The Rise of Hobo Johnson
Hobo Johnson, a rather obscure rapper/musician, covers so many different but equally important topics in his music. Politics, love, social standards, rough childhoods. He makes unknown references that engage a listener. His music is raw and emotional, but also humorous and easy to relate to. This makes Frank (the lead singer and writer) the perfect example how media can effect my view of the world.
Sending political messages through music has been going on for a long time. Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" to the Beatles' "Revolution" or even the Cranberry's "Zombie". Music is used to process life. The more authentically an artist can do that, the more the message comes through. The only reason I give these examples is to show how these messages can vary, but how all music has on thing in common- trying to get a message across.
I believe Frank and his band do that extraordinarily well. Their debut album "The Rise of Hobo Johnson" is honest, and in media today that is rare. That is why Frank's music appeals to people. Analyzing the messages of his slam poetry style of music gives one a feeling of connection and understanding.
The first song by Hobo Johnson and the Lovemakers ("just a couple kids, five I guess, who like to make a little bit of love, like to make a little bit of music..." -Peach Scone Live) that clearly has a social commentary is their opening song, "Sex in the City". This song very bluntly talks about society's standards for looks and touches on women's insecurity in the world today. The song opens with a voice through a phone asking Frank if he can pay in full for a debt that he owes, and him responding "no, I can't". It then launches into observations and questions about life, like "Is it the brain that really matters, or the character that flatters or dependent on your beautiful face?" There's always the question of why someone appeals to you, or why you appeal to someone else, and Frank is calling attention to that. He also crudely expresses "Sex in the city, probably feels really really great, with a girl who's like a ten and a guy that's about an eight". Women often look down on themselves and end up settling for a situation that is below them. So much pressure in put on wealth, and looks in the world we live in. This song calls attention to that and makes fun of the romantification of sex and class.
Later in the album, the song "Dear Labels" says "pay my rent, and I'll sell you my soul, if you would please trade it for a frenchbread roll". Frank at one point was homeless, so he now is bringing light to the fact that not all musicians make a living doing what they do. Extremely talented people, well-known people, can be stuck in poverty. Everything depends on money, and that's a deep-rooted issue of the world today. In this track, Frank is trying to escape the traditional image of what an artist should be. "Now dear labels, can't you see, I'm the one that bleeds tears and sweats every day of the week". The message here is that people who work hard, who put their heart and soul into what they do in efforts to relate with people, to share experiences, should be the ones who get rewarded. Not just in the music industry, but in general.
The song on the album that hit me hardest emotionally was "Romeo and Juliet". It tells the storry of a kid whose parents were toxic together and ended up splitting up, and his fears of turning out the same way. That's at the surface. This is the longest track on the album, and there is so much packed into it that I won't be able to do justice to. It comments on how modern romance has changed, and satirically says "we're just like Romeo and Juliet, but getting drunk and eating percacetes". People use romance and sex to escape from the bad things in the world, and often those relationships become the bad thing. He talks about how everything is temporary. "I push the bangs behind her lovely little ear as she describes in detail how the end is truly near- and I think that we could do this for forever, until we drink the poison cause she sees some cloudy weather." When you're in the middle of something good, you often don't notice when the moment turns bad. It's like putting a frog in a pot of cold water then heating it up, so it doesn't notice when it starts to boil. Frank talks about leaving before it gets bad and at the expense of the experience. It's a heartbreaking track, personal, and beautiful. It teaches lessons about relationships and brings awareness to the obvious fact that most people miss- love can hurt.
The last track that really talks about the rat race, more than the rest of the album, is 3%. Talking about his career, he says "you'll make a dollar an hour at least you'll like your life". He talks about the frustration of the industry. "I make twice that amount working at a job that I hate and every morning when I wake up I get really sad" is a line later in the song that his friend said to him. Frank doesn't care about the money he's making, but in the song it feels as though everyone else does. All the aspiring artists in the US have about a 3% chance of becoming famous, and Frank says "it's a little bit less than what it is in my mind but it's okay, I think I can take it".
And just to reinforce how awesome Hobo Johnson and the Lovemakers are, here are some quotes that stood out to me that I feel also comment on today's society, and I'll leave a link to the album on spotify if anyone would like to listen. There's a lot of swearing, but it's a great way to spend 30 minutes of your time.
"I won't write you a pop song but I'll write you an analytical thesis about your mom and why she's a great woman" -Dear Labels
"And I love the thought of being with you- or maybe it's the thought of not being so alone"
-Peach Scone
"C
ause that's the sound of people falling out of love" -Romeo and Juliet
"It's a 3% chance, that i'm gonna make it" - 3%
https://open.spotify.com/album/3K0GgFkEMJiigqVTPJvqSw?si=NQcuS6fyTN6Rzgn0SqGCdg
Sending political messages through music has been going on for a long time. Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" to the Beatles' "Revolution" or even the Cranberry's "Zombie". Music is used to process life. The more authentically an artist can do that, the more the message comes through. The only reason I give these examples is to show how these messages can vary, but how all music has on thing in common- trying to get a message across.
I believe Frank and his band do that extraordinarily well. Their debut album "The Rise of Hobo Johnson" is honest, and in media today that is rare. That is why Frank's music appeals to people. Analyzing the messages of his slam poetry style of music gives one a feeling of connection and understanding.
The first song by Hobo Johnson and the Lovemakers ("just a couple kids, five I guess, who like to make a little bit of love, like to make a little bit of music..." -Peach Scone Live) that clearly has a social commentary is their opening song, "Sex in the City". This song very bluntly talks about society's standards for looks and touches on women's insecurity in the world today. The song opens with a voice through a phone asking Frank if he can pay in full for a debt that he owes, and him responding "no, I can't". It then launches into observations and questions about life, like "Is it the brain that really matters, or the character that flatters or dependent on your beautiful face?" There's always the question of why someone appeals to you, or why you appeal to someone else, and Frank is calling attention to that. He also crudely expresses "Sex in the city, probably feels really really great, with a girl who's like a ten and a guy that's about an eight". Women often look down on themselves and end up settling for a situation that is below them. So much pressure in put on wealth, and looks in the world we live in. This song calls attention to that and makes fun of the romantification of sex and class.
Later in the album, the song "Dear Labels" says "pay my rent, and I'll sell you my soul, if you would please trade it for a frenchbread roll". Frank at one point was homeless, so he now is bringing light to the fact that not all musicians make a living doing what they do. Extremely talented people, well-known people, can be stuck in poverty. Everything depends on money, and that's a deep-rooted issue of the world today. In this track, Frank is trying to escape the traditional image of what an artist should be. "Now dear labels, can't you see, I'm the one that bleeds tears and sweats every day of the week". The message here is that people who work hard, who put their heart and soul into what they do in efforts to relate with people, to share experiences, should be the ones who get rewarded. Not just in the music industry, but in general.
The song on the album that hit me hardest emotionally was "Romeo and Juliet". It tells the storry of a kid whose parents were toxic together and ended up splitting up, and his fears of turning out the same way. That's at the surface. This is the longest track on the album, and there is so much packed into it that I won't be able to do justice to. It comments on how modern romance has changed, and satirically says "we're just like Romeo and Juliet, but getting drunk and eating percacetes". People use romance and sex to escape from the bad things in the world, and often those relationships become the bad thing. He talks about how everything is temporary. "I push the bangs behind her lovely little ear as she describes in detail how the end is truly near- and I think that we could do this for forever, until we drink the poison cause she sees some cloudy weather." When you're in the middle of something good, you often don't notice when the moment turns bad. It's like putting a frog in a pot of cold water then heating it up, so it doesn't notice when it starts to boil. Frank talks about leaving before it gets bad and at the expense of the experience. It's a heartbreaking track, personal, and beautiful. It teaches lessons about relationships and brings awareness to the obvious fact that most people miss- love can hurt.
The last track that really talks about the rat race, more than the rest of the album, is 3%. Talking about his career, he says "you'll make a dollar an hour at least you'll like your life". He talks about the frustration of the industry. "I make twice that amount working at a job that I hate and every morning when I wake up I get really sad" is a line later in the song that his friend said to him. Frank doesn't care about the money he's making, but in the song it feels as though everyone else does. All the aspiring artists in the US have about a 3% chance of becoming famous, and Frank says "it's a little bit less than what it is in my mind but it's okay, I think I can take it".And just to reinforce how awesome Hobo Johnson and the Lovemakers are, here are some quotes that stood out to me that I feel also comment on today's society, and I'll leave a link to the album on spotify if anyone would like to listen. There's a lot of swearing, but it's a great way to spend 30 minutes of your time.
"I won't write you a pop song but I'll write you an analytical thesis about your mom and why she's a great woman" -Dear Labels
"And I love the thought of being with you- or maybe it's the thought of not being so alone"
-Peach Scone
"C
ause that's the sound of people falling out of love" -Romeo and Juliet
"It's a 3% chance, that i'm gonna make it" - 3%
https://open.spotify.com/album/3K0GgFkEMJiigqVTPJvqSw?si=NQcuS6fyTN6Rzgn0SqGCdg
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