Songs about mixing
JC
Entertainment Weekly took a look at some rarely heard Steely Dan tracks and I caught glimpse of this one:
”Haitian Divorce” (The Royal Scam, 1976)
Musical comedy at its finest: A fresh young divorcée has some celebratory sex in foreign climes and winds up with a mixed-race baby to show for it. Well, it’s funnier than it sounds. And they don’t make talk-box guitar solos like this anymore.
And it made me think, there must be a few more ridiculous songs out there that deal with mixed race identity or interracial couples. Like the infamous “Half-Breed” by Cher. Indulge me…I need to post the lyrics because they are just oh so tragic:
“Half Breed” (1973)
My father married a pure Cherokee
My mother’s people were ashamed of me
The indians said I was white by law
The White Man always called me “Indian Squaw”Half-breed, that’s all I ever heard
Half-breed, how I learned to hate the word
Half-breed, she’s no good they warned
Both sides were against me since the day I was born[CHORUS:]
Half-breed, that’s all I ever heard
Half-breed, how I learned to hate the word
Half-breed, she’s no good they warned
Both sides were against me since the day I was bornWe never settled, went from town to town
When you’re not welcome you don’t hang around
The other children always laughed at me “Give her a feather, she’s a Cherokee”
[Repeat Chorus]We weren’t accepted and I felt ashamed
Nineteen I left them, tell me who’s to blame
My life since then has been from man to man
But I can’t run away from what I am[Repeat chorus]
Granted, both of these songs are from the 70s…and I can’t really be mad at Cher, I mean, she probably helped to put us “half-breeds” on the map. 
Then fast forward to present day…did anyone catch Long Way to Go on Gwen Stefani’s album, Love, Angel, Music, Baby? This is my favorite part:
Beauty is beauty, whether it’s black or white
Yellow or green baby, you know what I mean
What if Picasso only used on color?
There shouldn’t be a rule how to choose your lover
Priceless lyrics. OK, I’m being nasty. It definitely has a somewhat positive message — that we have a way to go, but that we shouldn’t judge by color of skin.
Any other songs out there that anyone can think of?
daddy in a strange land wrote:
There’s “SocioGenetic Experiment” by biracial peace activist/Spearhead frontman Michael Franti’s old group Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy.
(And I don’t know if anyone’s already written about it in the copious comments on “Black. White.” here, but I swear I hear something about a “zebra” as the music fades out under the main titles of the show, as they’re using a snippet of Ice Cube’s “Race Card” as the show’s theme song.)
And my favorite line of all time, from Bob Marley’s “Buffalo Soldier”:
“If you know your history, then you would know where you’re coming from/
Then you wouldn’t have to ask me who the hell do I think I am.”
In the context of knowing Marley was biracial, I’ve always regarded that line as a personal motto of sorts.
Posted 18 Mar 2006 at 9:58 am ¶
daddy in a strange land wrote:
Just checked out the singers’ section on MixedFolks.com, there are lyrics to “SocioGenetic Experiment” under Michael Franti’s entry. Also found an entry for Amanda Marshall (! had no idea) and lyrics for her song “Shades of Grey” (autobiographical, about her parents) there.
Posted 18 Mar 2006 at 11:38 am ¶
Annette Pratt wrote:
There’s the song Embarrassment from the British group Madness.
Madness’ Embarrassment
Received a letter just the other day
don’t seem they wanna know you no more
they’ve laid it down given you their score
within the first two lines it bluntly read
You’re not to come see us no more
keep away from our door
don’t come round here no more
what on earth did you do that for?
Our Aunt she don’t wanna know she says
what will the neighbours think they’ll think
we don’t that’s what they’ll think we don’t
but I will ‘cos I know they think I don’t
Our uncle he don’t wanna know
he says we are a disgrace to the human race
he says how can you show your face
when you’re a disgrace to the human race
They’ve made a commitment you’re an embarrassment
yes an embarrassment a living endorsement
the intention that you have booked
was an intention that was overlooked
They say stay away
don’t want you home today
keep away from our door
don’t come around here no more
Our Dad he don’t wanna know he says
this is a serious matter
too late to reconsider
no one’s gonna wanna know ya
Our Mum she don’t wanna know she says
I’m feeling twice as old she says
thought she had her head on her shoulders
‘cos I’m feeling twice as older
I’m feeling twice as older
You’re an embarrassment
Here’s the link to the recent BBC article about the song.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/4465666.stm
Posted 18 Mar 2006 at 3:59 pm ¶
mtevc wrote:
tha half caste reference in the article is pretty awful…just about as bad as the folks who use “mulatto” on the mulatto.org site…geez…find a new term, and not one with such negative connotations
Posted 19 Mar 2006 at 3:43 pm ¶
Marsha wrote:
I’ve always hated this song off of Live’s first album just because it seems to drag out all the tired cliches and seems to simplify race relations:
“The Beauty Of Gray”
If I told you he was your brother
We could reminisce
Then you would go about your day
If I said you ought to give him some of your water
You’d shake your canteen and walk away
The perception that divides you from him
Is a lie
For some reason you never asked why
This is not a black and white world
You can’t afford to believe in your side
This is not a black and white world
To be alive
I say that the colours must swirl
And I believe
That maybe today
We will all get to appreciate
The Beauty of Grey
If I told you she was your mother
We could analyze the situation and be gone
If I said you ought to give her
Some of your water
Your eyes would light up like the dawn
The perception that divides you from her
Is a lie
For some reason we never asked why
This is not a black and white world
You can’t afford to believe in your side
This is not a black and white world
To be alive
I say the colors must swirl
And I believe
That maybe today
We will all get to appreciate
The beauty of gray
Look into your eyes
No daylight
New day now
Posted 20 Mar 2006 at 3:49 pm ¶
CD wrote:
Cher is of Native backround
Posted 21 Mar 2006 at 6:48 pm ¶
Marsha wrote:
It is true that Cher is of a Native American background. Her mom is 1/8th Cherokee. However, Cher’s mom looks as white and blonde as any other blond and white person. From what I saw of Cher’s mom on VH-1’s “Behind the Music”, she did not look like she was tuned in at all to her Native American heritage. (But, heck, I could be wrong!)
Cher gets her darker features from her Armenian dad. Cher’s real name is Cherilyn Sarkisian
Therefore, I seriously doubt that Cher knows what it is like to be a “half-breed” Native American/white person. I think that’s the problem that some people have with Cher singing the song “Half-Breed”
Posted 22 Mar 2006 at 3:44 pm ¶
MB wrote:
Since when does Cher’s song have to be autobiographical? Many songwriters write songs about people they know or have met.
Posted 12 Apr 2006 at 11:52 pm ¶
Melissa Olson wrote:
Um. I think Cher’s song is a classic case of American’s “playing Indian”. Why? The signifying headress is a stereotypical represenation of “Indian-ness”. I really think she just wanted the feathers and beadwork. And I would agree the lyric of the song are tragic. I don’t think however that Cher is Cherokee. “My great-grandmother was a Cherokee Indian” is another often repeated
Posted 17 Apr 2006 at 9:21 pm ¶