Songs can teach you things! Who knew? Our artists knew, obviously. And we’ve learned a few cautionary tales in addition to our picks this week. Like… don’t drink and gamble. Don’t be a bad dad! Guns? Not our favorite. But if you’re gonna have them, don’t take them to town! And because the video is so good, please scroll to the bottom to learn what happens if you’re a jerk husband like Earl.
To kick things off, Christina chose “Children’s Story” from the 1989 album, “The Great Adventures of Slick Rick.” This is indeed a serious lesson about not taking the easy route to success… it could cost you your life. British American rapper Slick Rick delivers this message in the form of a bedtime story and even though the video is a slapstick homage to the Keystone Cops, our narrator reminds us not to (dare) laugh.
Christine’s pick is indeed a cautionary tale against… well, what was it against, Bob? Making his Stereothematica song selection debut (but not his first mention on the show, of course!), Bob Dylan’s “The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest” serves up the tale of two friends, Frankie Lee and Judas Priest (yes, the inspiration for the band name) who could represent… the temptations of fame or record labels? Greed? Self-destruction? We welcome your interpretations of the song! It’s puzzling, and even our buddy Bob said (or, might have said), “the moral of the story is: You’re not supposed to understand it.” Fair enough, Bob. But we know we should never be where we don’t belong.
Thanks, as always, for listening to Stereothematica. We’d love to know your picks for cautionary tales, so please share them on the Stereothematica Instagram! And we’ll be taking a few weeks off for our summer break, so please listen to our re-releases or reunite with us on September 2!
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