A New Direction for Popular Music

Throughout history, music has made giant leaps in its constant evolution thanks to special talents that continue to stand the test of time. In 1957, Elvis Presley properly introduced the world to Rock and Roll on the Ed Sullivan Show. In 1964, The Beatles landed and New York, beginning the British Invasion that would rule popular music throughout the Sixties. In 1983 Michael Jackson moonwalked for the first time and in 1991 Nirvana broke into the mainstream and introduced the world to "grunge". Despite all these achievements, many will argue that they are just improvements of earlier styles, and that the music has failed to be truly revolutionary. All that would change in 2003 when a a force unknown in the history of music emerged. His presence guaranteed that the previous trends of peaceful evolution in music would come to a screeching halt.

Macho Man Randy Savage has been known for many things. His professional wrestling skills are the stuff of legend, and many observers list his tenure as a Slim Jim spokesman as one of the greatest acting performances in history. Despite these accomplishments, Savage's musical talents were mysteriously ignored. In 1993, he was given the opportunity to showcase his ability with a one track debut on Wrestlemania: The Album. The Song, "Speaking From The Heart" sounds to the modern ear, to be a triumph musically and lyrically. Examples of some of the groundbreaking lyrics include, "soaring with the eagles and slithering with the snakes, I've been everywhere in between, I am your friend, I'm the Macho Man Randy Savage" as well as, "I will always be with you, yeah, the moon, the stars, Venus, Pluto, Saturn,yeah. Looking down, covering all bases, Dig It!" Despite the songs obvious genius, Macho Man's input was overlooked as a result of the promotion for some of the other tracks on the album. It was this failure of the music industry to properly expose Savage's unique gift, that caused the world to be free of Macho Man's musical brilliance until the groundbreaking year of 2003.

October 7, 2003 is remembered by many political historians as the day of the famous California recall that cleared to road for Arnold Schwarzenegger to become America's greatest politician. Unfortunately, many forget to note that it was also the day that music was changed forever. It was on this day that Savage released the album "Be a Man". This album is from beginning to end, brilliant. The title track, "Be a Man", is a thought provoking challenge to Hulk Hogan for a fight. With lyrics like, "Hollywood Hulkster, you are at the end of your rope, and I'm gonna kick you in the butt and wash your mouth out with soap," it is not surprising that a justifiably frightened Hulk Hogan has not responded. Other tracks include "I'm back", where Savage thanks his "crew" for making such a brilliant album. Of all the brilliant tracks on "Be a Man", The keystone song is a tune written for late wrestler "Mr. Perfect" Curt Henning. The tear jerking hip-hop hit with heart wrenching lyrics like "his greatness was so obvious...he straightened up a locker room" is especially relevant because prior to his death Henning had publicly professed a hatred of rap.

The release of the album created a buzz that has yet to die down. Reviews of the album at the time of the release were justifiably phenomenal. Dan Aquilante of the New York Post was so blown away by the musical structure of the album, while at the same time sucked in by Savage's pertinent lyrics that he could not stay silent. He wrote that the album, "defies the laws of physics by blowing and sucking at the same time." This review, as well as many others, expressed the popular view that the album rocked modern conceptions of what was good in the world.

Almost three years later, "Be a Man" is standing the test of time. Many music lovers still bring up the album frequently when talking about the highs and lows in the music industry. In conclusion, anyone who loves music and has not had the privilege to listen to Savage are unreasonably denying themselves one of the greatest pleasures of life. Finally, for those who are still uncertain about listening to Savage, I think that it would be safe to rest my case by letting Macho Man's music speak for itself. "Get your heart a pumpin, he gets the party startin...everybody's saying, he's really quite amazing, he's the Macho Man, Dig it!"

-Todd