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I ended up catching a bit of "Scarborough Country" last night on MSNBC, and there was a guy on from  (I think) the National Review that gave a list of the top 5 "Right-Wing Anthems" he compiled.  It's funny to put those songs in that context.

The list (and his reasoning):

5. Wouldn't It Be Nice (celibacy before marriage)
4. Sweet Home Alabama (Southern pride)
3. Sympathy for the Devil (condemning satan's work)
2. Taxman (damn democrats always raising taxes!)
1. Won't Get Fooled Again (anti-radical movements)

When discussing WIBN, Scarborough said he found it amusing that the song was the product of someone who was an acid-freak in 66/67.  I'm paraphrasing, but he said something like that.

So Brian Wilson's songs are satanic AND right wing?  :o  ;D

The Universal Coward by Jan & Dean should be in there. That's about as right wing as they get.

Or to be more specific: Wouldn't It Be Nice is a right wing anthem and God Only Knows a satanic one...

Interesting. Never noticed that before.

That's the first time I ever heard of "Sympathy for the Devil" seen as right-wing anti-Satan.  To most nutcase Christian activists, that is exhibit A in proving that the Stones were Satanists.

What? No "Okie From Muscogee"?

Or "As shole From El Paso", for that matter.

Yeah, Kinky Friedman!

Wouldn't It Be Nice isn't really about celibacy before marriage.. there's absolutely no mention of sex in that song at all. It's saying "wouldn't it be nice if we were older, than we could live together, because I love you and want to spend all the time I can with you", not "wouldn't it be nice if we were older because then I can finally have sex with you because everyone knows you can't have sex before marriage and I'm just lusting after you so much".

And being that it's about his wife's sister doesn't help the matter either.

Yea I don't really see where they got celibacy before marriage out of WIBN either...last I checked you can have sex with someone without living with them!  It's funny too like Aegir said that the whole song originated from Brian's fixation with his wife's sister.  I bet Brian would be amused to hear that someone considers this a right wing anthem.

If there's one thing I've never known fanatics to worry about, it's having good logic or fact-checking behind their stupid rants.

Without the context behind the song, put generally, the song is about liberation from authority and being able to do what you want.  Wouldn't it be nice if we could do this, without our parents or those assholes interfering.  Not very conservative to me.  And just because the song doesn't clearly say "let's f*** all night long", doesn't mean it's advertising celibacy before marriage.  In fact, waking up in the morning when the day is new sounds like a pretty good implication of the opposite, especially for Top 40 radio in '66.

Engaging in a bit of Necromancy on this thread, but the very idea that my favorite song, ever, what I consider the most perfect, succinct, lovely little self contained number, could even be considered an anthem for the people who want to install a sexless tyrannical theocracy, the idea that some fascist pig could try to claim this song as an anthem for their side makes me incredibly furious.

I guess I should send Glenn Beck some poison muffins now or something.

I think the song was about young people constraining their behavior to conform to societal norms. At least it was for me when I was 16 and spent way too much time lusting after the girl next door. She often wore very short shorts and halter tops, and her dad was a career marine who bore a striking resemblance to the Incredible Hulk. Come to think of it, he was probably a bigger influence on my behavior than the cultural mores of the day.

I think the song is a sort of anthem and was intended to convey a sense of innocence. If the song was really about Brian Wilson's infatuation with his sister-in-law, then Tony Asher really missed the mark with his lyrics. Being an in-law would trump age as an issue.

Still, it's pretty silly to mix music and politics in the first place:

"That which is too stupid to be said is sung."

I guess I will just have to listen to 'Student Demonstration Time' then!

What is it they "wouldn't have to wait so long" for?

I'm sure that pokin' is among the possibilities implied or intended.  :o

In reference to the right wing, keep in mind that they have specifically rejected "the reality based world" in favor of one that meets their needs for manipulating the opinions of others. The actual content of "Sympathy For the Devil" et al is as unimportant to them as the actual content of Springsteen's "Born in the USA" was to the Reaganauts in the 1980s.

Always thought that "Wonderful" could be considered a more conservative song since it sort of went against the credo that you couldn't trust anybody over 30.

People who wrap themselves in the flag don't aren't all there, so I wouldn't worry about it.

Doesn't "Sympathy for the Devil" list the murder of the Czar and his family and the crucifixion of Jesus Christ alongside the sins of the Nazis? Not exactly a politically correct stance at the time, and the lyrics surprise me.  

Also, as I recall, Regan himself wanted to use "Born in the USA" as a campaign theme song, but it was hardly an anthem for the "Reganauts" who actually listened to the lyrics. Didn't Springsteen himself suggest to Mr. Regan that the song might not convey the message Regan intended? (Springsteen sometimes waxed political, with the expected bent, at his concerts.  But if you weren't an audience member and instead were there to tote The Boss's equipment, his words may have rung hollow. Here, I'm not surprised.)

 :lol Agree with everything, only - I don't get furious, I p*ss myself laughing about it all...

Glenn Beck, what a turd he is. Have watched some of his fascist rants on youtube. The funniest one I've seen is where he bemoans the overcrowed prisons in America. His bright idea is to kill more prisoners starting with the big cheese himself Charles Manson! Tellingly most of the comments posted on the video state that they would rather Beck be killed than Manson!!

I much prefer Jeff Beck. or Beck Hansen (aka plain old Beck) to Glenn Beck. I'm just glad Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert around to put those idiots in their place.

Not Charles Pierce of THE LEGEND OF BOGGY CREEK fame?!?

Charles P Pierce, aka Charlie Pierce of Boston Globe and "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me" fame.

The Fouke Monster author was Charles B Pierce, an advertising salesman from Texarkana.

Jon Stewart's/Stephen Colbert's brand of sarcastic condescension is just as annoying as Beck's/O'Reilly's outraged blowhardiness, imo.  I laugh every time I think about the Rally To Restore Sanity, and the fact that the guy they got to represent the sane/peaceful side against crazy Ozzy was....Jusuf Islam. 

His name is Cat Stevens!!!

I don't agree.  It would be different if there were other people calling out their targets, but most of the time they're the only ones pointing out the things they do, despite the supposed liberal bent of the media.  So I think a certain amount of eye rolling exasperation is warranted....but your mileage may vary of course.  If there were as many Jon Stewarts on the radio and TV airwaves as there are Glenn Becks, I might see it that way...

But of course, any time someone's belittling something one believes, of course one is going to feel condescended to, and nobody likes that.  The thing I always ask myself is what's the source of the condescension?  Is it because the other person has a problem, or because I do, or somewhere in between?  I always learn something from that process.  Usually there's a greater understanding of myself and others' perspectives to be had there....

Stewart's appearance on "Crossfire" sort of epitomized what I don't like about him.  If you can watch that entire exchange without wanting to blow chunks you're a better man than I am.  ;D

As for "Wouldn't It Be Nice", I don't hear anything political about it at all.  It's a song about young love, a sense of yearning and looking toward the future, etc.   

Where would Lennon's Imagine fall on the continuum of extreme right to extremem left?  No heaven AND no possessions!

Definitely leftist.

And no religion too! No hell below us, above us only sky!

"No heaven AND no possessions!"

Yeah, you first, John...

I think he has...

Of the songs listed:

"Sweet Home Alabama" is a reactionary song, and borderline racist.  "Hope Neil Young will remember, southern man don't need him around anyhow."  "In Birmingham they love the governor" -- a reference to the loathsome segregationist George Wallace.  "Now Watergate does not bother me, does your conscience bother you?" -- nice.  Why anyone would want to be associated with the political sentiments expressed in that song is beyond me.

"Taxman" -- musically a great song, but I have always found the lyrics grating.  An entire song by a fabulously wealthy rock star complaining about tax rates?  Even Mick Jagger has never gone so far as to complain in a song about how much he has to pay in taxes.

"Won't Get Fooled Again," like "Revolution," has always struck me as at least something of a slap in the face to sixties radicals.  Not sure why the Who and the Beatles, neither of which ever espoused left-wing politics in their lyrics, felt the need to be so harsh in these songs ("meet the new boss, same as the old boss.")

I never saw "Sympathy for the Devil" as having a right-wing message.  Just don't see that at all.

"Wouldn't It Be Nice" is possibly the greatest track ever recorded.   Do the wingnuts have to try to adopt it for their cause?  I don't think the lyrics advocate abstinence before marriage; I think they recognize that for a very young, passionately in love unmarried couple (especially in 1966) it can be difficult to get the opportunity to truly consummate all that lust (and love) in a satisfying way.  The song, both lyrically and musically, is the embodiment of innocence, optimism, and joy, but I don't think it denies the cynical realities of the world.  All it really says is that a young passionate couple in love wants to spend every second together, physically and emotionally.  How does the story turn out after they get married?  Probably about the way the Brian Wilson story has turned out -- with many ups and downs. 

"I think he has..."
Sadly.

The tax rate that Harrison was complaining about was a 95% marginal rate.

That's worth a complaint by anyone, I'd think.


"Should five percent appear too small, be thankful I don't take it all"

I think the left leaning folks on this board take themselves a little too seriously.  Bless their little hearts :)  I'm a republican and the list sounds pretty funny to me... it's clearly a self depreciating joke about the stereotypical conservative platform. Do you honestly think that the tea party or whoever is going around thinking about what kind of anthems they want to play at rallys?  Maybe it was a joke?  Anybody who would consider themselves a John Stewart fan has no idea what humour is, so I can see why there would be confusion about the intent of the list. 

There, that ought to be enough to get it off to the Sandbox.  There's an awful lot of intolerance and name calling here; whatever happened to liberals being open minded? 

BTW Sweet Home Alabama was written by Southern Democrats.  Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. was a Republican.  Blah Blah Blah everybody already knows this, but since there's so many stereotypical comments being thrown around, I figured I'd add a few of my own. 

Republicans like good music too!  Not everybody has to be an intellectual, enlightened liberal to know that the Beach Boys are incredible.  Even some of us cretin Republicans, in all of our barefoot in the kitchen pregnant gun totin' in the pickup truck racist hate the president because of his skin color and only his skin color backwoods abortion hating uneducated yahoos have a musical appreciation for harmony. 

You're right.  Some of you aren't bad folk at all.

Are you sure you are a Republican?

Ugghh.

One should never question when someone announces their partisanship. 
Of course republicans like ggod music, they just need it played slower so they can take it all in.   :afro

Some presumed right winger shot my Democratic Congresswoman in the head in a grocery store parking lot in Tucson this morning.  Some outlets are reporting her death, but nothing official.

Overheated rhetoric from either side stokes the actions of deranged people.

Love and Mercy is what we need.

 :dennis

*dum-dum-TISH!*

Presumed by who? He was just a kid, 22 years old...confused and crazy...could've been helped by a few spins of Smiley Smile, I'm sure...

Presumed by me, that's why there are no quotation marks or attributions anywhere near it.

I used the word to indicate that it was an opinion not a fact.

You seem to be presuming that he had no political opionion, just mental illness.

The two are not mutually exclusive.

Thems pretty strong words, pardner! 

What I get is you're trying to say that  republicans are mentally ill. 
That's wrong, and you shouldn't even go there.  They may be slow....   :)

You have severely misinterpreted this. I didn't say or mean anythng of the sort.  
Many of my family members are Republicans and not one of them is deranged. I'm saying that political beliefs of any kind (left, right, whatever) and mental illness are not mutually exclusive.  How you went from there to your suspicions is a mystery to me.

What I was saying is that this individual was politically motivated. Based on his purported writings, I don't think he did this to impress Jody Foster (see: assasination attempt on Reagan); he had political anti-government motivations.

Anyone who would murder innnocent people at a shopping center is, ipso facto, deranged. Yet most deranged people don't go shooting innocent people.

I hope that clears up any misconception.


Or were you just joking?

No comment.

Turns out the guy was obsessed with mind control, lucid dreaming, grammar, creating his own currency, and formulating completely nonsensical "if/then" statements.  The Communist Manifesto was on his list of "favorite books", he was a pot smoking atheist, and he thought 9/11 was an inside job.  Oh and he had a skull shrine in his backyard. 

A regular American Joe then.....

Which, in the mind of Wilsonia pusilla, places him at the far right end of the political spectrum. Of course Wilsonia has plenty of company.

Well, never let a good tragedy go to waste!  :)

He owns a copy of The Communist Manifesto iirc. Which Mr. Pusilla already said, and you chose to ignore. Dude is a headcase, sure, but not an out and out republican headcase. Just a mentally ill young man with many confused ideas about the nature of politics. None of his writings or etc i've seen emerge so far indicate he was a Palinite or whatever. You all need to chill out.

Although, the points raised about the nature of political discourse in America by this, however unimportant they are in relation to this guys mental condition and motivation to shoot up a political meeting, are perfectly reasonable and need to be addressed. I'm British, and the language you yanks throw about is incredible and frankly unsuitable for the business of politics. Just trying to imagine what would have happened if Labour ran a similar 'don't retreat, RELOAD' campaign after losing the election last year....

Maybe this needs to go to the sandbox?

Well, Brian Wilson is a republican. He voted for John McCain (which was a vote for Sarah Palin to be second-in-command).

So there ya go.

It's not as if it's so outlandish to think of "Wouldn't It Be Nice" as expressing conservative sentiment, it is fairly traditional in its outlook after all.

No, there ya go. He also supported Al Gore when he ran against G. W. Bush in 2000. He may be a republican, but one could surmise that he is a centrist, also.

Honestly, I think he could've seen the "Mc" in McCain's name and voted for him because it made him think of McDonald's....or, maybe he just thought Sarah Palin is hot. Remember, this is the guy who wanted to work with Celine Dion because he thought she had nice legs.

But alas, Phil Spector had already gotten to her and tried to produce an epic album for her before things got out of hand. Maybe trying to top Spector yet again was Brian's motive and the legs issue was a red herring. :-D