I remember seeing "Capitalism" on some list of the "top conservative rock songs," which is funny since I think that song is an obvious satire of its speaker's conservative perspective. I think this song is the real conservative song on the record. That's not to say Elfman should be naively equated with the speaker of the song, but isn't it cathartic when he screams, "Hey there Johnny boy, I hope you fry!" That voice isn't ironized the way the speaker of "capitalism" is, because we know he's right: Johnny's problem isn't that he's "underprivileged," it's that he's a spoiled borderline psychopath. The irony works the other way, against the societal voices excusing Johnny's behavior and hoping pathetically, "Perhaps if we're nice he'll go away." In the real world, I'm sure there are lots of criminals who really are victims of their upbringings and circumstances. But Johnny's just a little prick who deserves whatever punishment he gets.
I remember seeing "Capitalism" on some list of the "top conservative rock songs," which is funny since I think that song is an obvious satire of its speaker's conservative perspective. I think this song is the real conservative song on the record. That's not to say Elfman should be naively equated with the speaker of the song, but isn't it cathartic when he screams, "Hey there Johnny boy, I hope you fry!" That voice isn't ironized the way the speaker of "capitalism" is, because we know he's right: Johnny's problem isn't that he's "underprivileged," it's that he's a spoiled borderline psychopath. The irony works the other way, against the societal voices excusing Johnny's behavior and hoping pathetically, "Perhaps if we're nice he'll go away." In the real world, I'm sure there are lots of criminals who really are victims of their upbringings and circumstances. But Johnny's just a little prick who deserves whatever punishment he gets.