The Movement

Album: The Movement (2012)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Spirituality and politics are common themes for the Pittsburgh band Rusted Root, who released their first album in 1992. Their lead singer Michael Glabicki spent his high school years raising awareness for causes like nuclear disarmament, sometimes infiltrating other schools to spread the word and rally support. After high school, he went on a humanitarian trip to Nicaragua, where he made a connection with the earth energy and became more politically aware. After returning from that trip, he formed Rusted Root and put a lot of these thoughts into his music.

    By 2012, the influence of big corporations was a big news item and something the Occupy Wall Street movement focused on. This song is Glabicki's own take on this movement. He told us: "Since high school and since being in Nicaragua and doing all the political work I've done, I've had that major question in my mind as far as where we're going as a civilization, toward corporations and big business running the world. You saw it in the Third World and you see it in the United States now where it's not good.

    So the song is overall driven by that with some spiritual predictions that I feel about where we're going mixed in there. I guess the best way I could describe it is, some spiritualists believe that the time to meditate is over, and it's only because there are so many people on the earth now and there are all these waves - radio waves and cell phone waves. And back 100 years ago there were people that could go to the hills and meditate and really connect and it would be very easy. But there are only a handful of people on the earth now that can actually do that, because of the bombardment of energy. There are just more people on the earth than ever before. And like I said, all the waves and stuff.

    And so the thing that is really prescribed for people now is devoting all your actions to what is productive and what is love or what you think God is or the universe or whatever you want to call it. I think that's going to turn people away from eventually being part of big money rule, so I told a little story in that song about that."

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired Men

David Bowie Leads the Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Long-Haired MenSong Writing

Bowie's "activist" days of 1964 led to Ziggy Stardust.

Billy Joe Shaver

Billy Joe ShaverSongwriter Interviews

The outlaw country icon talks about the spiritual element of his songwriting and his Bob Dylan mention.

Marvin Gaye

Marvin GayeFact or Fiction

Did Marvin try out with the Detroit Lions? Did he fake crazy to get out of military service? And what about the cross-dressing?

Subversive Songs Used To Sell

Subversive Songs Used To SellSong Writing

Songs about drugs, revolution and greed that have been used in commercials for sneakers, jeans, fast food, cruises and cars.

Song Titles That Inspired Movies

Song Titles That Inspired MoviesSong Writing

Famous songs that lent their titles - and in some cases storylines - to movies.

Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt On How To Create A Music Scene

Sub Pop Founder Bruce Pavitt On How To Create A Music SceneSong Writing

With $50 and a glue stick, Bruce Pavitt created Sub Pop, a fanzine-turned-label that gave the world Nirvana and grunge. He explains how motivated individuals can shift culture.