Sri Lanka has voted and by later today our nation would know its first citizen who will lead this country for the next five years. The new President will have a major task; he can either start afresh on a clean slate or commit the same sins of his predecessors. As the results keep coming in from all over the provinces and districts, here’s a playlist for everyone to listen to catered particularly for this Presidential Election:
1. Dixie Chicks – Not ready to make nice
A powerful country record by the group who received a major backlash following their dissenting comments regarding former US President George W. Bush’s and his invasion of Iraq. The song is so personal and the evocative lyrics are relevant to the party politics in this country and how the politicians cannot tolerate criticism of any sort. It is their biggest hit to date and won the coveted Record and Song of the Year at the 49th Grammy Awards.
2. Scorpions – Wind of change
Who can forget the flat whistle intro of this rock ballad. Produced at the height of perestroika (restructuring and reforming the Soviet political and economic system) the lyrics celebrate glasnost (openness and transparency) in the Soviet Union. The track became a global hit after the failed coup to oust Soviet Union President and General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev in 1991.
3. Pink – Dear Mr.President
Only Pink would be fearless enough to sing to the US President directly. Accompanied by the Indigo Girls this soft acoustic rock track addresses former US President George W. Bush and his shortcomings and failures in policy. This record’s relevance to Sri Lanka is undeniable as the artist is pleading to the leader of the nation to understand the issues of a normal citizen and try to walk in their shoes.
4. Black Eyed Peas – Where is the love?
BEP’s breakthrough hit is one of the most meaningful productions in the noughties covering issues such as terrorism, government hypocrisy, racism and war. The track was co-written by Justin Timberlake and is the first song to feature Fergie. This record is relevant now more than ever for our country particularly following the Easter Sunday tragedy and the resulting fallout and distrust between communities.
5. John Mayer – Waiting on the world to change
Dealing with his first politically-tinged tune, Mayer addresses the lack of the power of the citizenry to act and that the reason for this is that the present generation is waiting for the world to change. The jazz rock track with a blues and soul vibe won Best Male Pop Vocal Performance at the 49th Grammy Awards. This track is meaningful to Sri Lanka as the new generation of voters can shed the ugly party politics lines and vote for the most suitable candidate.
6. Lily Allen – F**k you
Don’t let the uptempo comical arrangement of this track fool you, Allen is clearly dissing the actions of the former US President, George W. Bush. It was her third international single which was monumentally successful in Europe, particularly due to the catchy nature of the lyrics. Since then she has maintained that the song is universally applicable to all depraved leaders of this world.
7. Captain Ska – Liar liar GE2017
This ska track is a remake of the 2010-original released just before the 2017 UK elections, rewritten as a protest song against UK’s former Prime Minister Theresa May. The previous version was against Prime Minister David Cameron. The song’s success and influence can be evaluated by the fact that it charted without radio airplay, since radio stations were afraid of running afoul election regulations.
8. The Cranberries – Zombie
This rock classic and its memorable guitar riff reverberated throughout all households across the globe in the 90s accompanied by the unique vocals of lead Dolores O’ Riordan. Although written about the 1993 IRA Bombing in Warrington, the song’s sentiments of anti-conflict is clear. This was The Cranberries biggest hit and won Best Song at the 1995 MTV Europe Music Awards.
9. Joni Mitchell – Big yellow taxi
While not overtly a politically relevant song, its connotations of environmental conservation makes it relevant for this year’s Presidential Election. Mitchell’s third solo single speaks about the sad state of the loss of greenery in the place of development. Protection of the environment has been at the top of the promises of all candidates this year and so balancing this social cause with the exercise of their franchise will be at the voter’s discretion.
10. Tracy Chapman – Talkin’ bout a revolution
Chapman’s folk rock successor to her debut hit Fast Car is a political anthem regarding the inequality in society and how the disempowered will rise up to claim their due share. While a staple at political campaigns and rallies in the US, the song’s relevance to Sri Lanka, is that it speaks to the disparity of wealth in our society and is definitely a trump card used by all candidates at this election.
Till the next swan song...
At Ease!!!
