There was a time when the American Dream stood for an ideal that alluded to the fact that anyone washing up on the shores of that great new social experiment known as the United States of America could make something of their life, perhaps even reaching the highest offices in the country. Today, the reality is very different. Even before we consider that Manifest Destiny, the policy and attitude that drove such an ideal meant running others off their land to achieve its aims, today the gap between the haves and have-nots now seems both almost insurmountable and ever-widening.
It is a challenging theme to turn into a song. But Alias Wayne turns in a deft, sympathetic song, a gentle acoustic folk piece soaked in gorgeous harmonies and lilting melody. As always, it is his sonic understatement that speaks volumes.
And if the song presents a poignant idea, the video really underlines it. It shows a house divide, a world of them and us, where money talks and empathy walks.
But there is hope found here, too; the images of this rampant progress are interspersed with acts of kindness, and perhaps the unspoken optimism here is that once you identify a problem, you can do something about it. Few will watch this video, hear this song, and not feel that a change must come.
An increasing amount of music today is used to raise a voice in protest against the injustices that its makers see around them, which is what Alias Wayne does here, in his usual, deft, understated yet poignant and honest way.
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