Boomer Anthems: Refugee @ AMERICAN DIGEST

November 1, 2014

Boomer Anthems: Refugee

Admit it. You know most of the words. Especially the refrain.

Posted by gerardvanderleun at November 1, 2014 2:41 PM

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Uh, no I don't know most of the words. Even though I've heard it a million times, though not for the past 10 years at least. Yeah I know, I need to get out more, but I don't. Petty was more or less a flash in the pan and hung around way too long.

Posted by: ghostsniper at November 1, 2014 3:04 PM

Where's my "like" button?

Posted by: m00se at November 1, 2014 3:32 PM

It's a staple of "classic rock" a.k.a. oldies radio stations across the land. What always struck me was how performers like Petty, John Cougar Melonhead, The Pretenders and Springsteen were heralded as incredile icons who had completely changed music, when actually I consider them moderately talented and had they not been flogged continuolsly on FM stations back in the cocainola days of record company promotion departments, I wonder how big any of them would have become.

Posted by: Groman at November 1, 2014 3:38 PM

Nope.

Never could understand most of the words to begin with, although I remember the tune.

Posted by: Flyover Pilgrim at November 1, 2014 7:22 PM

Didn't he win the Bob Dylan contest, or something?

Posted by: Rob De Witt at November 1, 2014 9:53 PM

Always liked Petty. That song and many others.

Posted by: pbird at November 1, 2014 10:35 PM

Gerard, don't tell me this guy is one of your faves.

Over-produced, follows a formula. Talented musicians with about a half ounce of soul.
Target market: teenage girls and boy wannabe rockers. We called this stuff "bubble gum music."

I made my bones playing R&B, soul, from Otis to Sam & Dave to Ike and Tina to Pickett to Junior Walker to ... so forth, you get the idea. The Isley Brothers, Aretha, sigh, on and on.

On Sundays I'd listen to Chester Burnett and them good ol' boys.

Here's an early one with Jimi Hendrix playing guitar in the back line next to the drummer before he played with the Isleys:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2wBPix-nmg

Posted by: chasmatic at November 1, 2014 10:50 PM

Liked the rest of those guys too.

Posted by: pbird at November 2, 2014 7:46 AM

Never heard it. I'm a BINO.

Posted by: chuck at November 2, 2014 10:47 AM

This tune lasts about the right amount of time to be looking at that pic of Sophia Loren...

Posted by: Smokey at November 2, 2014 7:03 PM

Thanks Chuck, good word, I'm a BINO too.

Heard this Petty trash years ago, and on and off again over various muzak speakers at Home Depot et al.

Despised it then, despise it now. I don't know the words and it has no melody. The whining tenors of the rock era were vile and Petty's nasal tenor is one of the worst.

No talent, no skill.

Whenever I have a chance I complain to stores about this crappy muzak and to businesses for the quality of their telephone hold muzak and its very existence.

Posted by: Fred Z at November 3, 2014 6:11 AM

Gainesville Green. Not one of my favorite Petty numbers. Don't listen to much of this kind of stuff anymore. Another Obama drone.

Posted by: Will at November 3, 2014 11:34 AM

If the Obamination has taught us anything, it's that you *can* live like a refugee.

Posted by: SteveS at November 4, 2014 12:55 PM

I thought I would find I was in a small minority in knowing the tune, but never (even now) knowing the lyrics (my artillery ears still get "don't have to live like a refugee", but without context it makes no sense). I'm pleased to find I was mistaken.

As for this being an "oldie", if it wasn't being played when AM ruled the airwaves, it ain't an "oldie".

Posted by: Ed in North Texas at November 6, 2014 7:23 AM