Song of the Day 7/15: The Strawbs, “Part of the Union”
Nearly all of Hollywood — oh, OK, just the actors and writers — is on strike, an ominous situation. Remember when the writers walked out in 1988? That brought on the flood of reality TV programming that led to the Kardashians. With both the writers and actors gone, producers might turn to robots and AI scripts, which would again lead to the Kardashians.
The unions have shown lots of solidarity so far, with a lot of A-list actors pledging their support. There’s a danger that the public will see this as a fight between millionaires and billionaires, but the studios’ strategy was clear even before a nameless executive was quoted saying they wouldn’t negotiate until writers began “losing their homes.” Only Republicans would side with that.
The Strawbs had their greatest commercial success, No. 2 on the UK charts, with this single from 1973’s “Bursting at the Seams.” Its singalong chorus made it a quick hit with the British labor movement.
I love this song! I’ve played it on the radio frequently. It always fits in to a set of labor songs.
A few years ago, I was in an amusement arcade (don’t ask!) in Scotland. This song came on the PA system – I think that it was actually a radio broadcast. Anyway, I shouted “Out, brothers, out!” at the appropriate time, and got some horrified looks from some elderly folks!