Freedom’s just another word for nothin’ left to lose
Nothin’, it ain’t nothin’ honey, if it ain’t free…
Welcome to another edition of #WowMeWednesday.
This very Wednesday, July 14th, finds us celebrating Bastille Day and the concept of Freedom, here (in the Philly “burb” of South Jersey) and over the other side of the world in Europe.
Editor’s note: Bastille Day marks the storming of the Bastille prison in eastern Paris on July 14, 1789, commemorated as the birth of the French Revolution.
While “crate-digging” on YouTube last week Mr Pete (AKA me) tumbled across a powerful, historical tune that just so happened to be written in his birth year.
Get on board! FREEDOM TRAIN LEAVING ON TRACK 1961 and 1962…
My thoughts, besides “Whoa!” and “Wow!” were as follows:
The sonics of the driving train embodied the urgent mission of the “Freedom Riders.” The wailing sax reflected on the terror and madness those Riders suffered. The vocal inflections are symbolic of the simple demands for justice.
BTW: The late statesman John Lewis was one of the original 13 Freedom Riders
I was very moved (and motivated) to post something.
Up early Bastille Day [Lily rules my life so sleeping beyond 6a was not an option], I perused my normal Internet feeds where the celebration of Bastille Day was trending.
Ah! Flash to a famous scene from the movie Casablanca :
At Rick’s, the Nazi military leaders commandeered Sam’s piano and were singing a traditional song of their Fatherland. Upon hearing this, Victor Lazo, representing the resistance, approached the house band and urged them play “La Marseillaise,” the French national anthem. Cutaway to a righteous nod from Rick the proprietor, and then the band jumped into action. Before long, the entire cafe joined in with their singing overpowering / drowning out the Nazis.
Editor’s note: The song, “La Marseillaise,” is the French national anthem, written during the era of the French Revolution about fighting for freedom from political repression. In Casablanca, it represented a free France, and, by extension, the Allied side in World War II.
By itself, that powerful scene was stunning. But I recalled something from my college film class that’s even more “wow-ful.” During the filming, the set was an emotionally charged one due to the fact that many of the extras were actual refugees from Europe who escaped from the Nazi.
For some those cries of joy and celebration at the end of the scene were REAL, not Acting.
Segue to 2021 (like 75 years later)…
The Coronavirus situation in France has been a challenging one. Their passionate citizens have not completely [adapted to] the norm of their new social restrictions. In fact, vaccinations rates remain some of the lowest in Europe.
The French Government, recognizing their citizens needed to express their individual “Freedoms” along with the necessity to encourage citizens to willingly join in the battle to fight Covid-19, created an ad campaign that took off on the Internet.
Editor’s note: Mr Pete first saw reference to this campaign several weeks ago, but couldn’t find the video. Just today, it fell into his lap.
Using the Pharrell Williams – Freedom, it includes quick cut of shots of citizens receiving their shots and the regaining/expressing of their freedoms. The ad ending, roaring with the music peaking and shouts of “FREEDOM”, closes with a young lady joining her friends at a soccer match in a crowded area. Everyone celebrating their Freedom.
Mr Pete Ponders…
Will this campaign have the impact the French government intended?
Time will tell, right? What’s “wowful” here is that the “freedom with vax” message is resonating worldwide, so hopefully the reluctant will join in and drown out the COVID virus by doing their part and getting vaccinated.
I enjoyed the short one minute ad very much and found it very emotionally satisfying…
The Mr Pharrell Williams Freedom video is pretty darn powerful too.
Hope you enjoyed my /our ponderable-packed #WowMeWednesday post! Thanks for your time and The Gang as well as Mr Pete encourage you to share.
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About Mr Pete
A music aficionado, Mr. Pete’s mind and ears have no horizons. He has the uncanny ability to suss out the right song for the right time — a skill that is truly amazing. The Gang here at Jedemi enjoys his contributions.
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