from the 7” single, Buddah Records, 1971With so many media sources telling them where to go, how to act, what to wear & who to like, it’s become increasingly difficult for young people to feel comfortable in their own shoes at any given moment, always plagued with an obligation to perform as life becomes gradually more plugged in 24-7, becoming something like a large-scale reality series. I’m glad to not be growing up in these times, and although they sometimes get on my nerves (what with those skinny-ass jeans making the college halls look like a damn parade of chicken legs…), I can empathize with these kids’ condition---it’s a tough time to be an adolescent. Famed multi-instrumentalist & singer Curtis Mayfield knew that troubling times often left the youth of our nation in the hardest of jams, and in many ways he spent his career speaking to those in need, shining a light for listeners stumbling through the dark; when he tells you to “move on up”, he isn’t speaking literally, dig? “…hush now child, and don’t you cry, your folks might understand ya, by & by; just move on up, towards your destination, though you may find, from time to time, complications…” Take heart my young brothers & sisters, war is not eternal, and neither are the judgments of other people---you are all beautiful. Word.
