Stop, Hey, What's That Sound

Reading John J. Miller's National Review list of the "50 Best Conservative Songs" reminds me of all those hard-line law and order types (including, apparently, the producers of the show Cops) who thought the reggae song Bad Boys was pro-police.

To wit:

Won’t Get Fooled Again, by The Who. "The conservative movement is full of disillusioned revolutionaries; this could be their theme song, an oath that swears off naïve idealism once and for all." God knows there’s none of that "naive idealism" stuff in the conservative movement…

Janie’s Got a Gun, by Aerosmith. "How the right to bear arms can protect women from sexual predators…" Huh?

My City Was Gone, by The Pretenders. "Virtually every conservative knows the bass line, which supplies the theme music for Limbaugh’s radio show. But the lyrics also display a Jane Jacobs sensibility against central planning…" Oh for Chrissake, this is one of the most anticapitalist songs ever written!

Keep Your Hands to Yourself, by The Georgia Satellites. "An outstanding vocal performance, with lyrics that affirm old-time sexual mores…" Is this guy actually listening to the songs he’s citing?

Well, it's all pretty silly, but then again it's no sillier than some of the stretches Dave Marsh has made to advance his agenda. Unless you really do believe that Madonna's Holiday was intended as a sardonic commentary on the capitalistic excesses of the Reagan era...