The latest from Somalia:
So what's going on in Somalia, you ask? Ahh, you don't want to know. There's trouble over in the horn of Africa, some of it involving our dear Doctors Without Borders. As you probably know, we got together and raised over $4,000 for DWB at the Runners Without Borders event last weekend. I requested that the money go to Somalia if possible (DWB does critical work all over the world so I'm sure it could be put to good use in many places, but Somalia seems to need assistance the most right now). One of the super-critical and time-sensitive tasks DWB is trying to accomplish in Somalia right now is a massive measles vaccination campaign for children. Yup, that measles shot we all got as babies in the USA, well, they don't get those shots over in Somalia. And measles is actually a nasty and virulent little disease with a very high fatality rate among small children, particularly children who are already malnourished.
So DWB took it upon themselves to try to vaccinate as many high-risk children as they could, focusing efforts on the capital, Mogadishu. But last week heavy fighting erupted (side note, does "heavy fighting" ever do anything besides "erupt"?) in Mogadishu, forcing the DWB doctors to abandon the campaign for the time being. Read DWB's press release here: Somalia: Vaccination campaign Suspended Due to Fighting in Daynile.
Some thoughts from the press release; Daynile is on the outskirts of Mogadishu, and I'm assuming this is where a lot of the refugees are coming from the famine-striken areas. So it's an important base of operations for DWB, since this is likely as close as they can get to the people that are the worst off. Although they have suspended the measles program, they are still at the hospital, providing medical assistance and nutritional assistance as much as they can. I take two things from this. One, the DWB doctors are total bad-asses and I am more proud than ever to support them, and you should be too. Two, the Somalians really need to put down their guns, even for just a little while, so these doctors can save the lives of their children. Priorities, people. It's all very irritating.
The other bit of news from DWB in Somalia is the news of a kidnapping of two DWB staff members from a refugee camp in Dabaab, Kanya, which is serving as a Somalian refugee camp. This happened on October 13th, and as of yet I believe the two staffers are still being held by their kidnappers. You can read this article here:
Kenya: Two MSF Staff Abducted in Kenya (Updated). Dangerous indeed. You can read the article, but the effect of the kidnapping is that DWB has suspended much of their operations in the Kenyan refugee camps until they can get the situation resolved. Maybe the refugee camps need more protection, but DWB tries very hard to distance themselves from the conflicts that cause these refugee crises, and not take sides, but as you can see it's difficult not to get into trouble. Trouble has a way of finding you, I suspect, in places such as these.
What is also interesting to note is that DWB does not want this kidnapping to be publicized, as publicity is not helping their efforts to get the staffers returned. So, uh, I'm not totally sure I should be writing about this, but the story went out on much larger news organizations already, so it's probably ok that I'm bringing it to your attention today, since I expect about, you know, 23 people to read this.
What's my point besides being full of rather depressing news today? I wanted to give you all a greater appreciation of the dangers that the men and women of DWB face in trying to help people in the worst places in the world. Major props to them. Hopefully the money we raised last week will do some good there, hopefully they can get back to working at full-capacity soon.
Showing posts with label Marvin Gaye. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Marvin Gaye. Show all posts
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Marvin Gaye, Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology), (1971)
Marvin Gaye, Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology), 1971
From What’s Going On
Apparently this song was covered on Earth Day 2007, understandably so, as there is a strong environmental theme to the lyric content. I missed that bit though; all I can remember is poor Roger Hodgson! Marvin Gaye was not the first artist to write a pop song about the environment but he had to be one of the first Motown artists to do so. It’s a good song, but I think it is too similar to “What’s Going On”, also on the same album. I have to imagine that Marvin Gaye probably wrote the song in the spirit of Earth Day 1970, and the environmental movement, which were gaining momentum around that time. The lyrical content and delivery are bleak and weary, also a radical departure from the typical Motown style. This song sounds acceptable now, but there was no way of knowing if it would be accepted back then. This song along with the song and album “What’s Going On” literally changed Motown. It is often cited that Gaye’s artistic and individualistic triumphs helped give Stevie Wonder the courage to demand creative control, leading to his unapproachable string of mid-70s classic albums. So this is an important song, as well as a good song, but an imperfect song, because it is still too much like “What’s Going On”
Piano, rhythm guitar, drums, bass and triangle open the song. The rhythm of the song is quite clever. The drum beat is a slow 4/4, which leaves room for a fairly active bass drum beat. The guitar actually carries a loose sixteenth beat and most of the funkiness comes from the accentuated off-beat guitar chords. The piano mostly lays down the chord changes on the one beat. The bass guitar is the star in this song. Since the guitar is keeping time the bass is fairly free to walk up and down the scales and provide a lot of color to the song.
There is a string arrangement that enters the song near the second chorus, and a fairly brassy sax solo closes out the single version of the song. The album version of the song contains a wholly new section complete with dissonant ethereal vocalizations and more prominent string orchestra. It is an altogether unhappy end to the song, and I can understand why it was left off the #4 single.
Marvin sings with a two-part harmony for the first verse, but does not return to that. For the rest of the song he sings the main melody alone, and had backing vocals singing a sort of counterpoint or commentary of the main melody. Counterpoint is probably too formal of a term. The backing vocals have a loose spontaneous jazzy feel that is very indicative of the whole album. Also “The Andantes” are featured with their wordless vocals, particularly at the end of the song.
The strangest sound for me is a very odd percussion effect doubling the snare drum. It sounds almost like water dropping from a great height in the middle of a dark cave, or the sound of a horse walking slowly down a cobblestone road. I love it.
Lyrics
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
No, no
Where did all the blue sky go?
Poison is the wind that blows
From the north, east, south, and sea
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
No, no
Oil wasted on the oceans and upon our seas
Fish full of mercury
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
No, no
Radiation in the ground and in the sky
Animals and birds who live nearby are dying
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
What about this overcrowded land?
How much more abuse from man can you stand?
My sweet Lord
My sweet Lord
My sweet Lord
From What’s Going On
Apparently this song was covered on Earth Day 2007, understandably so, as there is a strong environmental theme to the lyric content. I missed that bit though; all I can remember is poor Roger Hodgson! Marvin Gaye was not the first artist to write a pop song about the environment but he had to be one of the first Motown artists to do so. It’s a good song, but I think it is too similar to “What’s Going On”, also on the same album. I have to imagine that Marvin Gaye probably wrote the song in the spirit of Earth Day 1970, and the environmental movement, which were gaining momentum around that time. The lyrical content and delivery are bleak and weary, also a radical departure from the typical Motown style. This song sounds acceptable now, but there was no way of knowing if it would be accepted back then. This song along with the song and album “What’s Going On” literally changed Motown. It is often cited that Gaye’s artistic and individualistic triumphs helped give Stevie Wonder the courage to demand creative control, leading to his unapproachable string of mid-70s classic albums. So this is an important song, as well as a good song, but an imperfect song, because it is still too much like “What’s Going On”
Piano, rhythm guitar, drums, bass and triangle open the song. The rhythm of the song is quite clever. The drum beat is a slow 4/4, which leaves room for a fairly active bass drum beat. The guitar actually carries a loose sixteenth beat and most of the funkiness comes from the accentuated off-beat guitar chords. The piano mostly lays down the chord changes on the one beat. The bass guitar is the star in this song. Since the guitar is keeping time the bass is fairly free to walk up and down the scales and provide a lot of color to the song.
There is a string arrangement that enters the song near the second chorus, and a fairly brassy sax solo closes out the single version of the song. The album version of the song contains a wholly new section complete with dissonant ethereal vocalizations and more prominent string orchestra. It is an altogether unhappy end to the song, and I can understand why it was left off the #4 single.
Marvin sings with a two-part harmony for the first verse, but does not return to that. For the rest of the song he sings the main melody alone, and had backing vocals singing a sort of counterpoint or commentary of the main melody. Counterpoint is probably too formal of a term. The backing vocals have a loose spontaneous jazzy feel that is very indicative of the whole album. Also “The Andantes” are featured with their wordless vocals, particularly at the end of the song.
The strangest sound for me is a very odd percussion effect doubling the snare drum. It sounds almost like water dropping from a great height in the middle of a dark cave, or the sound of a horse walking slowly down a cobblestone road. I love it.
Lyrics
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
No, no
Where did all the blue sky go?
Poison is the wind that blows
From the north, east, south, and sea
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
No, no
Oil wasted on the oceans and upon our seas
Fish full of mercury
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
No, no
Radiation in the ground and in the sky
Animals and birds who live nearby are dying
Oh, mercy mercy me
Oh, things ain't what they used to be
What about this overcrowded land?
How much more abuse from man can you stand?
My sweet Lord
My sweet Lord
My sweet Lord
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