Director Spike Lee once lamented that urban youth these days dont even know who Muhammad Ali was or what he stood for. Thats only partly true. Lyrical references to butterflies and bees and boxing still permeate hip hop and pop culture music. Listen to Katy Parys Roar, for instance. Like The Beatles, Muhammad Ali in the age of early mass media communication made the miscalculation that they were more popular than Jesus. As for The Beatles, they posed in the Ring like all four of them had been KOd by Ali. Enough said. As for Ali, he always spoke well and poetically in the ring, and hes the only man I ever asked for an autograph, and he even spoke well after the third fight with Frazier when he collapsed in the corner after the victory announcement was made. But the kind of punishment the Romans could inflict as a group of men is different. How poetic would Muhammad Ali be after a Roman scourging? How poetic would he be if he was being nailed to a cross? What sort of music would be on his mind then? If it was me itd probably be the Conan soundtrack, because that was interesting mixture of Nordic and Christian iconography, and it represented the land I grew up in. And the movie had a Christian/Viking subtext not many have commented upon. And I already have a machete scar on my leg from playing around after that movie. But even that kind of thematic music would never last generations like this song will: Come they told me, pa rum pum pum pum A new born King to see, pa rum pum pum pum Our finest gifts we bring, pa rum pum pum pum To lay before the King, pa rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, So to honor Him, pa rum pum pum pum, When we come. Little Baby, pa rum pum pum pum I am a poor boy too, pa rum pum pum pum I have no gift to bring, pa rum pum pum pum Thats fit to give the King, pa rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, Shall I play for you, pa rum pum pum pum, On my drum? Mary nodded, pa rum pum pum pum The ox and lamb kept time, pa rum pum pum pum I played my drum for Him, pa rum pum pum pum I played my best for Him, pa rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, rum pum pum pum, Then He smiled at me, pa rum pum pum pum Me and my drum.
Posted on: Mon, 25 Nov 2013 17:32:21 +0000