Summer Listening—Trash Tunes

August 4, 2015

For something light during the hot summer, thought I’d share some “trash tunes.” The Guardian recently posted a music blog presenting several “trash songs,” along with references to cartoons where trash played a lead role. These included Top Cat and the Simpson’s Trash of the Titans.

Having just heard the Punch Brothers at a music festival, I'd thought I start with their “Next to the Trash” a strange sort of love story from these masters of Blue Grass.

Of course who doesn’t like Sesame Street’s Oscar singing “I Love Trash?”

There’s the British pop group Suede song “Trash.” I’ll leave the interpretation of this one up to you:

“But we're trash, you and me,
We're the litter on the breeze,
We're the lovers on the streets,
Just trash, me and you,
It's in everything we do,
It's in everything we do...”

Another favorite—Space Junk—by Devo.

For a trash tune with a political statement, there’s Neil Young’s Piece of Crap.

And, of course, in my humble opinion, the best trash tune, Arlo Guthrie’s Alice’s Restaurant Massacree.  Based on a true event from his life which occurred around Thanksgiving Day in 1965, Arlo is embarking on a 50-year anniversary tour of Alice’s Restaurant. (Note: I of course do not support illegal dumping….it’s just such a great story.)

Happy listening music lovers!

By Athena Lee Bradley