PictureThe grande dame of punk rock, Patti Smith. Photo by Jesse Dittmar
I am a big fan of the Patti Smith Group. I love the band’s music and I love the poetry of her lyrics. The opening lines of the first song on the band’s 1975 debut album Horses — “Jesus died for somebody’s sins, but not mine” — set the stage for a level of defiance and intensity that did not waver across the next four albums or the next four years. After Wave was released in 1979, Patti stepped away from the music business to raise a family. Nine years later she returned with Dream of Life, the first of seven albums (to date) released without the word “group” after her name. The first song on that album is a timeless protest song — written by Patti and her late husband, Fred 'Sonic' Smith — that is equal parts danceable and inspirational. It was performed by an all-star cast at Bruce Springsteen’s 2004 Vote for Change concerts, and artfully incorporated as entrance music by U2 on their Innocence + Experience tour in 2015. Today, I am appropriating Patti Smith’s “People Have the Power” for the Happy Medium Song of the Day because the best I can do right now is continue to be a reliable conduit for good music and meaningful stories in a timely and thoughtful manner — all the while talking less and listening more to educate myself so I can better understand, offer solidarity, and express with equanimity in every possible way, that we stand together and enough is enough. (Please use the comments box below to share your thoughts.)
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People have the power — and people in Washington D.C. have the paint!