'The United States of Selfishness': Rusty Reid's Stirring Musical Call for Societal Reflection and Unity
- Kortnee M.
- Jan 5, 2024
- 9 min read
Supported by Musosoup #SustainableCreator
'The United States of Selfishness,' Rusty Reid's most recent single, is a powerful and unabashed musical commentary that strikes a deep chord in the turbulent socio-political climate of today. With this song, American singer-songwriter Rusty returns to his philosophical-political roots as an indie-folk-pop-country-rock singer-songwriter. It's a moving story that's woven into a thoughtful musical composition.
The song opens with a serene instrumental introduction that sets the tone for Rusty's candid lyrical approach. Dispensing with any pretense, Reid delves directly into the heart of his message, addressing the historical and contemporary political turmoil within the United States. His words, however, extend beyond national boundaries, pointing to the universal nature of societal struggles faced by various nations grappling with authoritarian ideologies and their implications.
In the composition, Rusty boldly refers to conservatism as the "Ideology of Selfishness," highlighting the necessity of cooperation and shared responsibility in the face of global issues. His moving remarks serve as a sobering reminder of how vital it is to confront social selfishness, especially in light of the state of the environment and the polarizing political environments.
Evocative of a bygone era, Rusty's vocal approach has a sincere innocence that is evocative of Plunkett, the singer of the iconic "7th Heaven" TV show theme (a favorite of mine!). This modest voice style creates a feeling of emotional connection and nostalgia while balancing the introspective mood of the song.
Reid's story is expertly supported by the instrumental arrangement, which includes a guitar solo at 3:13 that subtly enhances the emotional range of his voice. Ben E. King's "Stand by Me"-like chord sequence gives the song a well-known yet unique melodic quality.
A crucial moment is defined by a modulation that gives Reid's vocal performance new life and indicates a noticeable improvement and confidence in his delivery after the change. In addition to acting as a melodic turning point, this modulation represents Rusty's development as a person inside the song.
In summary, "The United States of Selfishness" is an inspiring song that also serves as a passionate call to action and an earnest request for societal reflection and world peace. This song is a powerful piece of political art because Rusty Reid isn't afraid to speak out about important subjects through his music. It's a vital reflection on the problems that humanity faces today.
"Rusty Reid's willingness to address pressing issues through his music cements this track as a compelling work of political art, offering a necessary reflection on the challenges humanity faces today."
The Interview
Q: Your single 'The United States of Selfishness' tackles many societal issues. What inspired you to address such themes in your music, particularly within the genres of alt-country, folk rock, and Americana?
Hello Kortnee. Thanks for the discussion. Well, writing about love and sex and getting drunk gets boring after a while. Ha. I'm half-joking. I never wrote a song about getting drunk. Guess I should if I want to crack the Country Music charts. But really, as I have gotten older I think I've picked up some wisdom that I should share... and the best ways for me to do that are through songs and essays.
I care about this old world, and all that is in it. Yet I see the entire planet, and multitudes of living things, in dire peril right about now. I am prompted to spring to their aid. Artists, of all types, have long lent their talents to cultural criticism. I'm following a long tradition there. I feel like I'm a "genre orphan..." none of them want me. That's probably because I'm not very loyal to any of them... most of my material is a clumsy conglomeration of genres, which drives all of them nuts. But it works for me, so there's that. I call it the 1960s Top Forty genre... which sounds like ancient Greek to the kids these days.
Q: Your bio mentions modern liberal philosophical and political content in your songs. Personally, I loved it! How do you balance expressing your beliefs in your music without alienating listeners who may hold different perspectives?
Thanks so much. Most of my songs are not political or particularly philosophic, but a good smattering are, and more and more of my writing is trending in that direction. I'm long past worrying about alienating anyone. I'm bringing not just my truth, but the truth from centuries of minds much greater than mine. I did not plan it that way, but my album "Head to Heart," which I call my "Revolutionary Manifesto in Song," actually manages to offend pretty much everyone.
You may agree with all of it, and then - Wham! - one song hits you upside the head. I've heard repeatedly, "I like your album... except for...." The songs "Passion or Fashion" and "Dark Ages" are among the least liked off that album. For obvious reasons when you listen. If what I am saying in my songs bugs you, well at least I've got your attention.
Q: 'The United States of Selfishness' has elements of pop-country-rock. How do you feel this musical fusion contributes to delivering the message of the song?
I've always believed that a really good song can be arranged in a hundred different ways and still be a fun listen. But yes, pop and folk and country and rock have long been my favorite genres to listen to and absorb. They are my native grounding, so this song is a good example of that amalgamation. Not quite as much for pop, but folk and rock have a long history of social commentary, while country music is always direct and plain-spoken. This song is about America, so it seemed that a folk-country-infused sound that walked a fine line between edgy and sweet would work best, with little shards of pop and rock shimmering here and there.
Q: As a singer-songwriter who has been in various locations like Houston, Los Angeles, and Seattle, how have these different cities influenced your songwriting and musical style?
Ha. I'm not sure they have at all. I've just written what has come to me through my inner and external searchings and probably would have written the same stuff no matter where I was. In retrospect, I find it a bit strange that I never really incorporated the local vibe into my writing.
Houston is a stronghold of blues and blues-based rock and Western swing and real country, not to mention Tejano music, and I brought almost none of that into my songs. L.A. is glitz and glamour and jazz and hardcore rock. Nope. I did love and try to emulate the Laurel Canyon scene, which was long gone by the time I settled there. Up here in the Northwest, the ghost of grunge is still wafting and there are vibrant blues and jazz scenes, again not a part of my music. The one time I tried to write like the locals was in Nashville.
I couldn't do it. It just wasn't me. So that didn't last long. I guess I've just allowed my imagination to run where it wants, regardless of where I am at the time, and the only musical constraint is that it sounds like something someone like me would find interesting. That is to say, I write for an audience of one.
Q: How do you see your music evolving in terms of both sound and lyrical content in the future? Are there specific themes or genres you'd like to explore further?
I love the word "evolving." Isn't evolution just the coolest thing in the universe? It's how the universe works. The universe evolved. The Earth evolved. Life evolves. We evolve. Or not. If we don't, we are missing out on a lot of magic. Some don't even believe in evolution... for themselves or anything else. They are missing out on the most important and beautiful discovery in history, and will never know how magnificently different they might have become. I have evolved personally to the point where my family hardly knows me.
As to music, I do sometimes wonder what I would have come up with if I had achieved a real "career," you know, one that pays the bills so that your "day job" is music. I would have enjoyed following sort of the Paul Simon model in investigating and incorporating all types of music and themes. Since I was a kid I've heard orchestras in my head. I love all kinds of world music. There are songs in my catalog that hint at that potential, such as "Sat Chit Ananda." And more are coming soon. But the reality is that my "career" in music has been in the spaces between just trying to stay alive, and at this juncture is not winding up, it's winding down.
Lyrically, I'll keep addressing important subjects, and sonically keep trying to make each song a little bit different from all the rest. Got that notion from the Beatles... who nevertheless always sounded like the Beatles. I guess I'll keep on sounding like me, and allow evolution to take me where I need to go.
Q: What do you hope listeners take away from 'The United States of Selfishness' after hearing it? Are there specific emotions or actions you aim to evoke through your music?
Well, I would hope that they are aware that this kind of stuff is happening, and are in some way bolstered by this corroboration of their concern. Or perhaps the listener has not yet snapped to the impending danger, and this song helps them better orient to reality. Or, and this is a real long shot, some conservative listens to the song and honestly searches their heart and soul regarding the real virtue of their mindset. Or any of the above or anyone else might ask themselves how they might be under the spell of some kind of selfish belief or behavior. I think alarm, sadness, anger, and hope are all emotions that might properly arise.
The verses paint a dark, but accurate, picture of what is happening to our world, but the bridge searches for a positive, reminding us that we are "better than this," and if all of us right-minded citizens have each others' backs, we will "set the world free." That may be overly hopeful. After what we have witnessed in the U.S. over the past five years, even I - the eternal optimist (believe it or not) - am not nearly as sure about that as I once was. I am fast losing faith in the sanity of apparently around half of the American adult population. Please, kids, take over soon! On behalf of my generation, all I can say is, "I'm sorry." The hippies were right. But too many were too selfish.
Q: Your bio mentions a specific focus on spiritual content in your songs. How do you incorporate these spiritual elements into your music, and how do they intersect with the themes of modern society that you explore in your lyrics?
Spirituality is very important to me. And I think it is probably our only hope for long-term species survival. Technology is not going to unite us. Capitalism is not going to unite us. Politics are not going to unite us. Mathematics is not going to unite us. Heaven knows religion is not. I believe religion is not just not spiritual, it is anti-spiritual, it blocks the true spiritual quest and locks up its believers in a cul-de-sac of false "faith" from which they usually never escape.
Could spirituality unite the human family? It may not be likely, but I think it actually could. The key to spirituality is to know what it really should be, not what most people seem to think it is. The word has been abducted by religion and pseudo-science such as "spiritualism" and tortured far beyond its original meaning as "the breath of life." I've written a few essays about this on my Medium.com platform if anyone is interested in reading more. But the gist is that spirituality is the true pathway toward connection and bonding with something far greater than ourselves, the force that pervades the entire universe and goes directly back to the Source of the All. Some call the Source "God," but that term comes loaded with a lot of man-made baggage, and whatever the Source turns out to be (and science is on the trail), it certainly is not anything remotely like the daddy-tyrant created in man's image depicted in the popular religious texts written by Bronze Age seers who thought the world was flat and the Sun, Moon, and stars circled it.
Spirituality seeks the real, the good, and the true. Its currency is love. So the more you love in the universe, the deeper your spirituality. The ultimate love is for the entire universe and whatever force created it. So universal love is the lodestar. Of course, with such abundant love flowing, all life becomes precious and sacred, as do all things... sea, sky, mountains, rivers, canyons, plains, deserts, everywhere. Because it seeks the truth, real spirituality remains constantly in harmony with science. Science is the only other discipline honestly looking to know and understand the Creation, which is the only true evidence from the creative Source. Science is spiritual to its core. The "word" of the Source is written in nature, not in any man-made book. I do bring these concepts into some of my songs.
The first half of my "Head to Heart" album is all about this kind of spirituality, meaning, and purpose. Hope y'all will get a chance to listen. Maybe some of it will even make sense. In the meantime, practice love!
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