{"id":2340585,"date":"2024-09-13T08:23:54","date_gmt":"2024-09-13T12:23:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sing-out-in-anger-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2024-09-13T08:28:28","modified_gmt":"2024-09-13T12:28:28","slug":"sing-out-in-anger-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/sing-out-in-anger-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Sing out in anger &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">14<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fsing-out-in-anger-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2340585&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/vivek-ramaswamy-accused-of-flip-flopping-after-he-called-gop-hopefuls-good-people\/\" title=\"Vivek Ramaswamy accused of changing stance, called GOP hopefuls &#039;good people&#039;.\">article \u200cdiscusses<\/a> the\u2063 upcoming release of Morrissey&#8217;s 16th solo album, *Without \u200cMusic the World Dies*, while reflecting on\u2064 his previously unreleased album, *Bonfire of Teenagers*, which has\u200c <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-labor-secretary-grins-for-trucker-photo-op-while-pushing-nominee-opposed-by-truckers\/\" title=\"Biden Labor Secretary Grins for Trucker Photo-Op While Pushing Nominee Opposed by Truckers\">faced delays due<\/a> to its controversial title track. The song tackles the tragic 2017\u200b Manchester Arena bombing, highlighting societal tendencies to ignore the moral implications of such \u200dacts of violence. Morrissey critiques the\u200c public&#8217;s reaction to the incident, \u200dincluding a notable tribute where the crowd sang Oasis&#8217;s song \u200c&#8221;Don&#8217;t Look Back in\u200b Anger,&#8221; which he interprets as a passive\u200c response to \u200ban \u200datrocity\u200d that\u2063 warrants anger\u2064 instead of \u2062forgiveness. The\u2064 article \u200dcontrasts Morrissey\u2019s lyrical depth with the perceived superficiality of mainstream emotional responses in \u2064music, questioning why songs addressing\u200d terrorism and moral\u200b decay are often \u2064overlooked in contemporary music.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Sing out in anger<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1758508\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>The singer <a href=\"https:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/morrissey\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Morrissey\">Morrissey<\/a> is about to release his 16th solo album,&nbsp;<em>Without Music the World Dies<\/em>. Meanwhile, his 15th solo album,&nbsp;<em>Bonfire of Teenagers<\/em>, has gone unreleased for three years. Morrissey (forename Steven, former band The Smiths, foremost lyricist in English pop) said Capitol Records refused to release&nbsp;<em>Bonfire of Teenagers<\/em>&nbsp;because of its eponymous title song. &ldquo;Bonfire of Teenagers&rdquo; is about the Islamist bombing of an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/ariana-grande\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Ariana Grande\">Ariana Grande<\/a> concert at the Manchester Arena in 2017 and about how we prefer, and are even encouraged, to deny the moral challenge of evil.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>The Manchester bomber, Salman Abedi, was an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/isis\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"Islamic State\">Islamic State<\/a> enthusiast and the son of Libyan Islamists who, incredibly, had won asylum in Britain. Detonating a 66-lb. nail bomb hidden in a backpack, Abedi killed himself and 22 others and injured 1,017 more. Ten of the dead were under 20 years old. The youngest was an 8-year-old girl. One <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/are-covid-case-surges-more-fake-news\/\" title=\"Are COVID Case Surges More Fake News?\">man&#038;rsquo<\/a>;s body was so disfigured that he could only be identified by a leg tattoo.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Morrissey performs during the Firefly Music Festival in Dover, Del. (Amy Harris\/Invision\/AP file)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The now-traditional sequence of reactions followed. Shock and disgust, inquiries and&nbsp;public commemoration, the piling-up of soft toys in memoriam and the fine-tuning of surveillance in prophylaxis, and a nationwide minute&rsquo;s silence and a no less systematic silence about Islamism and immigration. The only novelty was that the Manchester commemoration ended with the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/watch-texans-spontaneously-sing-national-anthem-in-walmart\/\" title=\"WATCH: Texans Spontaneously Sing National Anthem In Walmart\">crowd breaking<\/a> into soccer-style singing.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Oasis, like Morrissey, is from Manchester. &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t Look Back in Anger&rdquo; is a typical Oasis tune. The intro is lifted from &ldquo;Imagine&rdquo; and the chorus melody from &ldquo;All the Young Dudes.&rdquo; The lyrics are passionate but almost meaningless. Noel Gallagher, the song&rsquo;s author, admits to lifting the &ldquo;Imagine&rdquo; intro and reflects that, had he known how significant the song would become, he would have worked harder on the lyrics. This, like his songs, has the virtue of honest craftsmanship. It isn&rsquo;t Gallagher&rsquo;s fault that we have lost our moral way so badly that we fall back, or forward, into random pop songs and gross sentimentality.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Gallagher believes that &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t Look Back in Anger&rdquo; became an &ldquo;anthem of defiance.&rdquo; To me, and to Morrissey, it sounds like a prelude to surrender. Its title is a pun on John Osborne&rsquo;s 1956 play&nbsp;<em>Look Back in Anger<\/em>, itself a study in empty gestures and moral surrender. Osborne was one of theater&rsquo;s &ldquo;angry young men.&rdquo; The Manchester crowd should have been angry but sounded passive. Mass murder is not a collateral cost of immigration or as beyond human control as the Manchester rain.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;And the morons sing and sway: &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t Look Back in Anger,&rsquo;&rdquo; Morrissey sings on &ldquo;Bonfire of Teenagers.&rdquo; &ldquo;I can assure you that I will look back in anger till the day I die.&rdquo; The intro of Morrissey&rsquo;s tune is from another 1970s hit, Lou Reed&rsquo;s &ldquo;Perfect Day.&rdquo; The children at the Ariana Grande concert were hoping to enjoy a perfect night. The familiar chords become ironic and inverted, like many a Morrissey lyric. Gallagher would be the first to admit that, unlike Oasis&rsquo;s lumpy mash-up of sonic and lyrical fragments, the words and music of &ldquo;Bonfire of Teenagers&rdquo;&nbsp;combine perfectly.<\/p>\n<p>There are plenty of canonical songs about murder, and many of them are first-person confessions: &ldquo;Mack the Knife,&rdquo; &ldquo;Hey Joe,&rdquo; and &ldquo;Used To Love Her.&rdquo;&nbsp;The murder ballad is a country music convention. There are always topical and political songs, too. But there have been few songs about terrorism&nbsp;since the 9\/11 attacks. Most of the 9\/11 tunes tended to the&nbsp;hokey&nbsp;reflexes of patriotism (Toby Keith&rsquo;s &ldquo;Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue&rdquo;) and sentimentality (Bruce Springsteen&rsquo;s&nbsp;<em>Rising<\/em>&nbsp;album). Taylor Swift has never released her response,&nbsp;&ldquo;Didn&rsquo;t They.&rdquo; Morrissey has recorded his response to a subsequent variation on the Islamist theme of atrocity. Why can&rsquo;t we hear it?<\/p>\n<p>I digress into critical niceties because artistry is a defense against the charge of obscenity or exploitation. The artistic defense cannot, however, always rebut a charge of tastelessness. Look online for the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/genius.com\/Morrissey-bonfire-of-teenagers-lyrics\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">lyrics<\/a>&nbsp;to &ldquo;Bonfire of Teenagers&rdquo; and for unofficial&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=RLgqSWg-wW8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">live footage<\/a>. You&rsquo;re adults. Judge for yourselves if the real offense is murdering little girls at a concert or writing a song.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Oh, you should have seen her leave for the arena\/ Only to be vaporized,&rdquo; Morrissey sings. The internal rhyme (&ldquo;should have &hellip; arena&rdquo;) is as lightly ironic as Morrissey&rsquo;s famous &ldquo;A dreaded sunny day\/ So I meet you at the cemetery gates.&rdquo; The next line is as heavy and blunt as possible. The refrain, &ldquo;Go easy on the killer,&rdquo; is damning. I had forgotten that light tunes could carry such moral weight.<\/p>\n<p>We are told that art has a right to make us uncomfortable. The reality is people prefer escapism and illusions. Governments and corporations prefer passivity and&nbsp;political correctness, even if it means dishonoring the victims by going easy on the killer as well as ourselves. Which minority were Capitol Records and its owner, Universal Music, more afraid of offending: Islamist terrorists or their fellow travelers, the censors of the Left? If Morrissey wants to release his song, all of us have a right to hear it, the terrorist and the censor be damned. If the world cannot hear it, music dies.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1758508\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1758508\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>**Expressing Outrage**<\/p>\n<p>Morrissey, the renowned singer and former frontman of The Smiths, is set to launch his 16th solo album titled *Without Music the World Dies*. In contrast, his 15th album, *Bonfire of Teenagers*, has remained unreleased for three years. Morrissey (whose full name is Steven) claims that Capitol Records declined to publish *Bonfire of Teenagers* due to its title track. The song &#8220;Bonfire of Teenagers&#8221; addresses the Islamist bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester in 2017 and critiques society&#8217;s tendency to ignore the moral implications of evil acts. Salman Abedi, who carried out the attack and was influenced by Islamic State ideology, detonated a nail bomb that killed himself along with 22 others and injured over a thousand people; among the deceased were ten individuals under 20 years old, including an eight-year-old girl.<\/p>\n<p>Following such tragedies, there are predictable responses: shock and horror followed by inquiries and public memorials. This includes placing soft toys as tributes and enhancing surveillance measures while maintaining a collective silence regarding issues like Islamism and immigration. A notable aspect was how attendees at the Manchester vigil ended up singing together in a manner reminiscent of soccer chants.<\/p>\n<p>Oasis hails from Manchester too; their song &#8220;Don&#8217;t Look Back in Anger&#8221; became emblematic during this time. Its introduction borrows from John Lennon\u2019s &#8220;Imagine,&#8221; while its chorus echoes &#8220;All the Young Dudes.&#8221; Although Noel Gallagher acknowledges borrowing elements for this anthem\u2014now seen as one of defiance\u2014he admits he would have put more effort into crafting meaningful lyrics had he known its impact would be so profound. This reflects an honest approach to songwriting but also highlights how society often resorts to superficial pop songs instead of confronting deeper moral dilemmas.<\/p>\n<p>Gallagher perceives \u201cDon\u2019t Look Back in Anger\u201d as a rallying cry against adversity; however, Morrissey interprets it differently\u2014as indicative of resignation rather than resistance. The title itself references John Osborne\u2019s play *Look Back in Anger*, which explores themes of empty gestures and moral capitulation.<\/p>\n<p>In response to these events, Morrissey&#8217;s lyrics express anger towards societal complacency: \u201cAnd the morons sing and sway: \u2018Don\u2019t Look Back in Anger,\u2019\u201d he states on *Bonfire of Teenagers*. He asserts his commitment to remembering with anger until his last day\u2014a stark contrast against those who choose apathy.<\/p>\n<p>The musical composition mirrors this sentiment perfectly compared to Oasis&#8217;s more fragmented style. While many classic songs address murder or political themes directly\u2014like country music ballads or post-9\/11 patriotic tunes\u2014there has been little focus on terrorism since then outside sentimental expressions.<\/p>\n<p>Morrissey&#8217;s work stands apart as it confronts these atrocities head-on without shying away from discomforting truths about violence against innocents like those at Ariana Grande&#8217;s concert\u2014a night they hoped would be perfect but turned tragic instead.<\/p>\n<p>Art should provoke thought even if it makes us uncomfortable; however, many prefer escapism over facing harsh realities. Corporations may prioritize avoiding offense over honoring victims&#8217; memories by silencing critical voices like Morrissey&#8217;s due to fear\u2014whether it&#8217;s offending Islamist extremists or leftist censors remains unclear.<\/p>\n<p>If Morrissey wishes for his music\u2014including challenging pieces\u2014to reach audiences despite potential backlash from both terrorists or censors alike, then everyone deserves access because suppressing such art ultimately stifles creativity itself<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":947,"featured_media":2340586,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Morrissey_pic_1.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[32132,32171,40809,32076],"class_list":["post-2340585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-opinion-piece","tag-political-commentary","tag-sing-out-in-anger","tag-washington-examiner"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/Morrissey_pic_1.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2340585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/947"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2340585"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2340585\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2340586"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2340585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2340585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2340585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}