Zip, Zip, Zip, Zip, Zip

 

Zip It #5 is here, so be of good cheer.  In this series, Prof. LePew and I continue our exhaustive survey of the history of popular music, searching for songs about people puttin' people down.  

It isn't always a putdown to suggest that someone keep shtum. Sometimes the kindest advice is to hold one's tongue.  Honest Abe once said that it is better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak and remove all doubt.  Michelle Shocked wrote, "Silence is golden/ And words are made of lead/ And in the alchemy of love, you know/ Some things are better left unsaid." And she knows a lot about paying the price of silence.

Back to the music: in the zip file for today's Zip It!, you'll find punk rock, country, soul, R&B, a couple of pop idols, and even some of that grrrungy "complaint rock" that was all the rage in the mid-90's.  But only a little!  

The wonderful Dubhed blog was the inspiration for two of the tracks, as Khayem suggested the mashup "Shut Up Let's Hook Up", and Stinky fell in love with The Anchoress' version of "Enjoy The Silence" (which was featured on Dubhed).  "Honey Hush" appears once again (this time by Johnny Burnette's Rock & Roll Trio).  I think I suggested "Don't Start Me Talkin" and the "Shut Up" songs by the Drive-By Truckers, The Coathangers, and Jr. Walker's All-Stars.

In the words of the internet's favorite music blogger, "Gitit! (no pw)" -- and stay tuned for another episode of Zip It!  Or something entirely different.  We're flexible.