If ever there was a year when our sense of normalcy was profoundly challenged, 2020 was the one: Fake news, science ignored, profits over people – it’s enough to make you wonder how we got here.
Steve Lukather was clearly grappling with similar issues when he composed “21st Century Blues” with co-producer C. J. Vanston for 2015’s Toto XIV.
As the title gives away, this is a blues. The track opens with a relaxed shuffle from drummer Keith Carlock (can’t help but wonder how this would have sounded in the hands of Jeff Porcaro) and a deep, throbbing bass from original Toto bassist David Hungate. Accompanying them is David Paich on piano/organ and longtime Toto sideman Tom Scott on sax. Luke has the helm with vocals and guitar.
In the context of the album, “21st Century Blues” may seem like an anomaly, but don’t let its languid pulse fool you. The lyrics hold an acerbic bite:
Used to be you could trust what you heard
The channels were three
When news didn’t seem so absurd
The words set you free
Now they tell you what to think
And that the sky is green
Am I the only one to see that it’s a big machine
Someone tell me …
In the opening stanza, Lukather deftly outlines the cause for his malaise: The rise of the internet, the proliferation of media outlets, and self appointed opinion-makers on social channels are having an adverse affect on our ability to think rationally.
In the second verse, his prescience is scary:
Now here and now everything’s upside down
It’s all a big lie
Some with suits will shoot up the town
They won’t be denied
How many people got to die before we lend a hand
I can see myself living in their promised land
Someone help me
The italicized line is not just relevant right now; it saddens me to think self interest takes precedence over the common good. At the same time, when Steve Lukather says he can see himself living in their promised land and cries out for help, I’m reminded of the quote: “If you don’t use your voice, someone else will use your silence.” Our inaction will allow such a situation to arise.
The chorus is an uplifting respite, and Lukather’s solo is tasty and melodic, but the message is still serious. Then there’s the final line, a tragic realization:
Shake your head, and scream but there’s no sound
We’ve got the 21st century blues
It’s undeniable that modern-day technological advances are amazing, and they push our lives forward. But they have a cost. If we lose our connection to each other and, through our silence, become complicit in the decay of societal values, then we’re to blame for our 21st century blues.
- Toto, “Spanish Sea” from ‘Old Is New’ (2018): Toto Tuesdays - June 15, 2021
- Toto, “Devil’s Tower” from ‘Old Is New’ (2018): Toto Tuesdays - May 11, 2021
- Toto, “Alone” from ‘Old Is New’ (2018): Toto Tuesdays - April 27, 2021
