Rembert Browne wrote an article on Grantland that I found pretty interesting. The article, The Road to 'Accidental Racist' Is Paved With LL Cool J and Brad Paisley's Good Intentions, makes the case that a schlocky "Ebony and Ivory" take on race relations with the added horror of looking back at the past not only doesn't help solve anything, it actually makes things worse. Because... Well, it's schlocky.
While I never felt that a song could solve any problems in and of itself, and this song might be difficult to defend, I will say that almost all love songs are trite and schlocky and a good chunk of them make me want to cock punch love for being so wimpy. But then I realize that I am in love with an amazing woman, and no song can impugn what I feel for her, let alone set back the "love" movement by any appreciable amount of time (if it did, Air Supply alone would have us in the 17th century).
I guess I don't see how a song that tries, however ham-fistedly, to unite two disparate artists/cultures/generational ideals, is such a bad thing towards achieving some kind of ideal.
I do expect many members here to agree with the sentiment of the article, however, not only because of the cynicism that runs rampant here at times, but because it is truly a horrific and cringe-worthy tune. I just don't get why anyone would expect more from any song, even a good one.
five years pass...
two years pass...