My Top 1000 Songs #871: The President

[I've been writing up my Top 1000 songs on a daily basis--you can see them all in descending order by hitting the All My Favorite Songs tag.]

Following up on the (IMHO) career peak of 1985's Fegmania, Robyn Hitchcock (and The Egyptians) stretched out a bit on 1986's Element of Light. The college radio jangle pop and Hitchcock's absurdist sensibility remains, but he also shows a more serious side. "The President" in particular is something of an anomaly in his discography, a rare dive into real world politics--one of two songs at the time (alongside The Ramones' "Bonzo Goes To Bitburg") inspired by Ronald Reagan's decision to visit a Nazi cemetery while in Germany.

Bolstering the darker lyrical content is a more muscular musical backing, the jangle replaced by thunderous power chords and high-in-the-mix bass, apparently a live recording rather than a studio creation. But for all the heaviness, Hitchcock's consistent tunefulness dominates, a melodic chorus that's been wedged in my brain for decades. "When I hear the word security, I reach for my shotgun"--not Robyn's typical fare, but one of the most memorable songs in a vast, often great catalog.

In 2020, Hitchcock recorded an updated version specifically tailored for the Trump era, this time in acoustic Dylan mode. It's a pointed, almost shocking on-the-nose protest song... and I can't believe we're living in this shit again. God help us. "He's radiating hatred from each presidential pore." Indeed.


Comments