In celebration of this Earth Day, Droo and I are releasing '2020,' A song that got its start from lyrics written in 1979. In fact, the song was called '1979' when written by my dad, Doug Midgley. I heard it for the first time years after he had passed away and felt so moved by the words and topical relevance that I decided to write a follow-up of sorts. I call it, '2020.'
As I wrote my response, what surprised me most was just how many of the concerns expressed by my dad about the state of the world in 1979 still remain major pain points today. His sentiments are so valid today that I went so far as to incorporate a full verse from his song into mine! Here are the original 1979 lyrics for your enjoyment today and everyday because, hey, EVERY day is Earth Day!
1979
By: Doug Midgley
Everybody's talkin' 'bout
The things that they had
Just ain't the same
Since the money went bad
I got a $20 bill
And it ain't worth a dime
I'd bend down to pick that dollar up
But it ain't worth my time
Some people say we're still the greatest
Power in the world
But what are those people gonna say
When our oil has been burned
I've got a '57 Chevy
Was fuel injected, now it's blown
Spent a lot of cash and six long years
I wish I could have known
That a buck ain't worth a gallon
And there are few things that are worse
My Chevy runs on premium
And there ain't no high test left on Earth
When I was a child
I would sit and wonder where
The gas would go when Dad filled up
I didn't know it turned to air
Seems that burning fuel's like feeding birds
It turns to waste then goes somewhere
Shit hits the ground to decompose
Exhaust lingers in our air
And we breathe it in our lungs so deep
And we laugh like it's not there
Trading our lives for mobility
When we can't afford the fare
The cancer rate has jumped so high
And we blame it on the cans
That robbed us of our ozone
It's no longer in our hands
If the food we eat ain't processed
It's been injected or it's canned
But I still say, "Hostess make the best fruit pies
This side of McDonald's land"