Saturday, September 29, 2007

Lost in America

Edwin McCain's most recent CD is amazing. It's been out for well over a year now, but it has a fresh sound each time I listen to it. It's characteristic of his folk/blues/rock mix on previous albums. He certainly has a unique voice, but I think I have been most drawn to his craft of songwriting on this CD. The title track is a catchy song that has a very pointed, even biting message in the lyrics.

The chorus goes like this: Yes, we're lost in America/And this land we're so proud of/We got the cars, the girls, the money, the drugs/ To get you out of your rut/Yes, we're lost in America.

I think he captures one of the ironies of being an American. We have everything that a person could possibly need or want in this world, but we are still lost in America. When you look around the rest of the world compared to the USA we have so many privileges, wealth, and commodities, but are all those things making our lives better and giving us a meaning and purpose for living. The common notion is that all the things he mentions: the cars, the girls, the money, the drugs are the things that fill our lives with purpose...Do they really? In spite of all those things that is American culture we are still lost, searching for something more, something that will truly meet us where we are and get us out of our rut.

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