magenta321's Full Review: Hair - The American Tribal Love Rock Musical (1968...
As a child my parents tried to explain their generation to me. "You just don't understand Bob Dylan." "You don't know what protests are about." "You don't understand what it is like to fight in a war for your country and return home to have a nation spit on you." It all seemed so corny at the time. They were right. I didn't understand.
As I grew older, the 1960's became a cute way to play dress up. There were all the 1960's dances at school, and even some legitimate fashions I wore were straight from the sixties. (Remember those long flowing skirts and round sun-glasses?) I began to appreciate Hendrix and Joplin. I even began buying records.
It was around this time when I really began to appreciate music. My ears and my mind were open. It was ok to like classical music, operas, and even my parents music. I took singing lessons and listened to musicals. It only made sense that I would check out this musical that my parents referenced -- Hair.
I bought the cd on a whim. I figured I had to check it out. I played the songs I knew -- Aquarius, Let the Sun Shine In, and Hair. To my surprise, I liked them more than I thought I would. I began to listen to the songs. I finally began to appreciate what my parents talked about. All of the 1960's -- the war, dodging the draft, drugs, sex, excess, and a new and hopeful generation were wrapped into this one small and consumable package. I could finally understand what it was they were talking about.
In the six years or so that I have owned this cd, it has always been a favorite. I even busted into song with a friend at the bar one night, as we both sang our favorite verses from the musical.
The songs Aquarius, Good Morning Starshine, Hair and Let the Sunshine In are all very popular and have provided background for commercials in my lifetime. They also happen to be great songs. In the context of the show, they become even more meaningful. Because they were familiar, they were my favorite songs at first.
One of my favorite songs is Colored Spade. This song, as well as Abie Baby are about discrimination. Colored Spade is a bunch of racial epithets strung together, sung by a black man. After saying every negative thing about a black person you can imagine, they hit you with the line "so you say!" The first time I listened to this song, the strong message really hit me hard.
Racism was a big deal in the sixties. A lighter look at this problem comes with the songs White Boys and Black Boys. Black Boys is sung by a trio of white ladies, singing the praises of "black boys."
Black boys are delicious
Chocolate flavored love.
Licorice lips like candy
Keep my cocoa handy.
Of course, the counterpart to this song is White Boys, which is song by a black trio.
White boys are so pretty
Skin as smooth as milk.
White boys are so pretty
Hair like Chinese silk.
The lyrics are cute and comical, but certainly raised eyebrows in their day.
Racism is not the only theme in Hair. The most prevalent theme in Hair is certainly the Vietnam War and the draft. Songs like 3-5-0-0, which discuss the horrors of war. What a Piece of Work is Man invokes the words of Shakespeare to explain human nature and the ills of war. This flows well into How Dare They Try which questions "How dare they try to end this beauty?" This is one of my favorite songs on the entire album because it strikes a chord deep within me.
Another big theme in Hair, besides war and racism, is one regarding drug use and alternate states of reality. The Hare Chrisna song (Juana, juana, mari-jauna, mari-mari, hare-hare), Walking in Space(My body is walking in space... floating, flipping, flying, tripping) and Ain't Got No (Ain't got no grass, ain't got no acid...) all talk about altered states of reality. It seems to be the answer suggested. It is the escape offered from an ugly war, full of hate, war, and racism.
There are other themes, such as politics, finding oneself, love, and lust. This musical seems to me like a snapshot of a time. You can look back at this musical and gain so much understanding of a time (or, if you are my parents age, you can relive old memories).
One of the things which makes Hair so beautiful is the hippie-message it adopts. This is a very ugly world, and everyone has the opportunity to paint their corner of the world a little prettier by touching other people's lives.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.