People started caring about what they eat
And people started smiling at everyone they meet
And people started looking for good instead of bad
Realize what they could lose in what they always had
People started growing, instead of being crushed
And people started slowing down instead of being rushed
And people started looking with very different eyes
And all this information now comes as a surprise
Good morning, here's the news, and all of it is good
Good evening, here's the news, and all of it is good
And the weather's good!
People started calling those in power to account
And people started saying, "I want my voice to count!"
And people started learning that they don't need to fight
And they control their future and try to make it right
And people started feeling that better's on the way
And people started feeling some peace and calm today
And people started liking the way the good life feels
And every precious moment becoming what is real
Good morning, here's the news, and all of it is good
Good evening, here's the news, and all of it is good
And the weather's good!
~ Mick Jones & Tony James (Carbon/Silicon)
If you listened to the song linked above, let me guess . . . you were tapping your fingernails on the table or your feet on the floor. Am I right? Quite catchy, yes? Already a decade old, "The News" was the hit song on Carbon/Silicon's The Last Post. Carbon/Silicon is Mick Jones (of The Clash) and Tony James. Their name comes from their chemistry: carbon, the human element, comes from the soul of Mick Jones, and silicon, the computer element, comes from Tony James' computers. Ah, the science of rock and roll!
I am a news junkie. No, I do not have CNN on all day long, nor do I listen to NPR in my car. Two online newspapers every morning (The Star Ledger and The Palm Beach Post), several legitimate journalists in my Facebook newsfeed (Dan Rather, Bill Moyers), and evenings spent with Chris, Rachel and Lawrence on MSNBC. Is it too much? I ask myself that question often. But since I started waking up every morning with "What did he do (or tweet or mispronounce or evade or insult or lie about or fuck up) today?" in my head, I am unable to divorce myself from my news sources. This obsession with the news is wearing me down. And who is responsible for the resulting ennui or malaise or plain old feeling like crap? I'm pretty sure you know.
Don't even get me started on "fake news."
So what if the news was all good? I have to admit that I would likely stop paying attention. I am not proud to admit that. Am I only attracted to bad news? Or is it just that without bad news, I would seek out my own good news instead of relying on that of others? Pessimistically, I don't see much good news in the near future, so I may never have the answer to that.
Mick Jones said this about the song: "It was a fantasy, a dream, a crackpot theory. I wish it could be true. I believe so much that we're facing a barrage of negativity, continually, on all levels. We got to speak up, but I don't want our music to bum anybody out. I want to do music that's joyous and lifts your spirits in some way."
Listen again and let your fingers and toes tap away. Repeat as needed. Feel your spirits lifting? You're welcome!
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