There's a song on the radio right now that for me is a total "toe-tapper" if you will. Rock & Roll has a great beat and a fun, easy to sing along with melody. After hearing the song a couple of times and wanting to sing more than, ah nah nah nah nah, I listened closely to the lyrics and was surprised. This upbeat song is packaged as a happy, go-lucky pop song, but to me the lyrics speak volumes about our culture and the emptiness so many of us have experienced looking for love and hope in the wrong places.
The American culture has reeled me in to the belief that I should always be on the look out for the next best thing. Live for experiences, for a feeling, for having what is good and fun and comfortable. Use people to get to a place or experience I want. If it doesn't work out, move on. Appearances are everything, don't miss a beat, even for a minute. I'm tempted to be cynical about love, cynical about hope, cynical that anything real and true and good exists in this world, especially when it comes to human beings.
This song reminds me that the only place I can find true love and hope, the only thing that can heal my cynicism, is God. This may sound too simple, or maybe I'm looking too deep here. You read the lyrics and tell me what impression they give you...
Rock & Roll by Eric Hutchinson
He’s been waiting
around for the weekend
Figuring which club to sneak in
Fancy drinks and fifty-dollar cover charge
Lately it’s been a big hassle
Heineken and New Castle
To make sure he’s fitting in and living large
Disregard the lies that he will tell
and what he’s probably like 'cause
It's not hard his charm is gonna
Get him through the night
If he wanna rock he rocks
If he wanna roll he rolls
He can roll with the punches
Long as he feels like he’s in control
If he wanna stay he stays
If he wanna go he goes
He doesn’t care how he gets there
Long as he gets somewhere he knows oh no
ah na na na na na na na na na na na
ah na na na na na na na na na na na
See her heavy make up and cut t-shirt
Every girl out wants to be her
But they look the same already why adjust
Reading the magazine secrets
Forget the topical regrets
'Cause If she comes home all alone the night's a
bust
It’s a must the swivel in her hips
And the look she gives
It’s all her trust
if only in the morning She knew where she lived
'Cause If she wanna rock she rocks
If she wanna roll she rolls
She can roll with the punches
Long as she feels like she’s in control
If she wanna stay she stays
If she wanna go she goes
She doesn’t care how she gets there
Long as she gets somewhere she knows oh no
ah na na na na na na na na na na na
ah na na na na na na na na na na na
And in a wink they’re on the brink
From drink to drink and at the bar
With cash to blow
From shot to shot it’s getting hot
Advance the plot to see how far
It’s gonna go
All depends so ditch the friends
And grab a cab
Another chance for cheap romance
Doesn’t count cause the room is spinning
Nothing to lose tonight they both are winning
And they fall in love as they fall in bed
They
sing
If they wanna rock they rock
If they wanna roll they roll
They can roll with the punches
Long as they feel like they're in control
If they wanna stay they stay
If they wanna go they go
They don’t care how they get there
Long as they get somewhere they know oh no
ah na na na na na na na na na na na...
-Natalie Wilson
