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
6 comments:
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!
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...
Luca- stop shouting!!!
C- I didn't know anything about him til I started researching this post. I use 'researching' loosely.
looking forward to Motorhead's Lost Johnny (or the original Hawkwind version)
You're absolutely right, a real highlight of Joe's solo years. Just great.
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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