Melody Nelson

Living in the Postmodern era is a real pain in the rear, isn't it? Despite my best efforts, most of the cultural knowledge I have acquired over the course of my life has been obtained not through experience but parody. My memory is clouded, not with an appreciation for original material, but an inherent mockery reinforced by a thousand Simpsons episodes and Tarantino movies. It is for this reason that I could categorize this song as trite in one knee-jerk swoop without having ever heard any sincere pieces like it. Fortunately this experience highlights the pitfalls of this manner of experiencing culture quite well. Parody, while capable of conveying material in such a way that it is recognizable, is not necessarily capable of conveying the essence of the material's quality. Nor should it be. Thus, despite possessing what seems to be an understanding of this song's style, I have not been given the opportunity to enjoy it. Now that I have gotten past my initial reaction, more due to my own biases than its actual content, I can.