Protest leaves little room for subtlety, but it’s rare for an artist to make as strong a political statement with the style and sophistication U.S. Girls does on “Mad As Hell”. The disco-powered, anti-war anthem lands multiple solid lyrical punches to the gut: “You took me for an 8-year-ride though you were never by my side / I always wanted to believe / Now this is what I’m questioning”; “The war rolled on and on, I left that land my home / We watched your hair go grey, that stressful manly shade / You wore it well, no one could tell the situation was hell / But lies shone in your eyes”.
Each and everyone of us are in a dysfunctional relationship with our world leaders. The lying, cheating, and deceit start the instance we align and it’s been that way throughout the ages. The notion that leaders and government officials are always working in the best interest of all their citizens should no longer be taken as self-evident. That is an alternative fact if there’s ever been one.
Complacency will be our downfall. The protester’s weapon of choice, the democratic vote, has been proven powerless against the tides of corruption and conceit we’re drowning in. The only thing we’ve got left to fight with is our voice. It’s time to get “Mad As Hell”. Get as loud and abrasive as our orange-haired overlords, but do so in the name of justice, compassion, and civic duty; fight to break free of the hands “…choking off our air supply”.
