And speaking of guilty pleasures…
Writing by treason on Tuesday, 23 of May , 2006 at 4:58 pm
A few years ago, National Review published a list of “The 100 Best Conservative Movies.” This week, if you take a moment to go to NR online (oooh — handy link provided on The V.O.T.!), you’ll discover that they’re counting down, one song and one day at a time, the top five “Conservative Rock ‘n’ Roll Songs.” No, really. I’ve got proof:
“Last year, I asked readers of National Review Online to nominate conservative rock songs. Hundreds of suggestions poured in. I’ve sifted through them all, downloaded scores of mp3s, and puzzled over a lot of lyrics. What follows is a list of the 50 greatest conservative rock songs of all time, as determined by me and a few others. The result is of course arbitrary, though we did apply a handful of criteria.
What makes a great conservative rock song? The lyrics must convey a conservative idea or sentiment, such as skepticism of government or support for traditional values. And, to be sure, it must be a great rock song. We’re biased in favor of songs that are already popular, but have tossed in a few little-known gems. In several cases, the musicians are outspoken liberals. Others are notorious libertines. For the purposes of this list, however, we don’t hold any of this against them. Finally, it would have been easy to include half a dozen songs by both the Kinks and Rush, but we’ve made an effort to cast a wide net. Who ever said diversity isn’t a conservative principle?”
—John J. Miller
“EDITOR’S NOTE: This week on NRO, we’re rolling out the first five and then all 50 songs from a list John J. Miller compiled that appears in the June 5 issue of National Review. To get the whole list NOW, check out the latest issue of National Review. For itunes links to all 50 songs, hang on until Friday, when we’ll unveil the whole list.”
I’m intrigued and, as busy as I’ve been this week, I’ve taken a few minutes each day to check in and see the picks. Ah, marketing. So, instead of spilling the beans here, take a moment to check out the titles yourself. Look for Michael Long’s name. He’ll be providing the lyrics and the reasons why the song appears on the list. A hoot.
Five, four - no complaints from me, so far - and I can’t wait to see three, two, and one. “Taking the oxymoron out of hip conservative,” indeed!
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