User talk:Wrp103/Cockburn

Difficult to Categorize
Cockburn's music is difficult to fit into a single category. Likewise, it is difficult to identify any single reason for his popularity. Humans is an e-mail list that discusses his work and various aspects of his life. This group has a diverse membership, and can seldom reach a consensus about why people like Cockburn, nor can they agree on which album or song represents his best work.

Some of the aspects of Cockburn's work that fans mention include:


 * Christian themes


 * Since Cockburn became a Christian, many of his songs contain Christian and spiritual references, although many are abstract or oblique references.


 * With the Christian themes of his songs, Cockburn was initially embraced by the Contemporary Christian Music (CCM) industry in the USA, with his albums available for sale in Christian bookstores in that country. But with the USA release of his album World of Wonders, which included the tracks "If I Had A Rocket Launcher", "Nicaragua" (which were on the earlier album Stealing Fire, but not the USA release) and "Call It Democracy", all of which were critical of both USA and multinational economic and political involvement in Central America (compounded by the use of "the 'F' word" in the lyrics of "Call It Democracy"), Cockburn found himself harshly criticized by the same Christian organizations that embraced him, one of which openly called his music an "endorsement of Godless communists".


 * Around the time when the religious right (composed of fundamental christians) was gaining political power in the U.S., Cockburn wrote the song "Gospel of Bondage". When introducing Gospel of Bondage at concerts, he would often make comments like "I'm a Christian, but not one of those," and "Christianity has nothing to do with a strong nuclear defense."  The song contains the lyrics "But God must be on the side of the side that's right / And not the right that justifies itself in terms of might / Least of all a bunch of neo-nazis running hooded through the night / Which may be why He's so consipicuously out of sight / Of the gospel of bondage".


 * It is interesting to note that although Cockburn professes to be a Christian and includes Christian references in his lyrics, there are a number of Buddhists on his e-mail list humans that consider many of his lyrics Buddhist in nature.


 * Political Themes


 * Cockburn frequently addresses political issues in both his songs as well as when introducing such songs during concerts. It is not uncommon for one or more humanitarian charitable organizations with a display in the lobby of a venue on the night of his concert.  In some cases this is with Cockburn's permission, but at other times it is a requirement to the venue.


 * Although Cockburn frequently opposes wars and military actions, he is not really a pacifist, as hinted at in his song "If I Had a Rocket Launcher". He also collects knives and guns and enjoys shooting.


 * This trend has continued up through his most recent release, Life Short Call Now, which contains charged political songs such as "Tell the Universe", "This Is Baghdad" and "Slow Down Fast".


 * Complex and Intellectual Poetry


 * Cockburn's lyrics tend to contain complex ideas, and seldom contains the "fluff" that often appears in pop songs. (How many songs do you know of that contain the phrase "thousand year old petroglyph"?)  College papers, including a PhD dissertation, discuss his lyrics, and college courses have used Cockburn's lyrics for various social situations.


 * Explicit and Suggestive Lyrics


 * Although Cockburn is a Christian, he doesn't shy away from using explicit lyrics, either in songs nor in stage patter or interviews. In addition to expletives, some songs contain lyrics suggestive of the sex act.