form of a miracle cure for our problems.
As the track progresses, the fallacious optimism of the corporation's promises is torn apart by an unbelievably apt exposition of the male psyche ("The cheapest way to keep his battery running is with booze. Plug it in, give it a name, man of the house, help sustain") and ("And in a few unsubstantiated clinical trials this condition has led to simulated feelings of resentment and worthlessness").
The progression from sugar-coated promises and solutions, to brutal realism is, I feel, a direct reflection of the transition from child to adult. As we grow older, we come to realise that there is no magical solution to life's problems, just facts and hard lessons on which to base our actions. Whilst consumerism and material goods may "keep the munchkins entertained", the enjoyment/satisfaction gained from these "Electric doodads and wizard hats" will inevitably wear off, leaving us to grapple with the sense of futility and helplessness that comes from realising there is essentially no cure for life's problems.
a careful, comprehensive and engaging piece of writing. one would assume you were writing a dissertation on the works of EL-P. this is exactly how his lyrics should be annotated, even when drawing your own interpretation. bravo sir, I think more people should invest the time to consider the complex layers of thought that are often overlooked in the practices of EL-P (and Aesop Rock) for these are our modern poets, baudelaires with a hip hop swagger. if i were a teacher i'd stamp your work with a "good job" dinosaur or something, but i'm sure in this case a...
a careful, comprehensive and engaging piece of writing. one would assume you were writing a dissertation on the works of EL-P. this is exactly how his lyrics should be annotated, even when drawing your own interpretation. bravo sir, I think more people should invest the time to consider the complex layers of thought that are often overlooked in the practices of EL-P (and Aesop Rock) for these are our modern poets, baudelaires with a hip hop swagger. if i were a teacher i'd stamp your work with a "good job" dinosaur or something, but i'm sure in this case a well done will suffice. well done.
The preceding comments all pretty much sum up what this song is about - it's an indictment of the false promises and twisted lies used by corporations, in order to market their latest gimmick or service.
However, the way I see it, this song is also a bit more profound and philisophical. It tackles the "human condition", and implicitly expresses the view that there is no cure for the failings we, as human beings, exhibit.
When we are young, we are open-minded, and willing to believe that there is a solution for every problem. We don't understand why adults act the way they do, and become frustrated when we are unable to comfort and attend to our elders - we thrive for some magical means to cure their sadness and afflictions.
The stepfather corporation plays on this naive assumption, marketing a means via which the "sadness in your mommy can be rooted out, burned, scorched, turned out, forgotten", thus demonstrating the manner in which advertising prays on our mental weakness and insecurity by offering us belief, in the form of a miracle cure for our problems.
As the track progresses, the fallacious optimism of the corporation's promises is torn apart by an unbelievably apt exposition of the male psyche ("The cheapest way to keep his battery running is with booze. Plug it in, give it a name, man of the house, help sustain") and ("And in a few unsubstantiated clinical trials this condition has led to simulated feelings of resentment and worthlessness").
The progression from sugar-coated promises and solutions, to brutal realism is, I feel, a direct reflection of the transition from child to adult. As we grow older, we come to realise that there is no magical solution to life's problems, just facts and hard lessons on which to base our actions. Whilst consumerism and material goods may "keep the munchkins entertained", the enjoyment/satisfaction gained from these "Electric doodads and wizard hats" will inevitably wear off, leaving us to grapple with the sense of futility and helplessness that comes from realising there is essentially no cure for life's problems.
a careful, comprehensive and engaging piece of writing. one would assume you were writing a dissertation on the works of EL-P. this is exactly how his lyrics should be annotated, even when drawing your own interpretation. bravo sir, I think more people should invest the time to consider the complex layers of thought that are often overlooked in the practices of EL-P (and Aesop Rock) for these are our modern poets, baudelaires with a hip hop swagger. if i were a teacher i'd stamp your work with a "good job" dinosaur or something, but i'm sure in this case a...
a careful, comprehensive and engaging piece of writing. one would assume you were writing a dissertation on the works of EL-P. this is exactly how his lyrics should be annotated, even when drawing your own interpretation. bravo sir, I think more people should invest the time to consider the complex layers of thought that are often overlooked in the practices of EL-P (and Aesop Rock) for these are our modern poets, baudelaires with a hip hop swagger. if i were a teacher i'd stamp your work with a "good job" dinosaur or something, but i'm sure in this case a well done will suffice. well done.