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Truth in Folk Songs
Sep. 20th, 2008 10:37 amI'm not very keen on Steve Knightly, even though he's a very talented singer - and here's one reason why. He edits history, in his songs.
I once went to a workshop he was running and he expressed surprise that many people had gone to visit a particular church yard because he'd added a line to a song saying that a particular person was buried there. The song was about a real person, but he'd added stuff to make it sound good at the end.
Why am I such a cumudgeon about accurate details?
Because fictional 'historical' songs detract from those that are true. They may lead us to think that all songs are fake, and some songs carry so much incredible truth that they sound like fiction.
Take the song I've just listened to - 'The Robert Whitworth'. It's a true story and is accurately described in the song. It's a story that could so easily have been invented for a Hollywood movie - it's also a story that's worth reading as it helps remind us of humanity at its best.
( Read more... )
I once went to a workshop he was running and he expressed surprise that many people had gone to visit a particular church yard because he'd added a line to a song saying that a particular person was buried there. The song was about a real person, but he'd added stuff to make it sound good at the end.
Why am I such a cumudgeon about accurate details?
Because fictional 'historical' songs detract from those that are true. They may lead us to think that all songs are fake, and some songs carry so much incredible truth that they sound like fiction.
Take the song I've just listened to - 'The Robert Whitworth'. It's a true story and is accurately described in the song. It's a story that could so easily have been invented for a Hollywood movie - it's also a story that's worth reading as it helps remind us of humanity at its best.
( Read more... )
