Musings on popular culture, specifically unhappiness with the status quo are a common theme in music, but few artists express their distaste as poignantly as Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes. His ten minute, all-encompassing masterpiece "To Love and To Be Loved" is a great example, showcasing not only his social awareness, but also the passion and excellent songwriting he brings to the table.
Over the course of ten minutes, Mr. Oberst touches on a plethora of varying ideas not limited to: consumerism, education and politics, leaving no uncertainty as to his views on each issue. Conor's passion on these issues echoes the sentiments of a large portion of our country who, during the time of the song (2002), were unhappy, with the Bush administration. Public criticism of Bush became fashionable during this time, with bands such as Green Day catapulting to even greater fame by taking advantage of the current political climate. Conor, however, has never let this passion leave him. Bright Eyes' most recent release, The People's Key (2011), also touches on these topics, though in a different light.
The intro begins with a monologue of an unnamed man speaking about the Bible, Aliens, Reptilians and other such conspiracy theory related things. While Conor Oberst has always had predispositions to talk such as this (in his 2004 release he speaks of revolt and the world "waking up") he never devoted time to it to this degree. Whether the sections of the albums touching on the subject-matter of the Illuminati are farce or ideas he holds, he is bringing the ideas to light in a big way. Talk of the world leaders being of the "reptilian" race has been around for quite a long time, far before Oberst, and there has even been talk of pop icons such as Lady GaGa being a tool of these very same overlords. Whether or not these ideas turn out to be fact or fiction, Conor Oberst brings an interesting angle to the age-old act of criticism government.
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