The Specials, "Nelson Mandela"

Jerry Dammers wrote "Nelson Mandela" in hopes of getting people interested in the imprisoned anti-apartheid leader. But it was actually Nelson Mandela who got me interested in The Specials.



I didn't know much about ska that predated The Mighty Mighty Bosstones when I read Nick Hornby's music nerd novel High Fidelity. The protagonist mentioned getting an excellent response to playing "Nelson Mandela" at a party, and being interested in both Nelson Mandela--my cool older cousin had insisted that I read Long Walk to Freedom--and in ways that music could get people to like me more, I checked out The Specials' The Singles Collection at my favorite used record store. I heard the song that Sublime had stolen without credit ("A Message to You, Rudy,") the one that Bob Dylan wrote ("Maggie's Farm") and the one that occasionally appeared in crime movies ("Ghost Town.") It all came into place for me.

Even with its cheerful horns and skanking bounce, plus Americans' history of misinterpreting protest songs ("Fortunate Son," "Born in the U.S.A.," "Rockin' in the Free World,") it's hard to imagine anyone missing the message in that three word chorus. Rather than preach to the activists who were already counting on The Clash to alert them to their next cause, The Specials found the kids on the dance floor and got them to sing about Nelson Mandela. Who knows how many of them did anything about it, but I like how The Specials made activism look cool and sound fun. I'd hate to think of how many people are hesitant to get active for fear of working on a team of Jello Biafras.

A few decades after Mandela's release, The Specials sound a little dated. No one will play this song to at a rally to free anyone other than Nelson Mandela, and with ska now in its nth wave and a generation of Ras Trents inhabiting it, I'm rarely inspired to revisit The Singles Collection. But when I do, it sounds more politically blunt than anything by Bob Marley or Bruce Springsteen.

Stiff Little Fingers, "Johnny Was"

I am not a Bob Marley fan. I've heard all of his albums, sometimes on repeat in various workplaces and dorms, seen the Kevin MacDonald documentary, toured his digs in Jamaica and even held down a writing gig writing for Bob's official web site, but to these ears his music is pleasant at best and grating at worst. It's not even the fans or the overplaying that bothers me. It's just that for a supposed revolutionary, the songs are about as incendiary as Hootie & the Blowfish.

Smart people who like Bob Marley tell me that it's subversive, politically charged music that has been appropriated by the frat boy, trustifarian and beach bum crowds. I believe that, but it's hard for me to get fired up about a revolution with lyrics like "Let's get together and feel alright" or a melody that was blatantly stolen from the Banana Splits theme. If Bob Dylan or Mick Jagger had written "Redemption Song," people would cringe.

That being said, I love hearing what Stiff Little Fingers found in "Johnny Was," a deep cut from Marley's Rastaman Vibration. The militaristic drum intro preceded "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by four years, and Jake Burns brings out the manic urgency in the riffs and lyrics, wasted in the lazy keyboards and stoned delivery of the original. I'd also wager that it's the first-ever eight-minute punk song. Not that it feels long--in the Fingers' hands, it's a protest punk bridge from the MC5 to "Killing in the Name."

Beasties for Kindergarten

Not enough classroom teachers play music for their students. When they do, it's nearly always the Beatles, Michael Jackson or sometimes Bob Marley. Maybe One Direction these days, if we're counting fake music. Why is it never the Beastie Boys?



Christine used to teach elementary schoolers with me, and currently runs a kindergarten class that addresses her with a prefix. During our time teaching together, she was always patient with my need to drop a few verses of "Sure Shot" or "So What'cha Want" into the lesson plans, so I'm thanking her and acknowledging her birthday in one swoop.

Beasties for Kindergarten

1. "Fight For Your Right to Party"
2. "No Sleep Till Brooklyn"
3. "Paul Revere"
4. "Brass Monkey"
5. "Shake Your Rump"
6. "Hey Ladies"
7. "Shadrach"
8. "Pass the Mic"
9. "So What'cha Want"
10. "Sure Shot"
11. "Root Down"
12. "Sabotage"
13. "Intergalactic"
14. "Body Movin'"
15. "3 MC's & 1 DJ"

Children deserve better than to have Kidz Bop or Glee inflicted on them.

I can almost understand some authority figures never getting over their initial, Licensed to Ill-era taste of the Beasties, but in 2012 it's hard to hear them as the menaces that they used to play on TV. Even the most tasteless lyrics and heaviest loops sound playful. Of course, not all of it is for children. No kindergartener has the attention span for Ill Communication or the maturity for To the 5 Boroughs, hence a simple mix tape of hits instead of a more thorough sample from one of the most impeccable discographies in music history. But can anyone with a pulse resist the beat and rhymes of songs like "Hey Ladies," "Intergalactic" or "Brass Monkey?" Maybe the kids could have a dance off to "Shake Your Rump" or "Body Movin'," or a party to--never mind.

Happy birthday, Christine.