For some, Memorial Day is an occasion that brings up conflicting emotions. On one hand, it’s a day to honor those who have served this country. On the other, Donald Trump is still president, hacking away at our Democratic norms on a damn near hourly basis.
It’s this conflict that local singer/songwriter Robert J. channels into his newest single, “America (Oh Say Can You See).” Set against a video backdrop of patriotic still images, “America” is an exercise in dissent.
Musically, the song has an easy, Southwestern shuffle that offsets some of its angrier lyrics, like the song’s opening declaration that welcomes the listener to “the new dark ages.” Granted, some of the lyrics can be a bit on the nose, but that’s kind of the point. Robert J. doesn’t have a need for subtlety.
“I came up with the initial idea during the late stages of the [Trump] campaign before the 2016 elections. And then I spent all of last year writing and rewriting,” he says in an email. “Every day there was more and more to write about (I mean, how many words are there that rhyme with tweet?). I wrote well over 16 pages and I found my challenge was what words to choose, and, how to somehow be inspiring and hopeful through all the chaos. Because of what I felt was the importance of the topic, I couldn’t release the song, until I felt it was right.”
The result is a song that not only sounds American, but one that does its best to illustrate what truly is American — a spirit of patriotic dissent. And Robert J., who comes from a long line of military veterans, sees it as his patriotic duty to “stand up now for a more perfect union,” a recurring theme in his lengthy career.
“Both my grandmothers and my great grandparents’ families came to America from Norway and Belgium. My uncle Virgil was a fighter pilot who died in World War II,” says Robert J. “My brother Jim was a decorated Vietnam veteran who died from complications from PTSD. (And) the first record I ever released was a protest song called ‘Molly Be Damned,’ fighting against a large mining company, trying to keep them from tearing down Mount Emmons by Crested Butte, Colorado.
“So with this song, I’ve maybe come full circle,” he adds.
