“She’s Righteous” music video update: Inhibitions, inspiration, and partying

Rock ‘n’ Roll, when done right, has always served the vital purpose of encouraging recklessness. It allows people to overcome inhibitions and act as they desire, should, or in some cases, probably should not. Even when it gets serious it keeps this sacred vow. My book on Bruce Springsteen’s music and American politics, Working On a Dream: The Progressive Political Vision of Bruce Springsteen, is about a lot of things, one of which is Springsteen’s inspirational call for listeners to shed their sociopolitical inhibitions—inhibitions that obstruct and overshadow empathy. The United States is suffering from two lethal deficits and neither have anything to do with fiscal reports. One is a deficit of inspiration and the other is an empathy deficit. Therefore, Springsteen’s music and any art that seeks to inspire and works to unify is immeasurably important.

The Righteous Hillbillies in their new music video “She’s Righteous,” of which I have written about the filming, are not serving a sociopolitical purpose. The inhibitions they are crushing to death are simply those that prevent people from having a good time. As I said before, this song inspires listeners who do not already have a foot in the grave to sing, drink, and dance. This is fun, but also seriously played rock music that attempts to reclaim some of the party territory conquered by hip hop in the last twenty years.

Rock ‘n’ roll is a dying musical form, enjoyed less and less by young people, because it stopped being fun, danceable and sexual. Hip hop, pop, and country have all captured the partying imagination of young people, while those who want loud guitars, charmingly sleazy lyrics, and rough vocals either have to go to the indie underground or take a time machine to the 70s. The Righteous Hillbillies win back some ground, and serve a lost art, in their new video—“She’s Righteous.”

Watch it here, and it should put a smile on your face as big as lead singer Brent James’ when he is looking at something (any idea what?) off camera at 1:47.