Sunday 15 March 2015

Johnny Appleseed


Johnny Appleseed is one of the highlights of Joe Strummer's Mescaleros years (and his entire solo career too), a beautifully crafted song with a chugging guitar riff, acoustic and electric, and some great vocal/backing vocal combinations. Uplifting.

Johnny Appleseed was an American pioneer who travelled the west scattering apple seeds. Nurseries and orchards grew up in his wake. He has become a symbolic hero of conservation, kindness and generosity. Johnny was respected by the Native Americans because of his respect for all living things, including insects. Hence the line about bees in Joe's song- 'if you're after getting the honey, don't go killing all the bees'. Joe also brings in Martin Luther King and a Buick 49 and the question of whether there is a soul. We don't know, he concludes.

Johnny Appleseed

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6 comments:

  1. Luca15 March 2015 at 10:40

    I CAN'T BELIEVE ANYBODY STILL HASN'T MENTIONED 'WHO'S JOHNNY?' BY EL DE BARGE!!! IT'S ALL A FIX I TELL YOU!!!1!

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  2. C15 March 2015 at 12:56

    I didn't know anything about him before now, but thanks to you Johnny Appleseed is my new hero. Great inspiration for a song too...

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  3. Swiss Adam15 March 2015 at 15:12

    Luca- stop shouting!!!
    C- I didn't know anything about him til I started researching this post. I use 'researching' loosely.

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  4. Anonymous15 March 2015 at 18:58

    looking forward to Motorhead's Lost Johnny (or the original Hawkwind version)

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  5. The Swede15 March 2015 at 21:37

    You're absolutely right, a real highlight of Joe's solo years. Just great.

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  6. Simon16 March 2015 at 11:22

    One of Joe's best songs full stop in my opinion. And obviously that's saying a lot. The New Year after he died, I went to a party where somebody put on this and we all had a dance and raised a glass. Lovely.

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