Election '08: Musical Shout-Outs, Part 1: To the Voters

Today I'm kicking off a string of posts leading up to the 2008 election next Tuesday. I got inspired the other night and wrote down a list of songs that had vaguely or sometimes explicitly political readings and decided to make a series of posts that touched on various political issues relevant for this election. They will range in content, but most will be old-school soul jams of some sort. I'm gonna try and be pretty regular about them (at least every other day) and the commentary will be minimal as the songs should speak for themselves. That being said, here's the first one:

Election '08: Musical Shout-Outs, Part 1: To the Voters

Marvin Gaye - You're the Man (parts 1 & 2)
This was the lead-off single for a never-to-be recorded or released album. The single "You're the Man" reached #50 pop and #7 R&B during the Spring of 1972. The album was to be the follow-up to his hugely popular and now classic "What's Goin' On", but when this single didn't perform as well on the pop charts, he changed his strategy and started recording "Let's Get It On."

This is the single version, which surprisingly did not get released on the "Deluxe Edition" of "Let's Get It On" that Motown put out a few years back in place of some demo versions that frankly are not as good, in my humble opinion.

Try to imagine a song coming out today by a mainstream artist at the peak of his powers with even one verse as politically relevant as these lyrics must have been:

Talkin', talkin' to the people
Tryin' to get them to go your way
Tellin' lies, not to worry
That we won't be led astray
So blind, unsignified
Your opponents always lying
Think about the mistakes you make
I believe America's at stake
You know, busin', busin' is the issue
If you have a plan with you
Do you have a plan?
If you've got a master plan
Got to vote for you
Hey hey, got to vote for you
You're the man

We don't wanna hear no more lies
About how you plan to economize
We want our dollar value increased
Employment to rise
The nation's taxation
Is causin' all, all this inflation
Don't give us no peace sign
Turn around and rob the people blind
Economics is the issue
Do you have a plan with you?
'Cause if you've got a master plan
Got to vote for you
You're the man

[8 times, over scat singing:]
Don't you understand?
There's misery in the land

[Fade out . . . Fade in Part 2]

People marching on Washington
Better hear what they have to say
'Cause the tables just might turn against you, brother
Set around Election Day
Politics and hypocrites
Is turning us all into lunatics
Can you take the guns from our sons?
Right all the wrongs this administration has done?
Peace and freedom is the issue
Do you have a plan with you?
'Cause if you've got a plan
If you've got a master plan
Got to vote for you
Hey hey, got to vote for you
'Cause you're the man

[Repeat and fade:]
Got to vote for you

Thank you, Marvin. Remember to vote next week!